How to stop someone from tracking you on your phone

How would you feel if someone were spying on your every move, possibly listening to your conversations, and maybe even accessing your personal data without your consent? Would you even know if that were happening to you? We recently received this intriguing email from Marybeth of Wilmington, Delaware: 

"Is there a way to determine if someone has installed tracking software on your phone? 

- Marybeth, Wilmington, DE" 

The truth is that, yes, your phone can be tracked. Sometimes, unsavory characters will find ways to hack into your device to see where you're going. Other times, you might have apps on your phone that are tracking your location in the background without you even realizing it. 

Whatever the case may be, there are ways that you may be able to tell when someone has hacked into your device and is tracking you. 

Strange or inappropriate pop-ups: Nonstop pop-ups, especially bright, flashing ads or X-rated content, are a big indicator that your phone has been compromised. 

Texts or calls not made by you: If you notice texts or calls from your phone that you didn't make, you may have had your phone hacked. 

Higher than normal data usage: If your phone behavior has stayed the same, and your data usage has skyrocketed, it's time to investigate. 

Apps you don't recognize on your phone: If you notice new apps popping up once you already own the phone, there may be malware involved. 

If you think your phone has been hacked, there are some steps you can take to address it. 

The good news is that although your phone could be tracked, there are plenty of steps you can take to significantly reduce the risk of this happening. Here are some of my best tips for you to follow. 

As I mentioned before, certain apps on your phone could still be tracking your location even if you have location tracking turned off within your phone's settings. To prevent this from happening, you have to make sure that location services are turned off for each app that you don't want tracking you. Here's how to do it. 

How to turn off app tracking on an iPhone 

How to turn off app tracking on an Android 

No, it's not an individual, but you don't want big tech tracking you either. Your Google account could have a history of devices that are tracking you, and Google has been known to collect tons of data about your location history, web and app activity and more. However, you can make sure that your location settings are adjusted so that this doesn't happen without your consent. 

How to adjust the location settings in your Google account (iPhone) 

How to adjust the location settings in your Google account (Android) 

The big nightmare that we all want to avoid is having someone tracking our every move. It's an invasion of privacy and can be incredibly scary and anxiety-inducing, so make sure you're following my tips carefully and keeping those criminals out of your business.