What Is Stalkerware & How To Remove It From Your Device?

We live in a digital age, where executing cybercrimes and getting away with them has become ten times easier. Cybercriminals are getting smarter with time, always having new tricks up their sleeves to steal sensitive and confidential data of users without the user ever finding out. Stalkerware is no exception, and you need to be careful because if it gets installed on your device, it can monitor your location and online activities. It puts your privacy and security at risk, so you need to be able to detect it and remove it from your device immediately. If you’re unsure where to start, this guide is here to help. We’ll walk you through precisely what Stalkerware is, how to remove it, and what signs you need to look out for to detect it. So, if you’re ready, let’s begin.

What Is Stalkerware & How Does It Get Installed?

Stalkerware is software secretly installed on a device to monitor its owner’s activities without their knowledge or consent. It can track GPS location in real time, log keystrokes, read text messages, intercept calls, access social media conversations, and even activate the camera or microphone. Unlike a virus that crashes your system, stalkerware is designed to stay invisible. It runs silently in the background and sends everything it collects straight to whoever installed it.

The scale of the problem is significant. According to Kaspersky’s 2025 State of Stalkerware report, over 34,000 users globally were affected by stalkerware in 2024-2025, bringing the five-year total to 127,000 users worldwide. But those are only the detected cases. Given how well stalkerware hides itself, the real number is almost certainly higher.

Stalkerware is more of a threat on Android than iOS. Android’s open ecosystem allows apps to be sideloaded from outside the Play Store, making installation easier. On iOS, the locked-down App Store makes it harder, but not impossible. Attackers get around Apple’s restrictions by jailbreaking the device first, and some stalkerware disguises itself through mobile device management (MDM) configuration profiles, which can be pushed onto an iPhone without the owner realizing what they’ve authorized.

Here are the main ways stalkerware ends up on a device:

• Physical access: Physical access: The most common route. Someone borrows your phone, has your PIN, or gets a few unsupervised minutes. That’s enough time to download and install a stalkerware app.
• Sideloaded APKs: Sideloaded APKs: On Android, an attacker can send a malicious APK file via a link or message. If the recipient installs it, the stalkerware is in.
• Phishing links: Phishing links: A link disguised as a software update, photo, or document download that quietly installs monitoring software in the background.
• MDM configuration profiles (iOS): MDM configuration profiles (iOS): A profile installed under the guise of a work app or parental tool that grants deep access to the device’s functions and data.
• Compromised devices given as gifts: Compromised devices given as gifts: A pre-configured phone with stalkerware already installed before it reaches the recipient.

What Are The Common Types Of Stalkerware Apps?

Stalkerware apps are usually marketed as anti-theft or parental control apps for phones, laptops, and PCs. However, the reality is different. These get installed without the user’s knowledge or consent and don’t appear on the list of apps in the phone’s configuration, which makes them hard to detect. The Stalkerware’s capabilities depend on the type of app being used and whether it is a paid service. These are some of the common functions of stalkerware apps:

• Reading text messages and call logs.
• Tracking calendar events.
• Tracking your geolocation.
• Taking screenshots.
• Reading messages from popular social media networks, including WhatsApp, Facebook, Signal, Skype, Telegram, Gmail, Snapchat, Reddit, etc.
• Taking pictures from the front-facing camera.

Here are some common Stalkerware apps you need to be on the lookout for. These include:

1) mSpy

Although marketed as a parental control app, companies also use it to track the company’s devices. It is available on macOS, Windows, iOS, and Android and monitors text messages, call logs, and social media messages. It can also access your browsing history and emails and log your keystrokes.

2) FlexiSPY

FlexiSPY is a spyware app marketed as monitoring software. It offers extensive invasive tools, like monitoring iPhone and Android communications and everything happening on the PC or Mac. However, it is not the legitimate monitoring software it claims to be. Many security companies have FlexiSPY malware because it enables attackers to steal data and monitor devices and user activities without their knowledge.

3) Eyezy

Eyezy is a surveillance app that tracks text messages, calls, GPS, browsing history, and keystrokes. It offers extensive monitoring features but compromises the user’s privacy and can risk your online safety. Attackers can use this app to spy on your online activities and steal your data.

4) Cocospy

Cocospy is an app that monitors Android smartphones and tablets. It offers advanced features that track your child’s online activities and monitor employee activities, behavior, and performance management during working hours. However, it may be less impactful than other apps mentioned on this list, as it can manage contacts. It also has geofences to alert you if the phone goes out of bonds.

5) AndroidLost

This Android stalkerware app can read text messages and control devices remotely. This includes taking pictures, sending text messages, and forwarding calls. Developers refer to it as an anti-theft app, as it allows you to control your Android device in case it gets stolen. However, it also gives stalkers the ability to gain control of their victims’ phones and track their activities. It was removed from the Google Play Store since it was considered unsafe.

Stalkerware vs. Spyware vs. Parental Control Apps: What’s the Difference?

These three terms get used interchangeably, but they’re not the same thing. Knowing the difference matters, especially if you’re trying to figure out whether what’s on your device is a criminal tool, a piece of malware, or a legitimate monitoring app used without your knowledge.

