Mobile phone technical question.

Sunspots

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#1
This is a question I've been wanting to ask for a couple of years but for reasons that will become clear when I ask it, I've been afraid to ask up until now.

Is it possible for someone else to download or hack or something so that they can see what you're doing on your mobile phone? So they can remotely read your text messages, WhatsApp etc? I know there are things on PCs where you can remotely access them so wondering if there's something similar with phones.

I know my husband reads my emails (I change my google password frequently but I'm pretty sure he gets round this) and has hacked into my Facebook account and read my messages.

If there is a way he can do this, is there a way to tell and to stop it?

Tagging a few people who I know are a bit techie..
@Nick @Freya @Reaver
@Cynic Goat
and anyone else who might know.
 

Nick

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#2
Hack into it? Not really, unless he is a tech genius, and even then it's highly unlikely and very illegal. Install an app that would allow him to spy at what you are doing on there? Yes. He could very well do that. You can look for the app and delete it, disable it or whatever. As long as the app isn't running on your phone, he can't do shit.
 

Freya

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#3
Ooh ouch. Yes, there are various spywares you can install on a mobile phone to see what someone is doing / who they are messaging etc. This is not my area of expertise. I reckon @Nick is totally your source of info for this (not becuase he is insane or stalky, just to be clear, he just knows things!) I believe that he would have to have your phone to install it but I might be completey wrong about that.
 

Freya

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#4
Hack into it? Not really, unless he is a tech genius, and even then it's highly unlikely and very illegal. Install an app that would allow him to spy at what you are doing on there? Yes. He could very well do that. You can look for the app and delete it, disable it or whatever. As long as the app isn't running on your phone, he can't do shit.
How does she look for the app? I am guessing its not just chilling on the phone screen where it can be seen?
 

Walker

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#5
If course there is spyware for your phone. The best course of action here would be to backup your phone and reset it entirely.
Listen, you deserve better than this bullshit Lu. This is utter and completely lunacy that you even have to ask some crap like this and it genuinely makes me irate.
Clear your phone and then fingerprint password it or something else he won't actually know. We can also tell you how to secure up your FB and such by removing all the devices that have access to it and then changing your password.
 

Nick

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#6
I believe that he would have to have your phone to install it but I might be completey wrong about that.
He does have to have the phone to install it. That's one positive thing.
How does she look for the app?
It probably won't be chilling on your home screen, but it will be listed in your apps under settings. If you look through your apps and don't recognize something, look it up and see what it is.
It also wouldn't hurt to reset your phone, just in case.

Sorry you have to do this @Sunspots we can get you secured.
 

Walker

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#10
but it will be listed in your apps under settings
is that true though? cause good spyware doesn't have to be listed there I dont think... (I could be wrong but I thought that was a main FEATURE of good spyware was it's invisibility)
 

Nick

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#12
is that true though? cause good spyware doesn't have to be listed there I dont think... (I could be wrong but I thought that was a main FEATURE of good spyware was it's invisibility)
It should be listed there, but you might have to search for it. It's not going to pop right out and say "Hi, I'm spyware". Though that would be nice.
 

Sunspots

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#13
He has had access to my phone. After an attempt when I'd been out of it for a couple of days, he told me that he saw on my phone that I'd phoned the Samaritans twice, just before. I have a fingerprint unlock thing but I guess he'd used my finger whilst unconscious or somehow knew my PIN.

I'll have a look through the apps to see if I can spot anything.
 

Walker

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#15
If you need to just wipe the thing out then do that. Save all your photos and crap and then wipe it.
Reset the PIN code to something unusual.
Most places let you wipe all the devices that is being used so you can like log into FB and tell it to log you out of all the devices or log into google and make it log you off everything. Then you'll have to log back in --- but so would he if he was logged into your shit elsewhere.
 

Reaver

Wasting away
#16
As suggested, a factory reset should do the trick. Locks won’t keep him out if he really knows his stuff though, although he may not be able to do much after bypassing them, depending on the phone’s operating system. It might end up being obvious that he’s done something in that case anyway.
 

Lisa the Goatgirl

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#17
The techie side of this i feel has been pretty well covered by the people who've already replied, but i do just want to mention that i find your husband's behaviour seriously scary. If someone was treating me in this possessive, almost-stalkery way, i would reset everything, change all my passwords, probably change my security questions and all my contact details too to be safe, and run for the hills in the space of 2 or 3 hours.
 

Sunspots

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#19
Thanks everyone. I'm probably being ridiculous and paranoid but I just have a niggling feeling.

I've had a look at the apps and can't see anything that jumps out at me but there are so many. Some say they've been installed from the google play store but I don't remember installing them and when I try to uninstall them it comes up with warnings about losing data. Others look like they're supposed to be there as they don't say they've been installed from the play store.

I guess the best thing to do is to reset it. I've no idea how to back anything up but I've got a couple of friends who would probably know and would help me to fiddle with it all. I normally ask him to help with anything like that as I'm a numpty when it comes to tech stuff.
 

Lisa the Goatgirl

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#20
Thanks everyone. I'm probably being ridiculous and paranoid but I just have a niggling feeling.
Honestly, under the given circumstances, i don't think anything you're feeling could be classed as ridiculous or paranoia. It's more just "completely understandable anxiety/mistrust". *hug10

I like the sound of working with your friends to hang onto the things you want to keep then just resetting it. After that point i'd keep a very close eye on what gets added to your phone.
 

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