How To Know If Your Phone Is Hacked (12 Warning Signs)

Can You Tell If Your Phone Has Been Hacked?

Unfamiliar apps, losing access to your accounts, and performance issues, such as apps crashing regularly, a hot or loud device, and reduced battery life are all common signs that your phone has been hacked.

A hacked phone can give fraudsters access to your calls and texts, sensitive data (including photos and videos), or apps and accounts (including your bank account or email). While Android devices receive significantly more malware threats than iPhones, all mobile devices can be targeted by cybercriminals.

In Mid-2024, cybersecurity experts discovered over 90 malicious apps available for download in the Google Play store.

If your phone, apps, or accounts are suddenly inaccessible or behaving differently than usual, look for these warning signs of a hacked phone.

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12 Warning Signs That Your Phone Is Hacked

Hackers use a number of methods to hack your phone or online accounts. One of the most common tactic involves tricking victims into clicking on malicious links in phishing emails, text messages, or social media DMs.

Other risks include accidentally downloading malicious apps from third-party app stores, scammers spying on you over fake public Wi-Fi networks, plugging your phone into a compromised charging station, or even losing access to your phone number through a SIM swapping scam.

Regardless of how your phone gets hacked, malware and viruses almost always cause performance issues with phones or services. If you notice any of these warning signs, act quickly to remove the hacker from your phone.

1. Your phone battery is draining more quickly than usual

Faster than usual battery drain on your phone is a sign that you may have fake or malicious apps running in the background.

Check your phone's battery settings to see which apps are using extra battery life. This can also help you determine if you're dealing with malware or a different issue.

2. Higher than expected data usage on your phone bill

Malware and other viruses may send and receive data in the background, leading to unexpected high data usage on your phone bill. You can check which apps are using up your cellular data by going into your phone’s settings and searching for cellular.

3. Performance issues, such as a slow or crashing device

Poor performance, unusual activity, and device crashes are all signs of a compromised phone. If you find apps running sluggishly, or your phone takes too long to open apps, malware could be using up your system's resources.

Do this first: Performance issues aren’t always caused by malware or phone hacks. Sometimes corrupted files or apps need to be reset. On Android devices, you can try rebooting your device in Safe Mode, which will run only a few limited apps and processes. If your device works fine in Safe Mode, you’re dealing with a problematic app that needs to be removed.

4. Your device is abnormally hot

Some malware infections use up so much of your phone’s resources that it may overheat or feel warm to the touch. You can check to see if apps are running in the background and using up your resources. On iPhone, you can simply turn off background app refresh to see if that fixes the issue. Android users need to enable developer options and then look into running services.

📚 Related: How To Check For Viruses on iPhones →

5. Unfamiliar apps on your phone’s home screen

Hackers sometimes disguise malicious software as normal-looking apps. Unfamiliar or suspicious apps on your home screen should be checked and deleted. You can check for new apps in your app library on both Apple and Android devices.

Pro tip: Beware of strange Bluetooth connections. Hackers can use Bluetooth to take control of nearby devices with open-Bluetooth pairing enabled. Bluetooth hackers can also send malicious links and software via Bluetooth in an attack called Bluejacking. Though this is a serious threat, users can easily defend against it by disabling open-Bluetooth connections.

6. Constant notifications or pop-ups

Some malware — such as adware — floods your device with pop-ups and notifications, or even launches apps on their own.

If you’re seeing this kind of suspicious activity on your phone, one place to check for adware is in your mobile browser’s extensions. For example, on iOS devices, go to Settings > Safari > Extensions and delete any unknown extensions that could be causing issues.

📚 Related: How To Remove Adware From Android Devices →

7. You’re locked out of your Apple ID or Google account

If hackers break into your Apple ID or Google account, they can change your passwords and lock you out of your critical accounts. If you can’t access your Apple or Google account, consider it a major red flag. Immediately follow the account recovery instructions from both Apple and Google.

8. You can’t log in to your online accounts

Hackers can use malware to spy on you and uncover your account passwords (known as Account Takeover Fraud). If your passwords aren’t working for your email or social media accounts, this could be a sign that your phone was hacked.‍

Reset your account passwords (with unique and strong passwords), enable two-factor authentication (2FA), and add secure backup accounts.

📚 Related: How To Know If Your Email Has Been Hacked (and What To Do) →

9. You receive 2FA codes you didn’t request

If you receive unrequested two-factor authentication codes, it could be a sign that a hacker is trying to log in to one of your accounts. The good news is that this most likely means that the 2FA security measure is working and your account is safe — for now.

If you receive unusual password reset requests or 2FA codes, perform a security checkup on your Android or iPhone.

10. Your camera or microphone indicator light turns on

Stalkerware and spyware apps can use your phone's camera or microphone to monitor you without your knowledge. If your indicator lights randomly turn on, it could be a sign of a hacked phone.‍ You may also find strange photos and videos in your gallery (or in a cloud backup service like iCloud or Google Photos).

A good place to start is by checking your app permissions on your iPhone or Android phone to see if any unfamiliar apps have access to your phone’s camera or microphone.

