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Can you tell if there is a tracker on your phone

M

mummyt

Lurker
We suspect someone has a tracker on a friends phone. They have had access to the phone (samsung galaxy s2) as they bought her it and set it all up ready for her to use, but they slipped up in a conversation about an unrecieved text message saying the last time I got a message from her phone was 12am and we realised thats what time she had arrived home that night but she had'nt sent him a message :confused:

Is there any way to check on her phone if there is a tracker set up on her phone?.

We know when he bought her the phone he told her there was a location tracker for if it is stolen, but he should'nt be getting messages to his phone telling him her location should he.
 
A tracking app would probably show up in the running services menu. Could you list what she sees when she's in the apps menu: Settings -> Applications -> Running Services (That might not be the exact location, some phones differ).

From there, I can have a look at the apps running, then search their descriptions on the market.

One more thing to check, is there an app called Tasker installed?
 
John Redcorn said:
I read awhile back about something pretty undetectable, theft aware, root needed, hides the gps active icon, hides itself and installs in /system so a wipe wont clear it. all kinds of stuff.

Theft Aware 2.0 ? The Most Ingenious Android Security Solution With The Best Root Integration We?ve Seen To Date. Really [Hands-On Review]

www.theftaware.com
Click to expand...

If I read that review right even the NSA would have trouble finding and deactivating TheftAware. If true the answer to the OP's question is of course negative for all intents and purposes: no, you can't tell for sure if there is a tracker on that phone. It was 'compromised'. $10 buys undetectability.

So if you want to be sure there is nothing on your phone there shouldn't be then don't give anybody else access to it. Ever! Buy a new one and configure it yourself.

Even an app like 'My Fake Location' doesn't provide security. I tested it, and while Google Nav, Google Maps, GPS Status, and GPS Essentials were fooled by it, apps like WAZE, Sygic, and Glympse were not! I.o.w. 'My Fake Location' can't be trusted to fake your location.

In the opposite situation, when you for instance want your significant other (or somebody else) to be able to track you, like for instance to monitor your progress on a long car or train trip, you could use a free app like Glympse, which can be set for specific length of time, max. 4 hours (simply extendable by tapping). And you send a link by SMS or email to the other party with which they can see your progress on a LIVE dynamic map in any internet browser. But when the session expires tracking is disabled.
 
If he set up the phone with a locator, then he probably set up that app to notify him of the location. Some apps have a feature for this, I dont know for Android but Periodic on Symbian does it so I would suspect something similar for Androids. You'd have to ask the person about the setup if you're fine with a possible confrontation. I would do so if its the friend's boyfriend, but wouldnt mind if it was the friend's parents :)
 
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