16 effective ways to find out if your Android has been hacked 

Has a hacker taken over your smartphone? How can you tell if you’ve been hacked or have something like malware on your phone? Don’t worry; this guide is designed to help you find the answers to all your questions.

From symptoms to quick fixes to deep rooted solutions, you’ll learn everything. In addition, you will have some tips to help protect yourself and much more.

So, without further ado, let’s get started:

Various Android Phone Threats

In today’s world, mobile security is very important. You are exposed to the dangers of the Internet everywhere. There are various connectivity options: cellular data, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, hotspot, NFC, and more.

A hacker can easily use any of these means to break into your device. It’s not the worst. There are different types of viruses for PC and Android users. Could you:

• Spyware on your device can lead to data leakage or even identity theft.
• Trojans and other malicious viruses will affect the performance of your device.
• Data leaks and scanners can leak credentials, such as bank and card hacks.
• Third party apps may subscribe to other content or use your device.
• Social networks can also be hacked.

These are just some of the risks you are about to expose yourself to. That’s why it’s important to learn how to tell if your Android has been hacked. Similarly, you must know how to deal with these problems. Let’s look further:

Solutions to find out if your Android is jailbroken

1. Rooting your phone
2. Electronic interference
3. Texts, calls, and other activities not done by you
4. Phone gets hot
5. Extreme battery consumption
6. Bad battery life
7. Slow charging speed
8. Unwanted applications and viruses
9. Pop-ups and ads
10. High data usage
11. Apps and phone keep crashing
12. Google Play Protection Scan
13. Update your phone
14. Download apps from trusted sources
15. Disable installation from unknown sources
16. Two-factor authentication and other tools for you
17. Use an antivirus application
18. Restore phone to factory settings

A. How to know if your Android is jailbroken?

First, let’s look at the main symptoms of phone hacking. You must consider all of these factors for a clear answer.

1. Rooting your phone

Have you ever rooted your phone? You can root your device yourself or in some tech-savvy place. In most cases this is not recommended. Basically, developers use phone rooting for various purposes. If you are not a developer, you should refrain from doing this.

On iPhone and iOS, this term is commonly known as jailbreak. In any case, you will be at a higher risk if you root or jailbreak your device.

Similarly, if you haven’t rooted it but it still shows your device as root, it might be jailbroken.

2. Electronic interference

Another good way is to check for electronic interference:

• Is there a connection problem?
• Does the call hang up frequently?
• Are you having trouble connecting with Bluetooth and other options?
• Is there background noise on calls?

Most report that your calls are being tapped or tapped.

3. Texts, calls and other actions not done by you

Are you facing various unauthorized activities on your phone? Maybe:

• Text to someone you didn’t send.
• Social media activities and messages to someone you didn’t send. But it’s from your ID.
• Unauthorized calls from your number.
• Errors when dialing a number when you did not use the phone.
• Unauthorized, unknown or suspicious calls to your number.

All of these could indicate a potential hack. A hacking attempt may also be made.

4. The phone gets warm

Another risk could be a problem with the heating of the phone. If you have an old phone, then there will be these problems.

Older processors and phone models released before the last three years will heat up.

But if you have a fairly new phone or model, like a year old, and you encounter a problem, it can be hacked.

Is your phone getting hot even when you’re not using it? Does it get hot while charging?

Does it still heat up even when you’re not using productivity-focused apps and services? If so, the problem could be a hack.

5. Extreme battery consumption

The same rule applies here. Older models run out faster. They have lower battery capacity and optimization.

But if you have a new phone that drains the battery quickly, a hack might be the cause.

Extreme battery consumption may be related to some applications. If a third-party app is consuming too much power, check it out. Make sure it’s genuine and authorized, or delete it.

6. Poor battery life

This is the same as the previous point, but a little different. Poor battery life can mean your phone works even when idle.

Do you charge your phone and then find that it drains too fast? It could be a battery failure or some kind of background task. Sometimes it doesn’t show up in device care features.

So be sure to pay attention to this issue.

7. Slow charging speed

Now this is one of the new and better ways to find out if your Android is jailbroken or not. Currently, smartphones have a slow charging feature when using apps.

For example, if you are playing games and charging your phone, the charging will be slow. This is done to prevent overheating and other complications.

• Now, if you don’t launch apps or have a background process running, put your phone on the charging station.
• See if it’s fast charging or fast charging. If not, then check if the phone is heating up.
• If your phone charges slowly even when you don’t open any apps, it could be some kind of hidden process.
• Hidden process usually refers to spyware, ransomware, or malware. Your system may not be picking it up.
• This means that the phone has been hacked.

8. Unwanted apps and viruses

Many companies have contacted various service providers to offer malware. They appear when you set up your phone or update it. But you can always uninstall them. So it’s not that important.

You should be concerned if:

• You regularly see some new app or malware installed on your phone.
• Extensions and other features are installed in your phone’s browser.
• Copy and clone installed applications.

It’s most likely a hack if you have unwanted apps that you can’t get rid of.

