How To Detect Spyware On Android Phones And Remove It For Good

Spyware is malicious software designed to infiltrate and gather sensitive data from a user’s device.

The data that can potentially be stolen is wide-ranging, from personal photographs and private messages to critical account credentials. The unsettling reality? Installing spyware on Android devices is alarmingly simple.

To many, it is surprising how easy it is to embed spyware in an Android phone. Malicious software can be installed in minutes, with some hacking tools available for just $50.

Unlike iOS, Android attacks don’t require complex software skills, and it can be as simple as downloading an app onto a device. In general, Android is a more open mobile operating system than iOS on Apple phones, which makes Android phones easier targets.

However, just because your device can be targeted doesn’t mean you can’t protect it. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll unveil the secrets of spyware, teach you how to detect and remove it from your Android device and empower you with the knowledge to safeguard your privacy.

Chapter 1: What is Spyware?

Spyware is malicious software that quietly collects information from your device. But it’s not a one-size-fits-all scenario; there are various kinds of spyware, each with its own tactics.

In this section, we’ll break down what spyware is and describe the types you might encounter.

What is spyware?

Spyware is a malicious app or software that can gather a wide range of information, including personal details, private messages, passwords, and browsing habits of unsuspecting Android users.

Cybercriminals, jealous partners, or entities interested in gathering information about individuals or organizations often use spyware apps.

It typically infiltrates devices through deceptive means such as a phishing attack via email, malicious websites, or bundled with other apps.

Once installed, spyware operates in the background, which makes it difficult for users to detect. It’s a serious threat to privacy and security, and it’s advisable to use reputable security software and adopt good digital hygiene practices to prevent spyware infections.

What types of spyware exist for Android?

Educating yourself is one of the best ways to stay safe when it comes to protecting your data and your device against cyberattacks.

There are basic things that you should be aware of when it comes to spyware for Android devices. Perhaps most importantly, you should know what the different types of spyware you need to look out for are:

1. Consumer spyware

This spyware is usually downloaded from third-party app stores or websites and is often marketed as “Catch a cheating spouse” software. Simply put, an individual could install this software on your phone in just a matter of minutes if they have physical access to it.

The scariest thing about this type of software is that it could give the perpetrator access to everything on the phone, such as photos, messages, and real-time location tracking, as well as giving them the ability to record phone conversations.

It’s bad enough if someone is using this type of software to spy on a partner or ex-partner, but it’s even worse if someone is using it maliciously to gain access to sensitive information.

2. ‘Family Monitoring’ apps

These types of apps are not as intrusive as consumer spyware but are more widely available and can be found on the official Google Play Store and third-party app stores.

They are usually marketed at parents who wish to monitor their child’s device—for example, to track their location when they are away from home. These apps also allow parents to control their child’s phone and block certain apps.

However, like consumer spyware, these apps are available to anyone and could be installed without the device owner’s permission and misused as a spy app to access data.

3. Malicious/Trojan apps

These more advanced spyware apps are used by hackers who do not have physical access to your device. They are typically disguised as legitimate apps and distributed via phishing attacks or malicious websites.

However, some apps can also make it onto the official Google Play Store. For example, in the first 6 months of 2024, more than 90 different malicious apps have been downloaded from the Google Play Store over 5.5 million times.

4. Other types of spyware

⚠️ Adware: Displays unwanted advertisements, tracks user activity, and collects personal data for advertising purposes.​

⚠️ Keyloggers: Records every keystroke on a device to capture passwords, login details, and personal messages​​.

⚠️ System monitors: Record a wide range of user activities, including emails sent/received, keystrokes, and websites visited, posing a severe threat to privacy.

⚠️ Tracking cookies: Tracks user activity and browsing habits, sometimes used maliciously to collect personal information​​.

⚠️ Password stealers: Harvests passwords from infected devices to gain unauthorized access to personal accounts and sensitive data​​.

⚠️ Rootkits: Rootkits provide cybercriminals with administrator-level access (or root access) to the victim’s device to hide malware, which makes it difficult to detect or remove.

⚠️ Information stealers: Designed to steal sensitive information from your device, like financial data or personal identification information.

How does an Android device get spyware?

