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Is Someone Listening To Your Phone Conversations? A Tech Expert Reveals How To Check And What To Do To Disable Access

December 8, 2024 by Lisa Cupido
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Is there anything creepier than imagining someone is listening in on your private phone calls? Since we live in a day and age where there are cameras everywhere and text messages on many platforms aren’t encrypted and are therefore able to be intercepted, it isn’t leap to believe your phone just isn’t as secure and private as it should be.

But there are a few telltale signs that your phone calls are being monitored and tech experts suggest you become acquainted with them to lessen this privacy risk and catch onto the problem before it gets worse.

https://www.tiktok.com/@comfietech/video/7441236513217596728?q=iphone%20security&t=1733100509497

One tech expert explains on TikTok how you can easily tell if someone is listening to your calls and — worse, perhaps — forwarding your information to someone else.

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Dial *#21#

 


Believe it or not, dialing a simple code into your phone can reveal a lot about who is listening in on your phone calls. Go to your phone and dial *#21#, according to experts. A list of options will pop up like “Setting Interrogation Succeeded Voice Call Forwarding On All Calls.” If all of these options are disabled, you are safe — your calls are private.

 


But if any of these options are enabled, it means your calls have been forwarded.

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Dial ##21# To Disable Call Forwarding   

 


The code ##21# is another Unstructured Supplementary Service Data code that will display the correct status of call forwarding on your phone. If your phone has been set up to forward your calls, the number to which calls are being forwarded will be displayed. This code will disable all call forwarding.

 


You can also go to Settings > Phone > Call Forwarding, and toggle it off.

 


If you have any suspicion that your phone isn’t totally secure, don’t hesitate: check your call forwarding status to ensure your phone calls are private.

Author:

Lisa Fogarty is a lifestyle writer and reporter based in New York who covers health, wellness, relationships, sex, beauty, and parenting.

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Woman looking down at her phone, engaged with content.
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Donald Trump in the Oval Office during a press briefing.
Taylor Swift at the MTV Music Awards red carpet.
Ivanka Trump with JD Vance and Jared Kushner at an event.
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