Stalkerware

Stalkerware is a spy app secretly installed on someone's phone to track their location, messages and calls, often by a partner or family member.

Stalkerware: Stalkerware is a type of spyware that a person installs on another person's phone to watch them. It can show location, calls, chats, photos and browsing. It usually hides its icon, runs all the time and is placed by someone who had physical access to the phone.

Stalkerware often appears in controlling relationships, where one partner wants to track the other. It may be named like a harmless tool, such as a system service or a battery app. It needs permissions like accessibility, notifications and device admin, which let it read screens and resist removal. It may also hide from the app list, so checking the full list of apps in Settings matters.

If you feel someone knows too much about your movements or chats, take it seriously. Removing the app can alert the person and may raise risk, so plan first. Get support from a trusted friend or a local helpline, keep evidence, and consider using a different safe device for important conversations while you decide. Your safety comes first, so move carefully and ask for help from people you trust.

Tips

• Check Settings for unknown apps with accessibility, notification access or device admin rights.
• Use a screen lock the other person cannot guess, and change it if they know it.
• Run the Safeavio phone scan, which looks for stalkerware-style apps, and plan removal with someone you trust.

Related terms