How to know if your phone is hacked?
It isn’t that difficult to check if your phone is hacked. This means that you can easily find out if your phone has been compromised or your messages, and other private data has been shared without your knowledge. All you have to do is dial the USSD codes ##002#, #62#, #21# from the keypad. These USSD codes will help you find out some things like:
##002# – This code will help erase any voice call, SMS or data call has been diverted, without your knowledge.#62# –This code will help you know if any of your voice calls, data, SMS, fax, files has been diverted or forwarded without you knowing. #21# – Using this code, you will be able to know if your calls have been forwarded to some other number or not.
A sluggish phone or fast-draining battery are common symptoms to look out for how to know if your phone is hacked. Butthey can also indicate your device requires a deep clean to spruce up performance or improve its battery life.
What to do if your phone is hacked?
Delete malicious apps & messages
Begin by deleting malicious or unknown apps and messages from your smartphone. When you delete, check if the problem you have been facing is resolved or not. On deleting, you’ll also notice an improvement in the overall performance of your Android device. In case not, the next step is to clear your device of apps that may have been flagged from that security scan. Another thing you can do for how to fix a hacked Android phone is to shut down apps one by one, as soon as your phone starts to heat up or even slow down. If by shutting a particular app, the performance of the phone improves, it means the app is malicious or does not suit your mobile phone. Read: Different Ways of Hacking an Android Phone Remotely
Perform a factory reset
If, even after deleting malicious apps, the phone is behaving strangely, then it is important to do a quick factory reset to clear your device of malicious or sluggish software. You can do so going to Settings > System > (Advanced) > Reset options > Erase all data
Reboot Android phone
If you are wondering how to fix a hacked Android phone, then it can be done by simply rebooting the device. To do so,
Press and hold down the Power button on your Android until the boot pop-up window is displayed on the screen.Depending on your device, select the Restart or Reboot button and wait while the process completes.Once your device reboots, check to see if the Google app that was giving back the error has been resolved.
Turn off spam notifications
Even if you are not experiencing any malware symptom, you could still be receiving annoying notifications and adds from not just third-party apps, but Google Chrome web browser as well. You can simply block notifications from all apps entirely, and also get rid of those unsolicited ads that Google Chrome displays on behalf of other websites. You Might Also Like: 10 Google Hacks That Make Life Easier
Disable Unknown Sources
Anattractive feature of Android OS is the ability to manually install apps directly from the internet in its raw “APK” file format. The feature is tucked away in the Developer options to sway users from openly using it since it poses a security risk by allowing installation of apps that haven’t gone through the scanning process set forth by the Google Play Store. To disable unknown sources:
Go to SettingsNavigate to the System – Advanced tab and find the Developer options menuScroll down to find Unknown sources and disable it by pressing the toggle right next to it
With the added permissions, a risky app has the capability to install other malicious apps when the “Unknown Sources” feature is enabled, which is why turning it off is essential. Let us know if you know of any different method for how to fix a hacked Android phone. Write to us at editor@penpundit.com. You can also sign in for our newsletter to get daily updates delivered to your mailbox.