9. Pop-ups and ads

If you ever pay attention, you will see that there are not many ads on the official and authorized platforms. They don’t like to use pop-ups. You will find most of them in third-party apps and platforms.

Take a look at the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store. They are clean and designed to be safe.

So, if you visit a dubious website, you are most likely to encounter pop-ups. These pop-ups will be too many and often too many. Even a single click or tap on the screen can take you somewhere.

Thus, you must be careful with them.

It’s just as bad if you start getting ads and pop-ups on your phone screen. This means that your phone has malware, adware, spyware, or something else.

10. High data usage

This is another performance related diagnosis. Just like a phone gets hot, you might have high data usage.

Do you often see your phone consuming too much data? You can stream videos at the lowest resolution, but it consumes GB of data. This strongly suggests some kind of leak.

Some application, malware, service or virus is consuming your Internet and its speed.

Likewise, if you have slower speeds and connection issues, it could mean that the phone has been jailbroken.

11. Apps and phone keep crashing

If you have an old phone with low specs, it’s natural to freeze, crash, and more. The same applies to applications on the phone.

But if you have a fairly new phone, you might want to try reinstalling apps. If that doesn’t work, there might be a hacking issue.

If your phone crashes and restarts frequently, that’s a big sign. Similarly, if your phone slows down or freezes too much, this is a serious problem.

All this points to a possible hacking attempt.

B. Quick solutions if your Android device is jailbroken

Does your phone meet any of the criteria mentioned above? It may be more than one of the checklists. If so, then it’s not worth the risk. Try these quick fixes. There are also some precautions mentioned below. This is like an important guide for you:

12. Google Play Protection Scan

The first thought that comes to mind is antivirus software. Before you do that, your Android phone comes with strong protection. If you follow the instructions and recommendations, you will be fine. Just take the necessary precautions.

If you still have the problem, your Google Play Store comes with a Play Protect scan.

• Open Google Play on your phone.
• Click on your avatar icon.
• You can see “Play Protect”in the menu options.
• Click on it and scan.
• It will scan all apps and let you know if you run into problems.

13. Update your phone

The best thing you can do is update your device and keep it up to date. This will always keep your device safe.

Like this? Well, whenever a new security threat appears, the developers immediately work on it.

They develop a solution for your device and release a security patch. So, the best way to secure your device is to update it. Use the latest technology.

• Go to settings
• Scroll down to the About phone section.
• Find information about the software in the About phone section.
• You will have different options for OS, Google Playstore and everything else. Select each to update them individually.
• Please note that starting from Funtouch OS 12, the interface may differ for each model.

14. Download apps from trusted sources

This is not troubleshooting, but a general guide. Always download apps from verified and trusted sources.

For example, Google Play Store and Apple App Store are the best choices. In addition, do not try to download from dubious sites.

This will easily get you into trouble.

15. Disable installation from unknown sources

Often, you may be tempted to use a VPN and download some apps. Many people do this for their favorite app that has been banned. It may not be available in your region.

Even if the application is trusted, it will enable installation from unknown sources.

• Go to your device settings.
• Look for the “Security”option.
• See if you can find a special variant of the application.
• If not, you can use the search bar.
• There you will find “Install from unknown sources”.
• Disable it.
• This should do the job.

16. Two-factor authentication and other tools for you

Another great thing about your phone is that it comes with various features that you can use:

• Set a password to access your phone and lock screen.
• Set a password and change it once a month (or 3 months) for important apps.
• Always make a backup or create a backup for your phone.
• Use a strong password manager like Samsung Pass to store your unique passwords.
• Try selecting and enabling two-factor authentication. For example, there are one-time passwords and other features for your device, social networks, and more. Try the same if your bank and apps have these options.
• On a public Wi-Fi network, use a VPN and also change the password on your phone.

17. Use an antivirus application

If you are concerned that it could be spyware or phishing, you can use an antivirus. Usually this is not necessary. In some cases, your phone will come with a built-in tool. For example, Samsung has Knox Security.

Meanwhile, most devices come with device care options. You can try them. If none of them work, you can try premium security tools. Don’t go downloading almost any antivirus.

You certainly shouldn’t choose free tools for such an important task. Built-in device tools are much better than free tools.

18. Factory reset your phone

You can try doing a factory reset if nothing solves the problem. You may need login credentials for your phone, such as a password.

• Go to settings
• The latest Android comes with a search option.
• Reset Search
• You will see various reset options.
• Select the option “Erase all data”or “Reset to factory settings”.
• As soon as you launch it, it will ask you for your phone password.
• Once you provide it, your phone will reboot.

Remember that resetting your phone will delete all user data. So make a backup if possible.

Conclusion – tell if your Android is hacked

We hope that all these diagnoses and solutions should help you. If not, and if you’re still experiencing the issue, visit the Customer Service Center. You can also try contacting support.

They will provide you with everything you need. But we are sure that these solutions can help you.

As long as you take care of the security of your device, there should be no problems.