Criteria	Stalkerware	Spyware	Parental Control Apps
Purpose	Monitor a specific person, usually a partner or spouse	Steal credentials, financial data, or sensitive info	Monitor a child’s device usage with parental oversight
Installed by	Someone with physical access to the device (partner, abuser)	Remote exploit, phishing link, or malicious download	Parent or guardian, usually with device in hand
Consent	None. Installed covertly without the victim’s knowledge	None. Delivered through deception or system exploit	Varies. Sometimes disclosed to the child, sometimes not
Visibility	Hidden from home screen and app list	Hidden, often disguised as a system file	Usually visible; some apps notify the device user
Target	Intimate partners, employees, domestic abuse victims	Any user, often for financial or data theft motives	Minors, under 18
Legality	Illegal in most jurisdictions when installed without consent	Illegal in all contexts	Legal when used transparently within a family setting
Data sent to	Abuser’s account or a separate device	Remote attacker’s server	Parent’s monitoring dashboard

Is Stalkerware Legal?

The short answer is: the apps themselves are often sold legally. The act of installing them on someone’s device without their consent is not.

Most stalkerware developers market their products as parental monitoring tools or employee management software, which keeps them in a legal gray zone. The products are sold openly, sometimes on mainstream app stores, and the companies behind them operate with few restrictions. But the moment one of these apps is installed on another person’s device without their knowledge, it becomes illegal in most jurisdictions around the world.

Here’s how the law treats it in key regions:

• United States: United States: The Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) prohibits unauthorized access to computer systems, which includes smartphones. Installing stalkerware without consent can also violate the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA), which makes it a federal crime to intercept electronic communications. Several states have additional laws that impose stricter penalties.

• European Union: European Union: The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) makes covert surveillance of individuals a serious violation. Member states also have their own criminal statutes covering unauthorized device access and unlawful interception of private communications.

• United Kingdom: United Kingdom: The Computer Misuse Act 1990 and the Investigatory Powers Act 2016 both apply. Installing covert monitoring software without consent is a criminal offense.

• Australia: Australia: The Surveillance Devices Act and equivalent state legislation prohibit the installation or use of tracking devices without consent.

How To Identify Stalkerware On Your Device?

Stalkerware is built to avoid detection, so there’s rarely a single obvious sign. Instead, you’re usually looking at a combination of small red flags that, taken together, point to something running on your device that shouldn’t be. Here’s what to watch for.

General warning signs (all devices)

• Battery drain: Battery draining faster than usual, even when the screen is off and no apps are visibly active.
• Data usage spikes: Unusual data usage spikes. Stalkerware constantly transmits data to a remote server, which shows up in your monthly data breakdown.
• Phone running warm: Phone running warm while idle. Background surveillance is processing-intensive. If the phone is hot with no apps open, something else is running.
• Sluggish performance: Sluggish performance or random reboots. Stalkerware can compete with legitimate apps for processing power.
• Unexplained knowledge: Someone in your life knows things they shouldn’t, including your location, message contents, or private conversations.

How to check on Android

• Go to Settings > Apps and scroll through every installed app. Stalkerware often disguises itself with generic names like “System Service” or “Phone Manager.” If you don’t recognize it or can’t verify what it does, that’s a problem.

• Check Settings > Security > Device Admin Apps. Stalkerware frequently grants itself administrator privileges to make removal harder. Any unrecognized app listed here is a red flag.

• Check Settings > Accessibility > Installed Services. Stalkerware exploits accessibility permissions to read on-screen content, including messages. If an unfamiliar app has these permissions, remove it.

• Open Google Play Protect (Play Store > Profile > Play Protect) and run a scan. If someone turned it off, that itself is suspicious.

How to check on iPhone

• Go to Settings > General > VPN & Device Management. Any configuration profile you don’t recognize or didn’t authorize could be granting remote access to your device.
• Check Settings > Screen Time. If Screen Time is enabled and password-protected, and you didn’t set it up, someone else may be using it to monitor your usage.
• Review Settings > Apple ID > iCloud. Look for devices signed into your Apple ID that you don’t recognize. These can be used to access synced data including messages, photos, and location.
• Look for alternative app stores on your home screen, such as Cydia. Their presence means the iPhone has been jailbroken, which opens the device to stalkerware that wouldn’t otherwise be installable.

How To Remove Stalkerware On iOS?

Here’s how to remove stalkerware on iPhone. Follow these steps to remove stalkerware from your iOS device effectively.

1) Scan & Remove Unfamiliar Apps

One of the most effective ways to check for stalkerware on your phone is to check for unfamiliar applications on your iPhone and remove them from your device. If you’re unsure whether this app is stalkerware, you can look up it online to see if it’s stalkerware. Regardless, if you find a suspicious-looking app on your device, removing it from your iPhone is the best course of action. Here’s how you can do it:

1. Touch and hold the app on the Home Screen.
2. Click Remove App.
3. Then click Remove From Home Screen to keep it in the App Library.
4. Or click Delete App to delete it from the iPhone.

