You may be completely unaware that there’s malware on your phone that’s sending your data to third parties, or they may even be listening to your phone calls. This is why it’s essential that you learn how to detect and manually remove spyware from Android.
Android’s open-source nature makes it especially susceptible to malware and spyware. So, if you own an Android device, you need to stay on the lookout for any unusual activity that could potentially indicate an unwanted visitor.
In this guide, we’ll go over all the ways you can find and remove spyware on Android and we’ll explore how it gets on your device to begin with and ways you can safeguard your device going forward.
What is Spyware on an Android?
The terms ‘malware’ and ‘spyware’ are often used interchangeably, but the bottom line is that malware is a broad term covering all manner of viruses, worms, trojans, and ransomware.
By comparison, spyware is a type of malware that secretly tracks and collects data on a device without the user’s knowledge and consent.
Malware (including spyware) is on the rise. In just the second quarter of 2024 alone, seven million attacks using malware, adware, or unwanted mobile software were blocked.
Malware and spyware appear and affect an Android device differently, too. Malware is more direct with its methods, eating up the battery power and crashing the operating system.
Spyware does its business quietly in the background, and most of the time, the device owner has absolutely no idea.
Why is Spyware so Dangerous on Android Devices?
Our phones are home to a lot of sensitive information, such as our emails, contacts, passwords, credit card numbers, location data, text messages, and Two-Factor Authentication codes – to name just a few.
Spyware will steal this information from right under your nose. To add insult to injury, they’ll also try to make a few bucks off you by diverting you to fake websites and putting malicious pop-ups on your screen.
How it gets onto your phone in the first place can be anything from an app with malicious code being installed on your phone to you clicking a malware-infected link in an email or webpage. More on this here.
Since Android doesn’t have the same rigorous security protocols as an Apple device, malware can move about more on the device, relatively unhindered.
How to Tell if Someone is Spying on Your Android
We’ve already inferred some of the things that can indicate a spyware-infected Android device. But let’s now delve into each one in detail:
Pop-up ads are the dead giveaway that something is amiss on your Android phone. It’s not just the fact that they’re pop-ups – it’s also what the pop-ups are saying that makes you pause for a moment.
The whole point of these pop-ups is to scare you into clicking on them and temporarily throw all good judgment out of the window.
So you’ll be told that your phone is infected with viruses (ironic, I know), and a ticking countdown clock will tell you how long you have before catastrophe hits.
Malicious actors prey on taking advantage of human emotions, exploiting our fear of being attacked, and the time pressure increases the chances that we’ll click the button.
If you suddenly wake up one morning and discover an app on your phone, and you definitely didn’t put it there, then something dodgy is definitely happening.
Always keep an eye on your installed apps, and if you notice anything that you didn’t install, then it definitely warrants further investigation.
Installing these apps on your phone is quite often how spyware manages to spread.
All of this would show in your battery life. If your phone is going from 100% to 10% in the space of, say, fifteen minutes, then it’s time to look more closely at your app settings to find the culprit.
If spyware is running loose on your device, then the battery will be getting run down in record time. It also means that the device will also be overheating like never before.
While there could be a simple explanation for an overheating device, such as a resource-intensive GPS app running on a somewhat old device, it’s best not to assume.
Run an antivirus scan with a highly accredited tool like TotalAV, which scored full marks in all departments (performance, protection, and usability) in its latest independent test done by AV-Test.
This means using your internet connection, which is going to run up your data usage. Besides monitoring your list of installed apps, you should also make it a habit to regularly check your data usage stats.
You can find this by going into your phone settings. The exact location and wording will vary from device to device, but generally, you should be able to find it in the Network & Internet section.
Any large discrepancies from the day before shouldn’t be ignored. Check which apps are taking up more data than the others, and there’s a good chance that you’ll have your spyware culprit.
Spyware can listen in (and record) your conversations. Anything useful and/or sensitive in those calls is used by the hacker to benefit themselves (i.e., financial data or PIN codes).
If you notice any suspicious background noise in your calls – clicking, static, beeping, and tapping, for example – then end the call and start an antivirus scan.
However, we should also clarify that this may not be a spyware issue – it may simply be a bad phone line. But rather be safe than sorry and never assume that.
How to Detect and Remove Spyware from Android for Free
Here are some of the main ways you can detect and remove spyware on Android:
Detecting and removing spyware from Android should be a very straightforward process if you have the right tools. The first step is to run an antivirus scan with one of the best antivirus platforms.
We’ll be using TotalAV as an example (it has a 7-day free trial), but of course, there are many other alternatives you can pick from in the Google Play Store, such as Bitdefender, which has a free version.
At first glance, TotalAV’s pricing may look a bit steep, but if you bear in mind that this is the yearly price, then things start to look a bit different and a lot more reasonable when you divide by 12 months.
The Pro plan is $99 a year, which equates to a mere $8.25 a month. And for the first year, that $99 is cut to a mere $29. Peace of mind on four devices for $29? I’ll take that.
The next two plans offer a VPN, password protection, and being able to protect more devices. With the threats facing mobile phone users today, having a full security suite in one package is extremely beneficial.
It can also be excellent value for money if your separate VPN and password manager works out to be more expensive.
Using TotalAV should pick up anything that shouldn’t be on your phone and quarantine it for removal.
Once spyware gets a toe-hold on your device, it’ll likely install its own app as its base of operations. This is why, if you ever see an app that you don’t recognize, you must remove it. Don’t shrug it off and say you’ll check it later.
Do it right away.
Go to Settings > Apps, then select the app you want to remove and tap Uninstall. Then, run an antivirus scan.
If all else fails, then it’s time to reset your Android device. After doing everything else we’ve suggested, you may decide to just reset the device to be absolutely sure that the spyware is gone.
