Who’s watching your phone?

May 13, 2025

By Kim Komando

I’ve been hearing lately from more and more people who believe they’re being watched or listened to through their phones. Whether it’s an ex, a snooping spouse or someone with too much time and too little ethics, digital stalking is real and it’s sneaky. 

If your gut is telling you something’s off, don’t brush it off. Here are a few simple checks you can do right now to take back control.

🔁 Check for text message forwarding

This is a hotbed for creep behavior. Someone could be reading your texts, and you wouldn’t even know.

• On iPhone: Go to Settings > Apps > Messages > Text Message Forwarding
  If you see a device you don’t recognize, that’s a red flag. Turn it off and change your Apple ID password ASAP.
• On Android: Open Messages > More (three dots) > Settings > Permissions > SMS
  If there’s an app listed you don’t know, it could be intercepting your texts. Contact your carrier right away.

📍 Who’s tracking your location?

Built-in location sharing is helpful, but only if you control it.

• iPhone: Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > Share My Location
  Tap Find My and check who can see you. Remove anyone suspicious.
• Android: Open Settings > Location > Location services > Google Location Sharing
  Look at who has access. If you don’t recognize them, cut them off. 

🎤 Check your camera and mic access

Apps don’t need to be spying tools unless you let them.

• iPhone: Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Camera and Microphone
  Turn off access for apps that don’t absolutely need it.
• Android: Settings > Security and privacy > Permission Manager, then check Camera and Microphone permissions.
  Be ruthless. You’re the boss of your phone, not some creepy app. 

👤 Review your account access

If someone has your Apple ID or Google login, they don’t need your phone. They’ve got a digital backdoor.

• iPhone: Settings > [your name], then scroll down to see your Devices. Boot out any ones you don’t recognize.
• Android: Go to myaccount.google.com/device-activity and sign out of anything shady. 

Look, I hope no one’s stalking you. But if they are? These steps put you back in control, fast. Share this with someone you care about, you could save them a whole lot of trouble.

🥬 Just because after all that, you need a smile. What did the lettuce say to the celery? “Are you stalking me?” LOL!