Here are some common ways spyware ends up on Android devices:

⚠️ Downloading apps from untrusted sources: Installing apps outside the official Google Play Store can expose your device to spyware. Some third-party app stores or websites may host hidden spy apps disguised as legitimate ones.

⚠️ Phishing scams: Cybercriminals often use phishing emails or SMS messages that trick users into downloading malicious apps or granting permissions to install spyware.

⚠️ Infected attachments or links: Clicking suspicious links or downloading attachments from unknown sources can lead to spyware infections.

⚠️ Fake app updates: Some websites might prompt users to download updates for popular apps, but these “updates” are often a spying app in disguise.

⚠️ App permissions: Some apps, even if downloaded from the Google Play Store, might request more permissions than they need for their operations. Granting these permissions can sometimes allow spyware-related activities.

⚠️ Malvertising: This refers to malicious advertising. Sometimes, cybercriminals disguise spyware as legitimate advertisements. If you inadvertently click on such a deceptive ad, it could lead to spyware being installed on your device

⚠️ Direct device installations: Someone with access to your phone could install a spyware app on your device when it’s left unattended to monitor your activities.

Chapter 2: How To Detect Spyware on an Android Phone

A spyware infection on Android devices can manifest through various symptoms:

📽️ Video: How to Detect and Remove Spyware on Android

If you’re a visual learner and prefer to watch a video, check out our latest video guide on Android spyware detection and removal. If not, read on for the full step-by-step instructions.

1. Check your battery usage

⚠️ What to look for:

A sudden, unexplained decrease in your device’s battery life, especially if you haven’t changed your usage patterns significantly.

✅ Action to take:

Here’s how to check your battery usage on an Android device:

1. Open your phone’s Settings app.
2. Tap on Battery (or Battery & device care on some phones).
3. You’ll see an overview of your battery level and usage.
4. Tap on Battery Usage (on some devices) to see a detailed breakdown of which apps and services are using the most battery.

Fig 1. Checking battery usage on Android.

2. Monitor your data usage

⚠️ What to look for:

Unexpected or significant increases in your data usage, especially when you haven’t changed your typical phone habits.

✅ Action to take:

1. Open the Settings app on your phone.
2. Tap on Connections (Network & internet or Mobile network on some devices).
3. Tap on Data usage (Mobile data usage on some devices).
4. Here you’ll see an overview of your total data usage for the current billing cycle. You can also see which apps are using the most data.

Fig 2. Checking data usage on Android.

3. Look for suspicious files on your device

⚠️ What to look for:

• Unfamiliar or suspicious files in your Downloads folder or other locations on your device.
• Hidden files and folders, especially in system directories.

✅ Actions to take:

1. Check the downloads folder

1. Open the Files app (or your file manager app).
2. Navigate to the Downloads folder.
3. Look for any files you don’t recognize or remember downloading. If you see anything suspicious, research the file name online to see if it’s associated with malware. Pay close attention to any files with an .APK extension.

2. Look for hidden files and folders

• Some malware tries to hide by creating files and folders that start with a dot (e.g., .hiddenfile).
• In your file manager app, check the settings to enable the display of hidden files and folders.
• Look for hidden files in unusual locations, especially system directories.

Fig 3. Finding a malicious file on Android.

4. See if you have any unfamiliar apps on your home screen

⚠️ What to look for:

Carefully examine your home screen for any apps you don’t recognize or remember installing. Pay close attention to apps that appear to be system or utility apps but have unusual names or icons.

✅ Action to take:

If you find an unfamiliar app, research its name and developer online. Some known examples of spyware apps that you should delete immediately are:

🛑 mLite
🛑 Update Service
🛑 Sync Service
🛑 Phone Tool
🛑 Sync Services

If you can’t verify the legitimacy of an app, consider uninstalling it.

Fig 4. Finding a spy app on Android.

5. Check app permissions on your phone

⚠️ What to look for:

Another way to find spy apps is to check sensitive permissions on your device—e.g. those that allow access to the camera or your location—by reviewing which apps have been granted these permissions.

This is a quick and effective way to identify spyware apps that have been hidden or are disguised as real apps.

✅ Action to take:

Follow these steps to view your app permissions (they may differ slightly depending on your device):

1. Go to Settings.
2. Look for Security and Privacy, Privacy, or Permissions. (The exact location varies by device.)
3. Tap Permission Manager.
4. Tap on categories like Location, Microphone, and Camera.
5. Look for apps with permissions that seem excessive or unrelated to their function. For example, a simple calculator app shouldn’t need access to your contacts or microphone.

