Your phone may never get hacked — may that fortune always be on your side. But it’s important to know some of the telltale signs of a phone hacking, because if your device is ever compromised, you want to be able to figure it out right away and take steps to address it. The longer you wait to change your passwords and Apple ID, the more time hackers have to wreak havoc on your phone by stealing your data and infiltrating your personal sites.
These two red flags could be clearcut signs that your phone has been hacked. If you notice either of these signs, act fast.
1. Unusual Battery Drainage
There could be a few reasons why your iPhone battery loses battery — using certain resource-intensive apps, for one thing. But unusual battery drainage accompanied by performance issues like a slower phone and apps crashing could be a sign of something more nefarious. Go to Settings > Battery and make sure you’re monitoring for unfamiliar apps that are taking up a ton of battery power. Any time your phone suddenly begins to need a charge a few times a day, that is a warning that something is amiss.
2. Unfamiliar Account Activity
When someone hacks your phone, they begin taking control of it. As a result you can start to see apps downloaded to your device that you didn’t download yourself, unexpected messages sent from your account, changes to your privacy settings, pop-ups, and increased data usage, which can be the result of malicious apps running in the background on your phone. It can be easy to ignore some of this weirdness or look past it, but the sooner you address it, the less data a hacker will be able to access.