2) Look For Signs Of Jailbreaking

While it can be challenging for attackers to install stalkerware on an iPhone because of Apple’s many limitations, malicious actors can still jailbreak an iPhone and install malware. A significant sign that your iPhone has been jailbroken is that an alternative app store, instead of the official Apple App Store, is installed on your device.

3) Perform A Factory Reset

You can also factory reset your iPhone because it will completely reset your device and remove the stalkerware. However, only consider this an option if nothing else seems to work. Ensure you’ve backed up your important data and files before performing the factory reset. Here’s how you can do it:

1. Go to Settings > General and then Transfer or Reset iPhone.

2. Then tap Erase All Content and Settings.

4) Ensure Your Device Is Updated

Ensure your iPhone is up to date with the latest security updates. This ensures that all your phone’s vulnerabilities are addressed and malicious actors cannot exploit them. Turn on automatic updates and update your iPhone to the latest version.

5) Ensure iCloud Is Locked

If your sensitive and confidential data gets compromised because of stalkerware, you should reset your iCloud password to protect your sensitive and confidential data; also, be sure to enable Two Factor Authentication for your Apple ID, making it challenging for malicious actors to access them.

How To Remove Stalkerware On Android?

Here’s how to remove stalkerware on Android. Follow these steps to remove all traces of Stalkerware from your Android device.

1) Use Google Play Protect

Google Play Protect is an essential tool for your Android device. Before you download and install any suspicious apps with stalkerware on your Android device, Google Play Protect runs a safety check on any apps downloaded from the Google Play Store before they are downloaded on your phone. It also checks your device for any harmful apps that can compromise your sensitive and confidential data. Google Play Protect can help detect stalkerware apps and remove them from your device.

2) Check If Device Administrator Is Installed

Device administrator access is given to pre-installed applications on Android devices. This access allows apps to write, transfer, or erase data from the device if it is stolen or missing. Stalkerware apps will require access to administration settings to write and transfer data from one device to another.

3) Use Reliable Antivirus Software

Use reliable antivirus software to remove emerging threats and PUPs (potentially unwanted programs from your device.) The antivirus software will scan for emerging threats in real time and immediately remove them from your device. When choosing antivirus software, make sure it can scan for malware and threats in real-time and remove them from your device, it does not impact the system’s performance when using it, it is compatible with multiple operating systems, and it is easy to use, even for someone who isn’t that tech-savvy. It also offers additional security tools.

4) Uninstall Apps You Don’t Recognize

You should manually check all of the Android apps on your device to see which ones you downloaded and which you don’t recall downloading or look suspicious. Check through the apps individually because many stalkerware apps don’t appear on smartphones’ home screens. Still, they will appear on your device’s app list, so make sure you go through that and remove anything that looks malicious or you don’t remember ever installing.

What To Do Immediately If You Find Out You’ve Been Affected With Stalkerware?

Unfortunately, you’ve been hit with stalkerware, and you fear that your sensitive and confidential data will be compromised. Here are some steps you need to take immediately to ensure that no further damage is done and that you can secure your data.

• Install AstrillVPN on your device. AstrillVPN encrypts your internet traffic and masks your IP address, ensuring that hackers and malicious actors cannot intercept your data. With its Kill Switch feature and secure protocols like StealthVPN and Wireguard, all your sensitive data remains in safe hands.
• Protect your phone using a strong and unique password. This makes it challenging for attackers to access your phone and install stalkerware. When choosing a strong password, ensure it has uppercase letters, lowercase letters, special characters, and numbers.
• Make sure you don’t share your phone password with anyone, and keep your phone safe, secure, and out of reach of anyone who can use it to install stalkerware.
• Ensure you only download apps from trusted sources, such as Google Play and the Apple App Store.
• Reach out to local support organizations that can help you combat stalkerware. The Coalition Against Stalkerware website is a great place to start and can help you find one.
• Don’t remove the stalker app or change any settings on your phone before developing a safety plan. The app can alert the attacker, which can escalate their malicious plans. Removing the stalker app can also remove essential evidence that can be used in persecution. Take some time to think of the most effective strategy that fits your current situation.
• Ensure that you also set up Multi-Factor Authentication on all your accounts. This means you will need to provide additional verification before accessing your account. This verification can be a one-time password sent to your email, phone number, or even biometric verification.
• Avoid rooting if you’re an Android user and jailbreaking if you’re using an iPhone. These actions can put the security of these operating systems at risk, making it easier for malicious actors to install stalkerware on your devices.
• Never leave your smartphones unattended, and always be mindful of who you’re giving your phone to. Physical access to your phone is the first step to ensuring that your device gets installed with stalkerware, so always be careful.

Conclusion

Having stalkerware on your device seriously risks your privacy and security. Stalkers with access to your sensitive and confidential data can use it to spy on you or carry out fraudulent activities such as identity theft or stealing your financial details. They can even have access to your actual location, which is not a good sign as this enables creepy people to stalk you and cause you harm. Luckily, this guide outlines the most effective ways to remove stalkerware from your device and the exact signs you must look for to identify and detect stalkerware on your device.

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