The resetting process is so streamlined these days that it’s faster and easier than ever.
How Does Spyware Get on Your Android?
- Phishing attempts – The oldest trick in the book, but the one that still works the best. Clicking malware-infested links inside emails is the guaranteed fast track to a spyware-infested device.
- Malicious apps – The Google Play Store has gotten far better at screening apps, but it still has a way to go when compared to the Apple App Store. Malicious apps still get through into the App Store.
- Sideloading apps – If you sideload an app (manually install it onto your phone), you’re bypassing all of the safety protocols on the App Store and inviting trouble onto your device.
- Downloading dodgy files – This ties in with clicking links in phishing emails. If you click a download link that leads to a malware-infected file, then downloading it to your device will unleash the spyware.
- SMS messages – Similar to phishing emails, smishing is when infected links and infected files are sent to you by SMS message or WhatsApp. The usual rules also apply here – don’t click any links!
- Stealing your device – Scammers or hackers could steal your device for a short time to physically add malware to it (say through an SD card). This is why you must never leave your device unattended.
Can Someone Spy on Your Android?
A hacker or cybercriminal can very easily spy on your Android phone if they have the correct tools and technical knowledge. Using the methods we’ve already outlined above, they can take control of your device in the following ways:
- Listen to and record your phone conversations.
- Steal your payment details, such as your credit card and online banking login.
- Read your emails and text messages, and use any useful information in them.
- Look at your location history, and find your home address to burgle.
- Blackmail you over compromising videos and photos on your device, called ‘sextortion.’
- Get your other online account logins and passwords and take them over, too.
- Access your contacts book and begin phishing them.
- Get access to your authenticator app and get the codes to bypass 2FA.
Your whole life is carried about on your device today. That’s why you need to have antivirus software on your phone to run regular scans.
That’s why antivirus apps like TotalAV should be one of the first apps you install on a new phone – along with a VPN. It isn’t paranoid if you’re just being careful.
The best part? Tools like TotalAV include a VPN and password manager for all-around security and online anonymity.
Top Antivirus Tools for Android to Detect & Prevent Spyware
We’ve been recommending TotalAV as the best Android antivirus tool. But there are others which are just as good and just as worthy of consideration for your money.
Bitdefender is another excellent option, which, like TotalAV, has received full marks for protection, performance, and usability in the latest independent tests done by AV-Test.
Nord Threat Protection and Surfshark AV are two other credible challengers for the title. We’ve tested and reviewed NordVPN and Nord Threat Protection, Nord’s antivirus.
Surfshark AV is also a VPN at its core, with antivirus features being an add-on. Along with webcam locking, Surfshark AV also offers app and file scanning and scheduled scans of your devices.
How to Protect Your Android From Spyware
If you’ve gone through a spyware experience, the last thing you want is to go through it again – even if it was just a false alarm.
So the following list are ways that you can toughen up your Android device security to keep the bad guys out:
Your phone should always be protected against people trying to physically access your device. Make sure your phone has a strong PIN number.
Everything on your phone should be protected with a strong password to prevent unauthorized entry. But we can’t blame you for not remembering
Two-factor authentication (or Multi-Factor Authentication) is an extra layer of security on top of the username and password on an account.
You can easily set up 2FA/MFA in the security section of an online account and with apps like Google Authenticator.
An internet-connected phone without an antivirus is definitely not a good idea. Install a trustworthy antivirus like TotalAV to beef up your protection.
With an antivirus VPN combo, bad guys will have an extremely difficult, if not impossible, job connecting to your phone if your web traffic is being redirected through an encrypted VPN tunnel.
Get the best of both worlds with a tool like TotalAV, Bitdefender, or Norton.
If spyware does get onto your device, then your data will most likely become corrupted and/or stolen.
Therefore, back up your data to an external cloud storage solution, such as Google Drive or Dropbox.
Spyware likes to take advantage of security vulnerabilities, and it’s no different with an Android phone.
But if you check daily for any new Android versions or simply security patches for the existing version, then you can plug those holes before any spyware tries to drive through and set up for business on your phone.
Final Thoughts
Using the advice in this article, you can turn a really big annoyance into a minor irritant in no time.
By refusing to click links in emails and SMS, keeping a watch on your device for telltale suspicious signs, and running regular anti-spyware scans with an app like TotalAV, you can stay two or three steps ahead of the bad guys.
FAQs
How do I know if my Android has spyware?
How do I manually remove spyware from my Android?
Can Android spyware be deleted?
How do I remove hidden malware from my Android?
References
- IT Threat Evolution in Q2 2024. Mobile Statistics (SecureList)
- Spyware and Malware (Federal Trade Commission)
- Vulnerability Comparison: Android vs iOS (Cybersecurity Insiders)
- Test Results for Android (AV-Test)
- Why is HTTP Not Secure? (Cloudflare)
- Bitdefender Independent Testing (AV-Test)
Mark has been writing about tech and online subjects since 2004, as well as English teaching and writing over 20 spy thriller fiction novels. He has been managing editor to 5 tech websites, the biggest being MakeUseOf.com which he helped grow from 9,000 monthly visitors to over 500,000 by the end of his 6-year tenure.
As well as MakeUseOf, he has branched out into other sites and subject expertise such as cybersecurity, online privacy, online marketing, and online business. His writing credits include Lifehacker, NowSourcing, GroovyPost, Small Business Trends, PC World, Online Tech Tips, Help Desk Geek, Switching to Mac, XDA, and Android Authority.
Mark also does consulting work for companies looking to improve their online presence and profits. Since 2017, Mark has been writing and self-publishing over 20 bestselling spy fiction novels, three of which became Amazon top sellers.