📚 Related: How Someone Can Track Your Location (and How To Stop Them) →

11. You stop receiving texts or calls

Some scams — such as SIM swapping — allow hackers to take over access to your phone number and reroute text messages and phone calls to their device. If you aren't receiving texts or calls to your device, check your phone and SMS settings to see if there's an unknown number in the forwarded section. Then, contact your carrier to see if anyone has tricked them into giving up access to your SIM.

12. Your phone number and other information was leaked in a data breach

While not exactly a sign that your phone is hacked, if your sensitive information is circulating on the Dark Web — such as your name, address, phone number, or Social Security number (SSN) — you could become an easier target for hackers.

While you can’t remove your data from the Dark Web, running a scan will tell you if you’ve been impacted by a breach.

🔎 Check if your sensitive information is at risk with Aura’s free data breach scanner →

How To Remove a Hacker From Your Phone

If you’ve seen some warning signs that your phone is hacked, follow these steps to clear up the issue. If you’re using an Android device, you may also want to consider anti-malware software to do the work for you.

• Uninstall any unrecognized or resource-draining apps. Remove apps you don’t recognize or ones that are using up resources. If you’re unsure about an app's usefulness, research it online or in the Google Play Store or iOS App Store.
• Clear your browsing history, cache, and downloads. Malware can hide in areas of your phone that you don’t normally check. Clear your browsing history and cache, as well as your downloads, to remove hidden malicious software.
• Download security software and run an antivirus scan. Antivirus software can find, isolate, and remove malware from your Android phone. (Note: there’s no such thing as antivirus for iPhone — any security app that markets itself that way isn’t being honest). Once you have antivirus protection on your device, it will automatically check files and programs.
• Remove unrecognized devices from your Apple ID or Google Account. Scammers who get access to your Apple or Google accounts can connect them to their own devices for easier access. Remove any unfamiliar devices that have logged in to your accounts by going to the your devices section of your Google account or your Apple ID device list.
• Update your operating system and software. Malware and hacks often rely on outdated software and exploits. When developers patch vulnerabilities, they release them via system and software updates. Set your devices to automatically update so that you won’t miss these critical fixes.  
• Change your passwords, and enable 2FA. Update the passwords for any accounts you think hackers have accessed. Whenever possible, enable 2FA to ensure that future logins require a one-time code sent to your device.
• Set up a password manager. These tools help you create and securely store your passwords while also alerting you to any accounts that could be compromised. Additionally, the best password managers prevent you from automatically entering your passwords on known phishing sites. ‍
• The nuclear option: Reset your phone to its factory settings. If you’re dealing with lingering issues, you may need to perform a factory reset on your phone. Note that this step will wipe all files and settings from your phone — so make sure you have a secure (and virus-free) backup.

Unfortunately, it’s almost impossible to know the full extent of the damage of a hacked phone. Once you’ve cleared up any malicious apps and hacked accounts, take steps to protect yourself against identity theft, fraud, and further scams.

At a minimum, you should freeze your credit with all three major bureaus (Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion), notify your bank or credit card company of the hack, and submit an official identity theft report to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at IdentityTheft.gov.

The Bottom Line: Protect Your Phone From Hackers and Malware

The best way to protect yourself from hackers is to recognize and avoid their attacks. First, make sure you only download apps from official app stores, don’t click on suspicious links, and be on the lookout for warning signs indicating that someone is trying to scam you online.

Next, secure your cell phone with digital security measures — including antivirus software, Safe Browsing tools, and a virtual private network (VPN). Then, secure your accounts with complex and unique passwords and activating 2FA/MFA wherever possible.

For even more security:

• Use an ad-blocker or a privacy-focused mobile browser. Privacy browsers, like Firefox or Brave, or ad-blockers, such as the one included with every Aura plan, have additional privacy features that limit data sharing and tracking and can block adware and unwanted pop-up ads.
• Enable a SIM lock/PIN on your device. Enabling a SIM lock or SIM PIN in your device's security settings adds the requirement for a four-digit PIN before your SIM can be used, regardless of the device.  
• Avoid jailbreaking or rooting your device. Doing anything to change your device’s operating system can leave you vulnerable to more serious viruses.
• Ask your mobile provider for port protection. Some carriers provide additional port protection to prevent your number and account from being swapped to a different carrier or SIM card, as in Port-out or SIM-swap scams. T-Mobile's Port Out Protection is an example of this type of program.
• Enable biometric security. Adding a biometric security measure like fingerprint ID or face ID can make it more difficult for criminals to access your device if it’s stolen.
• Use an authenticator app instead of SMS for 2FA. If you receive 2FA codes via text messages, hackers with access to your phone can bypass your account security. Authenticator apps require stronger security measures for the codes, such as biometric identification.
• Maintain regular backups and updates. Setting up automatic backups and updates ensures that you save the most recent clean version of your system and files, and run the latest and most secure operating system, software, and apps. You can also encrypt your backup data for even more security.
• Sign up for credit monitoring and identity theft protection. Credit monitoring and identity theft protection service providers actively search for signs of fraud and identity theft. They monitor your credit file, public records, and financial accounts for unusual activity and alert you the moment they spot something suspicious.