How to Stop Someone From Listening to Your Phone Calls

How to tell if someone is listening to your phone calls

If someone wants to listen to your calls, they'll need to compromise your phone in some way, usually by installing spy software on your device to monitor your activity. Therefore, searching for signs of spyware is the best way to know if someone is listening to your calls.

While tapping landlines is relatively simple, mobile devices require a different approach. Access to a physical line is no longer necessary, and software has taken the place of traditional surveillance tactics. Even governments opt to use spyware when they want to listen to a target's phone calls. In most cases, however, an official organization wouldn't waste resources watching you without good reason.

Here are the signs of someone listening to your phone calls:

1. Low battery life
2. Device running hot
3. Performance issues
4. Excessive mobile data usage
5. Signs of an information leak
6. Unusual third-party apps

Spyware running on your phone will cause the battery to drain quicker than expected. Due to the extra strain put on your device by the malicious software, you may also notice heat and performance issues.

On top of that, sending recorded calls to an unauthorized listener will use a notable amount of data. If your mobile data usage increases when you suspect someone of spying, the situation may warrant further investigation.

If information leaks match statements you've made while talking on the phone, there may be someone listening to your calls. Keep in mind that this and other possible indications of spying can easily have other explanations.

With that said, one of the clearest signs that someone has tapped your phone is the presence of unusual third-party apps that turn out to be spyware. While a sophisticated hacker or well-funded organization, like the NSA, likely wouldn't use an easily identifiable application to listen to your calls, the average stalker or spy might.

We've mentioned what to look for when you suspect phone tapping. Now let's discuss how you can investigate the issue further on iOS and Android devices.

How to know if someone is listening to your iPhone calls

If you want to know if someone has compromised your iPhone, you'll need to check for signs of spyware. Generally, iOS's tight security makes it difficult for hackers to abuse. However, sanctioned surveillance apps are available in the official App Store.

Fortunately, with the release of iOS 15.2, Apple added App Privacy Report to its mobile operating system, allowing you to easily see when apps have accessed sensitive information or hardware, including your microphone.

Here's how to turn on App Privacy Report in iOS:

1. Go to Settings > Privacy > App Privacy Report
2. Tap Turn on App Privacy Report

Once the feature is on, your iPhone will gather data about app behavior, and you'll be able to review your report in the same settings location. If an application is spying on you, the evidence should be clear. You may notice that an unknown third-party app is frequently accessing your microphone and making connections to odd domains. In which case, you've likely identified the problem.

If you suspect that someone is intercepting your calls rather than listening to them, you can input certain codes to find out for sure if someone has tapped your phone using the intercept method.

How to know if someone is listening to your Android calls

If you suspect that someone is listening to calls you make on your Android phone, you'll need to identify any installed spy or stalkerware. Sometimes the quickest identification method is to check your phone for unfamiliar apps.

Our devices can become quite cluttered, and a stalker may rely on your inattention to slip malicious software among your other applications. Simply analyzing each app on your phone may be enough to find the threat.

Additionally, checking your battery and data usage statistics can help identify suspicious applications. Here's how to check how much power each app on your Android device has been using:

1. Go to Settings > Battery and device care > Battery
    

       2. Tap Usage since last full charge and analyze the app list
 

Here's how to check how much mobile data each app on your Android device has been using:

1. Go to Settings > Connections > Data Usage
    

     2. Tap Mobile data usage and analyze the app list
 

If software has been listening to your calls and sending audio to another location, you should see evidence of high data usage relating to a suspicious application.

How to stop someone from listening to your phone calls

Once you've confirmed the issue, you may want to know how to stop someone from listening to your calls. Ideally, you should immediately remove any spy software from your device and take steps to prevent future infections.

Sometimes the issue may be with the operating system itself. If you believe that Google or Apple's own software is listening in on your conversations, you can take steps to remedy the issue.

How to stop someone from listening to you through your iPhone

Once you've identified spyware on your iPhone, you should take steps to remove it. In most cases, simply deleting the rogue application is enough to end your stalker's operation.

You should also change your device passcode and Apple ID password, as whoever installed the spy software to listen to your calls would've needed access to your device and iCloud account. If, instead, you believe that a hacker is exploiting an unpatched vulnerability in the operating system itself, you may need to take additional steps to resolve the issue.

For future protection, you should consider installing Clario for iOS. The security app's fraud link checker can help identify issues before you accidentally tap yourself into an unfavorable situation.

How to stop someone from listening to you through your Android phone

Once you've discovered the application that's listening to your phone calls, you should delete it immediately. If the spyware is particularly stubborn or difficult to identify, a good security app, like Clario, can help you find and remove any threats.

Here's how you can use Clario to remove spyware and stop someone from listening to your phone calls:

1. Install Clario, launch the app, and sign in
2. Tap Device
    

    3. Tap Start scan under Spyware detector and remove any threats
 

Clario's 7-day free trial lets you experience complete safety, security, and peace of mind right now. On top of that, 24/7 support means you can always get help when you need it.

Who is listening to your phone calls?

The information we've provided will allow you to know when and how someone is listening to your phone calls but may not help you understand who. Phone tapping is illegal in many places, and you should always report any genuine safety or privacy threats to local law enforcement. You don't need to put up with someone listening to your calls.