Fig 5. Reviewing app permissions on Android.

6. Check if Google Play Protect is enabled

⚠️ What to look for:

Check if Google Play Protect, Android’s built-in security software, is enabled on your device. If it’s turned off and you didn’t disable it yourself, it could be a sign of spyware or malware.

✅ Action to take:

1. Open the Google Play Store app.
2. Tap the profile icon at the top right of your screen.
3. Tap Play Protect.
4. If Play Protect is turned off, this could be a sign that someone has disabled it to install a malicious app.

Fig 6. Checking Play Protect on Android.

7. Monitor your text messages and emails

⚠️ What to look for:

Strange text messages and emails, especially those containing suspicious links, coded symbols, or requests to install unknown apps.

Be extra cautious of messages that masquerade as authentication requests from social platforms or other services you use.

✅ Actions to take:

• Regularly review your message history for any unexpected or suspicious activity.
• Never click on links or download attachments from unknown senders.
• If a message claims to be from a service you use, verify its legitimacy by contacting the service directly through their official channels.
• Block suspicious numbers and email addresses to prevent further unwanted messages.

8. Check if your phone is rooted

⚠️ What to look for:

“Rooting” is a process that gives users privileged control over their Android device. It is required by some spyware in order to access more data from the device.

✅ Actions to take:

1. Use a Root Checker App

1. Download a root checker app from the Google Play Store. Some popular options include Root Checker, Root Checker Pro, and SU Root Checker for Android.
2. Open the app and follow the instructions to check your device’s root status.

2. Check the Build Number in Settings:

1. Go to Settings > About phone or Settings > System > About phone.
2. Look for Build number and tap on it repeatedly until you see a message saying “You are now a developer.“
3. Go back to the main Settings menu and look for Developer options.
4. In Developer options, look for Root access or a similar setting. If you don’t have this setting or it says Disabled then your phone is likely not rooted.
5. Once you’re done, you can turn off Developer options.

3. Use a Terminal Emulator App:

1. Download a terminal emulator app from the Google Play Store, such as Termux or Alacritty for Android.
2. Open the app and type the command su and press enter.
3. If you get a “#” prompt, your phone is rooted. If you get a “Permission denied” message or a “$” prompt, your phone is not rooted.

9. Run a spyware scan

⚠️ What to look for:

In addition to the manual checks we’ve discussed, use a mobile security app to scan for any deeper threats that might be lurking. Pay close attention to any alerts or warnings it provides.

✅ Action to take:

1. Download and install Certo Mobile Security from the Google Play Store (it’s free!).
2. Run a full system scan using the app.
3. Follow any prompts or recommendations provided by the app to remove any detected threats.

Fig 7. Finding spyware with Certo for Android.

If you have several of these symptoms, you might have fallen victim to Android phone spyware. Below, we’ll explore some effective methods for removing hidden spy apps on your phone.

Chapter 3: How to Remove Spyware from Your Android Device

1. Remove strange apps on your device

If you spot any suspicious apps you don’t recognize, there’s a chance that your phone could have a spyware infection.

We recommend uninstalling any apps you don’t recognize or seem suspicious. If you find a suspicious app, here’s what to do:

Step 1: Reboot to safe mode

1. Press and hold the power button on your device until the power menu appears.
2. Press and hold the Power off option in the menu.
3. A prompt asks whether you want to reboot into Safe Mode. Tap OK.
4. Your device will restart, and you should see the words Safe Mode at the screen’s bottom-left or bottom-right corner.

In Safe Mode, your device will disable all third-party apps. This means you can only use the system apps that came with your device. This mode is beneficial for troubleshooting, as it can help you determine whether a third-party app is causing issues on your device.

Step 2: Remove suspicious apps

1. Go to your Settings app and select Apps or Manage Apps.
2. Browse through the list and look for any unfamiliar or suspicious apps. To get more information about a specific app, do a quick Google search on its name to determine whether it’s trustworthy.
3. If you find a suspicious app, tap Uninstall. If the Uninstall button is grayed out, proceed to step 3.

Fig 8. Viewing installed apps on an Android device.

