20 Oct 2026 · 7 min read

Is my phone hacked? Signs, checks and what to do next

Most "hacked phone" problems turn out to be a hacked account rather than the phone itself. Here are the signs that matter, the checks you can do in ten minutes, and what to do if you find something.

We hear "I think my phone is hacked" more than almost anything else. Sometimes it is, but far more often the problem is an account: someone has the password to your Apple ID, Google account, email or Facebook and is using it from their own device. That matters, because a factory reset fixes a phone but does nothing for an account.

Signs worth taking seriously

• Messages, emails or posts sent from your accounts that you didn't write
• Password-reset or sign-in emails you didn't ask for
• A device you don't recognise listed on your Apple ID or Google account
• Sign-ins to your accounts from places you have never been
• Someone knowing where you have been, or what you said in private messages
• An app or a "profile" on the phone that you didn't install

Signs that usually aren't hacking

A phone that runs warm, a battery that drains faster, pop-up ads in the web browser and a slow phone are mostly age, a busy app or an advertising-heavy website. On their own they are weak evidence. Look for the signs above instead.

Ten-minute checks on an iPhone

1. Settings, tap your name, and scroll down to your devices. Every one listed should be yours
2. Settings > Privacy & Security > Safety Check. It shows who you share your location and other information with, and lets you stop it
3. Settings > General > VPN & Device Management. On a personal phone there is usually nothing here
4. The Find My app > People: check who can see your location
5. Settings, tap your name > Sign-In & Security: make sure the phone numbers and email listed are yours

Ten-minute checks on an Android phone

1. Your Google account > Security > Your devices: sign out any you don't recognise
2. Play Store > your profile icon > Play Protect, and run a scan
3. Settings > Accessibility: an app you don't recognise listed here is the biggest red flag on Android, because it can read your screen
4. Settings > Security > Device admin apps (the name varies by brand): anything unfamiliar is worth asking about
5. Settings > Apps: sort by install date and look for anything you didn't install

Then check your accounts

Your email account matters most, because it can reset every other password. Check its forwarding rules and filters, its recovery phone number and email, and its list of signed-in devices. In Facebook and Instagram, look under Where you're logged in.

If you find something

1. From a different device you trust, change your email password first, then your Apple ID or Google password
2. Sign out of all other sessions and turn on two-step verification or a passkey
3. Update the phone, then remove apps or profiles you don't recognise
4. If money or your identity is involved, ring your bank on the number on your card, contact IDCARE (free, 1800 595 160) and report it at cyber.gov.au

What about Pegasus-style spyware?

Advanced spyware that needs no click at all does exist, but it is expensive and aimed at a small number of people: politicians, journalists, lawyers, activists and senior business people. Apple sends a threat notification to people it believes have been targeted. If that sounds like you, ordinary checks are not enough. See our private phone spyware check.

If you'd rather we look

Our whole-home security check goes through every phone, tablet, computer and your router in a set order, reviews your accounts with you, and ends with a written report of what was checked, found and changed. The price is fixed before we start. See virus, malware and scam help.