Everyone has a smartphone these days and they pretty much rule our lives, so keeping them virus free is very important. So how do you know if your Android device has been hacked?
If your phone is behaving strangely, use these tips to check for malware, scams, and other issues with your device. In addition, we will explain how you can stay safe going forward. How to know if your Android phone is hacked.
1. Poor battery life or extreme battery usage
Even if you don’t see obvious signs of suspicious activity, something malicious could still be happening behind the scenes. One of the best ways to tell if your phone has been hacked is to check your battery usage.
If your phone is hot for no reason, there might be something running in the background while the screen is off. Some of the most advanced malware can still leave traces on your phone or tablet, so start by checking the battery usage menu. If your battery is constantly low and you’re wondering “Is my phone hacked?” then perform the checks below.
Open Settings > Battery > Battery usage and look for an unknown app or something unusual.
This doesn’t happen too often because of the Google Play Protect system in Android that automatically warns you about existing malware-infected apps. In the example above, we see typical battery usage and draining. If, in your case, another app is draining a significant portion of your phone’s battery, that’s not good.
In this scenario, you probably have a keylogger or virus that hides the name to prevent it from being found. As a general rule, just look for anything unusually exhausting.
We all use our phones differently, but if you notice an extremely heavy battery drain, that’s a concern. You can restart your phone, force-down the suspect app, or, if possible, uninstall the app completely. If your battery is draining too quickly and you’re wondering, “Is my phone hacked?” so definitely perform this check.
2. Check for random unwanted app installs
Another clear sign of malware or phone hacking is if you see random apps installed on your phone. These are apps you have not installed yourself. Malicious apps or websites can install a program on your phone and send sensitive information back to a third party.
Sometimes this program won’t use much battery life, but it can still cause damage and drain your data. If you come across such a program, see how to get rid of it.
Navigate to Settings > Apps > All Apps and scroll through the list of apps on your phone. Find anything you don’t want, tap it and select Uninstall.
You should only uninstall apps that look suspicious and you know are not important. If you start uninstalling random things, you can cause more harm than good and destroy your phone’s vital components.
There are many apps that come pre-installed by phone manufacturers or operators and are harmless. Make sure you are careful with what you remove.
3. Unusually high data usage
Many people have unlimited data plans, so they don’t watch Data usage menu in settings. But if your Android is responding and you want to check if your phone is hacked, there is another easy way to check for problems.
Follow the steps below to check your phone’s data usage:
- Navigate to Settings > Network and Internet.
- Select your preferred SIM card.
- Scroll down a bit and tap App data usage.
YouTube, Spotify and other streaming services regularly use a lot of data. But if another app is using way too much, something is wrong. No random app should use 5GB in any given month, so look for anything out of place here.
When you find something that looks suspicious, uninstall it after verifying that it is not essential for your device.
4. Look for weird pop-ups and ads
Pop-ups come in different shapes and sizes, randomly, and from all types of websites. We’ve learned to deal with them and most of the time it’s nothing more than an ad covering content.
However, sometimes they can be a headache for you and cause problems. Keep an eye out for weird pop-ups or funny-looking ads. You should never click on them.
Google has made several changes in recent years to avoid incidents like this, especially in Google Chrome on Android, but it still happens occasionally. Usually, it will make your phone vibrate when pop-ups appear again and again. Sometimes the screen will even flash.
But that is completely false; do not press Remove virus now button. Close the entire browser and restart your smartphone instead.
Never submit personal information in an input field you are not familiar with. In addition, you should avoid entering credit card or password details on websites that look suspicious at first glance.
5. Apps and phone keep crashing
Another sign that your Android phone might be hacked is if it keeps crashing. Often, Android phones will start behaving strangely, such as opening apps for no reason, or your phone will be slow or constantly crash. Sometimes these problems occur because of a virus.
Here are some of the working ways to fix the crash issues in Android:
- Scan your device with Play Protect: First, try the Google Play Protect scanner built right into the Play Store. Open Google Play and tap your profile picture at the top of the page. Then go to Play Protect halfway down the screen and tap Scan to start scanning your phone and apps.
- Try antivirus scanners: There are dozens of antivirus scanners in the Google Play Store, but we recommend sticking to trusted brands and names. Look for familiar brands you’ve used on your computers, such as Avast or BitDefender. These tools are great for quickly and easily scanning your device for issues.
- Update your phone: If you are still using an older version of Android, the apps may crash due to an unsupported Android version. To fix this, check out how to update an Android phone.
Hopefully that will fix the issues with the apps and phone crashing due to malware. If you are still struggling with it, you can also perform a factory reset on your Android phone.
Do a factory data reset if you have to
If you remove apps, run antivirus software and still experience problems, the last resort is to do a factory data reset.
Remember that this process will erase everything on your phone, so be sure before proceeding. You can also check out some FAQs about factory reset on Android phones to learn more about it.
Back up your photos, text messages, videos, and anything else you want to keep, then proceed to factory reset your Android phone. Go to Settings > System > Reset Options > Erase All Data (Factory Reset).
Only resort to this when all other methods do not work for you. Note that factory reset will erase everything. Your phone will boot up like it did the first day you got it. So you have to set everything up again, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.
How to check if your phone is hacked or not
Hackers are creative when the target group is large. Since hacking methods are not similar, it becomes difficult for a beginner to identify such things. So this leaves you with a question, “how do you know if my phone is hacked or not?”
In addition to the ways mentioned above, a gradual decrease in the phone’s performance, automatic wallpaper change or unknown calls from the phone can be a sign that the phone has been hacked.
Being vigilant and careful can prevent you from dealing with potential security breaches in the first place. Here are some things you can do (or look for) to stay safe:
- Stay up to date and always install the latest software updates.
- Only get apps from trusted sources.
- Disable or uncheck the box Install from unknown sources option i Settings.
- Use fingerprint, face scan, password or PIN for security on the lock screen.
In addition to Android hacking, you need to know how to tell if your phone is jailbroken on Android.
Be vigilant to keep your phone safe
Only install apps from trusted sources such as Google Play Store, Amazon App Store, Samsung’s Galaxy Apps or F-Droid. Websites that offer Android APKs (installation files) are sometimes not your friend. Do not install these files unless you know you can trust the source.
The key to keeping your smartphone safe is simply exercising caution and using common sense. Moreover, you can also pass on the information to your friends, who often ask you “how do you know if my phone is hacked or not?”
