How to Detect mSpy on iPhone

When most people hear the word ‘spyware’ they might imagine some complicated piece of software used by governments to spy on each other. Maybe something that requires specialized training and advanced technical skills.

However, in reality, quite the opposite is true.

Yes, contrary to common belief, spyware can be both incredibly simple and incredibly cheap. These factors combined mean that the risk of becoming a victim of spyware is unfortunately much higher these days.

This article examines one of the most common spyware apps, mSpy, and how it can secretly monitor iPhones.

We’ll explain what it is, why it’s a threat, and how to tell if it’s been installed on your device. Most importantly, you’ll learn how to detect mSpy on iPhone and remove it for good.

How to Tell If mSpy Is Installed On Your iPhone

mSpy has several products that facilitate spying on iPhones. They each work differently, and the methods used to detect them vary. Below, we’ll give an overview of each of the available spying methods and how to detect them on iPhone:

1. mSpy Spyware

What is it?

This is the main mSpy product and is also the most intrusive. It’s a spy app that is installed directly on an iPhone and requires the hacker to jailbreak the target device.

Once installed, hackers gain unrestricted access to vast amounts of personal information from the device. They can track and monitor the iPhone remotely, as long as the software remains undetected – which is likely as this particular spyware can be completely hidden.

It can even record every keystroke entered into the iPhone, which also means that the hacker could potentially access online account passwords.

This could lead to compromised banking, email, and shopping accounts, potentially causing significant financial losses and time-consuming recovery efforts for the victim.

How to detect it:

mSpy causes many of the typical side effects of iPhone spyware, including increased battery drain, unusual app usage and excessive mobile data usage—so take action if you notice these signs.

The easiest way to detect mSpy on an iPhone is to use an anti-spyware tool, such as Certo AntiSpy. Here are the steps:

• Download Certo AntiSpy to your computer.
• Plug in your iPhone using the USB cable.
• Click Scan.

Fig 2. Detecting mSpy on an iPhone with Certo AntiSpy.

You can also search your app library for software like Cydia or Sileo. These are used to jailbreak your phone. While they are not monitoring apps themselves, if you find one on your device, it could indicate that someone has installed mSpy or another spyware app.

Fig 3. Search for jailbreak apps on iPhone.

2. mSpy Lite

What is it?

This app is available directly from Apple’s App Store and therefore has more limited tracking capabilities than the full spy app described above. It also has a visible app icon, so it is never fully hidden.

However, it still allows the snooper to track their victim’s location anywhere in the world in real-time.

mSpy Lite is very easy to set up, no jailbreak is required and all the perpetrator needs to do is get hold of the victim’s phone for a few minutes and install the app.

The app cannot be hidden entirely from a victim. But it’s still possible to disguise or hide mSpy Lite amongst others on an iPhone. For example, by placing it in the hidden apps folder.

How to detect it:

There are a few ways you can detect if mSpy Lite is installed on your iPhone.

1. Run a scan with Certo AntiSpy, which will alert you if any spyware or location-tracking apps are present on your device.
2. Check for the mSpy Lite app on your home screen. Make sure to check app folders, too, as hackers often try to hide apps there. The best way to do this is to use a spotlight search. Simply swipe down on the home screen and type “mSpy” into the bar at the top.
3. Check which apps can access your location, as mSpy Lite will need this to track you. You can review apps under Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services.
4. Check your App Store purchase history. Open the App Store and go to your account page. Tap Purchase History and search for mSpy or look out for any app names you don’t recognize.

Fig 4. Reviewing apps with access to Location on iPhone.

3. mSpy iCloud Monitoring

What is it?

Referred to as a “No Jailbreak” solution, mSpy’s iCloud Monitoring product works by accessing the victim’s iCloud account and downloading data that they have synced from their phone. This can include messages, photos, contacts and more.

As all of the data is accessed via iCloud, it does not require an app to be installed on the target phone and so can be a way for a hacker to spy on someone’s phone activity remotely.

It does, however, require the hacker to know the victim’s iCloud login credentials in order to set it up.

How to detect it:

Since nothing is installed on the victim’s iPhone during the attack, detecting iCloud Monitoring is not quite as simple as finding and deleting an app.

