Owning an iPhone can be super convenient, entertaining, and useful. However, many iPhone users share the same fear – that it could one day be hacked and tracked.
Although iPhones are coming out with more safety features to prevent this from happening each year, it’s still a good idea to be aware of any strange behaviors your phone might be exhibiting, as several of them can be an indicator that your device is being intruded upon. We spoke with tech experts about common signs that your iPhone might be getting tracked. Read more about them below.
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1. Your Microphone Or Camera Turns On Randomly
Aside from the general fear of being hacked and tracked via your iPhone, many smartphone users also have the same concern that their phone is 'listening' to them. While there is a lot of advanced technology happening that makes ads or content more personalized to you and what you're looking for, your iPhone is likely not listening to you or keeping track of your conversations. If it were, there would be a pretty clear indicator, which takes the form of the orange dot you'll see in the upper right-hand corner of your screen.
The same goes for your camera, which, when on, will be indicated through a small green dot at the top of your screen. Therefore, one of the biggest giveaways that something is not right with your device, and that someone else might be tracking you through it, is if those lights go on without permission.
"If you see a little orange dot, that means the microphone is currently in use, and if you see a little green dot, that means either your camera or your camera and your microphone are currently in use," explains tech pro and content creator, Trevor Nace. "Now, if you see those at the top of your phone but you're not making a call, or you're not on FaceTime or anything like that, that might be an indication that someone is using your microphone or camera to spy on you."
2. Your Battery Life Drains Faster & Your iPhone Overheats
Another way to tell that your iPhone might have suspicious activity or malware on it that could end up tracking you or stealing your information is if it's just not acting right in general.
This could look like several things, but some of the common signs to look out for are a battery that drains extra quickly, no matter how long you charge it or how long you use your phone. Your iPhone also might suddenly start running super slowly, even though there was no damage to it, it's updated, and you have enough storage space.
Although these could also be the signs of some internal software issues, you might not want to ignore or brush them off completely.
"If the battery is hot, the phone takes a long time to turn on, or there's a lot more data usage than you expect, these can be telltale signs that another app is controlling your device," former U.K. law enforcement detective Darren Stanton told cybersecurity pros at Forbes.