Step 3: Check and remove device admin apps

1. If you cannot remove an app because the Uninstall button is grayed out, the app might have device administrator access. This is because some malicious apps grant administrator privileges to prevent you from deleting them. Go to Settings and search for “device admin apps” then tap Device Admin apps.
2. On the ‘Device administrators’ screen, look for the malicious app and deselect (or uncheck) the box next to its name.

5. Perform a factory reset

If all else fails, you can do a factory reset. A factory reset on an Android device will erase all data, including files, settings, and apps.

Important: Before you perform a factory reset, it’s crucial to backup your data to prevent losing important information. You can backup your data to Google Drive, a computer or an external storage device.

Here’s how to perform the reset:

1. Go to your phone’s settings.
2. Scroll down and tap on System (the exact path may vary slightly depending on your device).
3. Now tap on Reset or Reset options.
4. Select Erase all data (factory reset) or Reset phone and follow the instructions on screen.

Fig 13. Performing a factory reset on Android.

Chapter 4: How to Reduce the Risk of Getting Spyware on an Android Phone

It’s not always easy to keep yourself safe from all cyber threats, and once you’ve been hacked with mobile spyware, it takes a lot of effort to get things completely back to normal. Prevention is always better than cure.

Below, we’ll discuss eight quick tips for Android users to help you avoid running into problems with spyware on your Android device:

✅ Download a robust security app

Anti-spyware software such as Certo Mobile Security can help protect all your important information from prying eyes and data thieves.

✅ Keep your device updated

Whenever a new operating system update is released for your device, make sure that you download and install it.

This is extremely important to ensure you get all the latest security updates and features from the OS developers. If your device supports automatic updates, then be sure to enable it.

✅ Don’t click on suspicious links!

This is one of the biggest problems faced by users of any device connected to the Internet—it’s way too easy to click on links that appear genuine but in reality, are fishing for a way to gain access to your info. If you smell a rat, whether online or in your email inbox, steer clear!

✅ Use strong passwords

This should be obvious by now! The stronger your password, the harder it is for a hacker to force entry into your device or accounts.

Use various alphanumeric characters and symbols to create your password, and make sure it isn’t anything that could be easily guessed.

Some services allow you to generate and store random unique passwords for each of your online accounts, which is a great way to improve your password security.

✅ Only install apps from trusted sources

Only download apps from the official Google Play Store if you own an Android phone. Don’t download from third-party suppliers.

Downloading third-party apps doesn’t necessarily mean that your phone will get infected with some form of malware, but the chances are much higher via a third party than via the official Play Store.

✅ Limit physical access to your phone

Ensure you don’t leave your phone unattended in public places. While many cyber attacks can happen remotely, allowing direct access to your device can lead to spyware installation or unauthorized access. Use screen locks and never share your passcode.

✅ Use two-factor authentication

Two-factor authentication is an easy way to protect your private data from hackers. It requires two pieces of information to log in, rather than just one.

For example, you might be required to enter a verification code sent to you by text message in addition to your password.

Set up two-factor authentication on your Google account by following the steps provided here.

✅ Secure your internet connection

Using a virtual private network (VPN) can be a game-changer, especially on public Wi-Fi networks. It encrypts your data, which keeps it out of reach from prying eyes. We recommend NordVPN.

Additionally, always be cautious when accessing sensitive accounts on unsecured networks.

Final Thoughts

Protecting your Android device from spyware is crucial for maintaining digital security and privacy.

Spyware can collect personal data without your knowledge, posing significant risks. Following the steps outlined in this guide, you can detect and remove any spyware, ensuring your device is secure.

Key Takeaways:

➡️ Understand spyware: Knowing the different types of spyware and how they work is your first line of defense.

➡️ Detection: Look for signs like rapid battery drain, unusual data usage, and unfamiliar apps or files on your device. Alternatively, run a scan with an anti-spyware app.

➡️ Removal: Use Safe Mode, review and manage app permissions, utilize antivirus tools, and consider a factory reset if necessary.

➡️ Prevention: Practice good security habits, such as installing reputable security software, keeping your device updated, and being cautious about the apps you download and the links you click.

Being proactive and staying informed can reduce the risk of spyware infections and keep your Android device secure. Remember, taking preventive measures is always better than dealing with an infection, and with the right tools and practices, you can enjoy a safer digital experience.