To make things even more difficult, Apple does not provide access logs for iCloud accounts, which would be useful when trying to investigate any unauthorized access.

That said, if Apple does detect a suspicious login to your iCloud account, they will typically send you an email to alert you with the time and location of the login.

Furthermore, all iCloud accounts now have two-factor authentication, which means that for someone to access your iCloud account with mSpy, they would need to know your iCloud password AND have access to one of your devices to receive a 6-digit code.

It’s also worth noting that Apple introduced Advanced Data Protection in iOS 16, which provides end-to-end encryption for your iCloud synced data.

If Advanced Data Protection is enabled for your iCloud account, then it would be impossible for mSpy or any other services to access your data from iCloud, even if the hacker can log in to your account.

How to Remove mSpy From iPhone

If you’ve found mSpy on your iPhone with one of the above methods then you’ll probably want to remove it fairly quickly. Below, we describe four ways you can quickly remove mSpy from your iPhone and get your privacy back.

1. Use Certo AntiSpy

An anti-spyware app, like Certo AntiSpy, is the best way to find and remove mSpy from your iPhone or iPad. Certo AntiSpy can detect all versions of mSpy that are installed on your device, even if they have been hidden by the hacker.

Once detected, just click the Remove button and Certo will either remove the threat automatically or, if unable to do this, provide simple step-by-step instructions to remove mSpy for good.

2. Look for and delete hidden apps

Most spyware solutions offered by mSpy require an app to be installed on the device. Finding and removing this app will ensure that you are no longer being monitored. The easiest way to do this is to search your device for any apps that you don’t recognize.

To show a list of all installed apps on your device go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage. Look for any apps called ‘mSpyLite’, ‘mLite’, ‘mSpy’ or ‘iPhoneInternalService’ and delete them if found.

Keep in mind that mSpy could rename its apps at any time, so be vigilant for any apps that look suspicious.

3. Update

mSpy’s main spy app requires the victim’s phone to be jailbroken. If the device is no longer jailbroken, then the spyware will cease to function.

Fortunately, performing a simple iOS update will remove any jailbreak present on an iPhone and therefore remove mSpy from your device.

Go to Settings > General > Software Update to check for and install any available iOS updates.

4. Change your Apple Account password

If you’ve been targeted by mSpy iCloud Monitoring, then changing your Apple Account password is the best way to lock hackers out of your iCloud account.

To regain access, they would need to work out your new password AND have physical access to your device. So make sure you have a good unlock passcode for your device too.

You can change your Apple Account password on your iPhone by going to Settings > Your Name > Sign-In & Security > Change Password.

5. Restore your iPhone from a backup

If you suspect that the mSpy app was recently installed on your device, restoring your iPhone to an earlier backup can help remove it—as long as the backup was made before the spyware was added.

This approach can effectively remove hidden apps or changes caused by jailbreaking, without needing to erase everything manually.

To restore your iPhone from an iCloud backup:

1. Open Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Erase All Content and Settings.
2. Follow the setup steps on screen.
3. When asked, choose Restore from iCloud Backup.
4. Sign in to your Apple Account and select a backup created before you noticed suspicious activity.

To restore from a Mac or PC backup:

1. Connect your iPhone to your computer with a USB cable.
2. On a Mac: Open Finder. On a PC: Open iTunes.
3. Select your device, then choose Restore Backup.
4. Pick a backup created before the suspected spyware installation and tap Restore.

Keep in mind that this method only works if you have a clean backup available and it will revert all settings and data to that earlier state. This may not be the most reliable method if you’re unsure when the spyware was installed.

6. Factory reset

This should be treated as a last resort, but resetting your iPhone back to factory condition is a very effective way of removing mSpy and other spyware from your device.

To reset the factory settings, go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Erase All Content and Settings.

Wrapping Up

Whether it’s the full version or mSpy Lite, this type of spyware can seriously compromise your privacy—giving someone access to your messages, location, photos, and more. Thankfully, there are clear warning signs and reliable ways to detect it.

The easiest and most effective method is to run a scan with Certo AntiSpy. It’s designed specifically to find hidden apps like mSpy on iPhones—even those that try to stay completely invisible.