How to check an iPhone for spyware

To check an iPhone for spyware, turn on AssistiveTouch, set its Single-Tap action to Analytics, and tap it to make a sysdiagnose file. You then check that file against public indicator lists from Amnesty International's Security Lab, the Mobile Verification Toolkit (MVT) and Echap. The guide is free, the check is from £2.50, and the file is checked in your browser and never uploaded. It finds known spyware only: a match is not proof, and finding nothing does not mean you are free of tracking.

We check your phone against thousands of known spyware signs, updated daily.

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Quick exit: the button at the bottom right of the screen, or the Esc key, takes you straight to the BBC weather page.

How do I check my iPhone for spyware?

This takes about 15 minutes, most of it waiting. The file it makes is a diagnostic report of about 350 MB.

  1. Open Settings → Accessibility → Touch → AssistiveTouch and turn it On.
  2. In the same screen, under Custom Actions, set Single-Tap to Analytics.
  3. Keep the phone unlocked, then tap the floating AssistiveTouch button once. You should feel a short buzz. No floating button? Instead, press and hold both volume buttons and the side button together for about 1.5 seconds, until you feel a short buzz.
  4. Wait 5 to 10 minutes with the phone unlocked. Tip: go to Settings → Display & Brightness → Auto-Lock and choose Never. If that option is greyed out, turn off Low Power Mode first.
  5. Go to Settings → Privacy & Security → Analytics & Improvements → Analytics Data. Find the newest file starting sysdiagnose_ and tap it.
  6. Tap the share icon. Move the file to the computer or device where you are reading this page in a way that stays on your own equipment: a USB cable, AirDrop to a Mac you trust, or Save to Files on the phone and then a cable. Please do not email it to yourself or upload it to iCloud, Google Drive or any other cloud service. If anyone else can sign in to that account, they could see the file.
  7. Open the check page, choose a check (from £2.50), and when your payment is confirmed drop the file into the box. It is checked in your browser and is not uploaded.
  8. Delete the file when you are done. It holds detailed information about your phone. Delete it from the phone (Analytics Data: swipe left on the sysdiagnose file, and in the Files app delete it and then empty Recently Deleted), from the computer (the Downloads folder, then empty the bin or Recycle Bin), and from any email or cloud copy.
  9. Tidy up when it is safe: set Auto-Lock back to how it was and turn AssistiveTouch off. If you are worried someone checks your phone settings, do this once you are safe to.

Before you remove anything

  • If you find something, do not delete it straight away. The person who installed it may be alerted, and removing it could make a dangerous situation worse.
  • Removing spyware can also delete evidence you may want later, for the police or a solicitor.
  • Talk to a trained adviser first. The helplines are free and confidential. In an emergency call 999.

Related

This check looks for publicly known spyware only. It is not a professional forensic examination, and it cannot tell you a phone is safe.