Modern smartphones are so enthralling. These smart devices have sufficient power and storage, wherein our lives digitally live and depend on them. And if it does not fit in the phone, it surely does fit somewhere else – specifically in the cloud.
All your conversations, images, and music lie inside these smart devices. It is rather convenient, yet it also leaves an entry for invaders. And there is a lot of possible spies that you should be worried about.
For beginners, hackers and some other digital intruders are just there trying all that they can to get your personal information. Then you also need to worry about other people, including your partner, and even the government.
One way for an intruder to monitor your phone is through keylogging. You might be asking, how to detect Android keylogger? Well, look no further – in this article, we will discuss and answer your question. So without further ado, let’s get it started!
What is an Android keylogger?
Before we proceed on the ways on how to detect keylogger on Android, let’s first discuss what keylogger really is.
Generally, a keylogger is an application or a portion of an application that’s designed in recording whatever a target system is keying or typing on their keyboard. This target system might be an Android phone, an iOS device, or even a computer.
Furthermore, an Android keylogger is also defined as a piece of software, which might be installed secretly on a smartphone. This allows you to monitor an Android device remotely, as well as view almost all data stored on it.
Since keyloggers record all keystrokes that are made, looking at the record of the application may show the necessary or private information of a person. This includes text videos, photos, social media activity, browsing history, applications, emails, call logs and text messages.
In order for you to prevent someone from hacking your Android device, you should familiarize yourself with the different signs, as well as the ways of detecting keyloggers on Android phones.
Signs that your phone is being spied on
Here are some of the most common signs that your phone is being spied on:
Phone performance is slow
You will encounter this sign commonly when there is an application or software that is working in the background. This application may affect the functionality of the phone greatly.
Usually, if a phone monitoring app with a keylogger is running in the background, it is expected that your phone will operate much more slowly.
You will commonly notice this when you are browsing online or when you try opening your social media applications and it takes too long for them to open.
Phone turns on and off suddenly
Is your phone turning on & off so suddenly, and for no ostensible reason? Probably, some code or software like a keylogger has interfered with your phone and has affected its operating system. In case this happens, your smartphone might do some abnormal things, just like turning on & off suddenly.
However, there is no need for you to go crazy with this sign, as some old smartphones do this sometimes. Nonetheless, keep a close eye for some other clues when you see this kind of odd behavior going on.
Receiving strange text messages
Are you getting some strange text messages on your phone? Perhaps ones with a lot of numbers and letters, which look like a code. Perhaps, just a random talk from various unknown numbers – they might be anything.
Intruders frequently use these in communicating with the device and give a command. In case a hacker needs your location, for instance, he may request it by sending a message with a pre-established code.
You should also be wary that keyloggers are frequently installed through text messages. A text message will be sent to you using strange links or codes. When you encounter this, do not even think about clicking on it –deleting it is the best way to deal with it.
Phone temperature unusually gets hot
Does your phone get a little too hot than normal? This phenomenon is actually normal when you play games with it or while charging. However, it should not happen when your phone is idle, doing light tasks, or just in your pocket.
Once you notice your phone temperature getting hot unusually, keep close attention to it. As we said earlier, when an application or software like keylogger is running in the background, it may affect the functionality of the phone, thus causing it to get hotter than usual.
Phone battery drains quickly
When your phone’s battery drains quickly, it is commonly due to an application or software running in the background. In the case of Android keyloggers, they’re actually designed to hide and do not appear as a common application would.
This is mainly because these kinds of applications might take up many resources on your phone. Now that you already know the signs to look at, let us now move on to the ways on how to find hidden spy app on Android.
How to detect keyloggers on Android phones?
Is your Android phone rooted? If yes, then you can easily install third-party applications – that could be fun, yeah? However, if you own a rooted phone, you are also prone to intruders.
As a matter of fact, root users have the capacity to dig into their device’s system and alter different codes – this might make it much harder to detect and even combat spyware, like a keylogger.
Always be careful when buying or using rooted devices –it may just impose some harm. Nonetheless, here are some of the most effective ways to detect keylogger on your Android phone:
Reset your phone
When you suspect that your phone is being spied on, you can try to reset your phone. When you do this, you will be able to get rid of any keylogger or some other viruses that stay in your device.
Nevertheless, before you do this, make sure that your phone data as a backup – whether via an application or via your smartphone carrier.
Use antivirus software
Just as with any malware or virus, antivirus software may find an Android keylogger and isolate it. Make sure that the software you are going to choose is fast, effective, and has the capacity to protect your smartphone every single day.
This software will scan for the keylogger and eradicate it from your phone by deleting all of it. After that, the app will find for the affected app that’s using too much data in the background or is causing the device to drain its battery. This is very effective in getting rid of any kind of keylogger on your smartphone.
Check your phone’s download history
It is important that a keylogger is downloaded in your device, for it to work. Having said that, it will be found in your Download folder or history, if not deleted. Commonly, you might be able to find this by searching on your phone’s downloaded files and web history.
This might be time-consuming, and all, but it will be your phone that will benefit from it. Bear with it, after all, you will have a phone that is much safer to use in the end.
Try finding the app manually
If you think that your phone is being monitored on and there is no trace of the application in the download history or folder, finding it manually in your apps is a good idea.
You just need to go over your phone settings to look for anything suspicious about it. Bear in mind that the app might not appear as it is – it might appear like any other applications.
Find the source
Here’s the thing, and intruded may have used your device and inserted bad code inside it, or a third-party application includes malware together with keyloggers. You need to identify it yourself – find the source.
If you are able to find the source, then it will be much easier to get rid of it. Now, you already know how to detect keyloggers on Android phones. Take the necessary precautions to ensure your phone’s safety from invaders and hackers.
Final say: Detect Keylogger on Android
Spyware as keyloggers are very difficult to find – it is also difficult to clean. The only way for you to make sure that it is all gone is to wipe your phone clean and start new again.
You can do this each time you get a new device. What you need to do is to just do a factory reset and the phone will be in its same state again. Always remember that doing this will remove all applications and files on your phone, hence you should make a good backup.
We hope that this guide will help you in staying safe in the very wild world of technology. It could be a difficult era for those who want to be private, so we’re glad that at least, we helped you in getting things straightened out.
Read more: Top 7 Best Keyloggers For iPhone 2021