Spying app

[oldbarsteward]

Howdy all.

Need some help here.
I've a company phone that they've recently remotely installed an app that can be remotely activated any time and listen in on me.
I'm not here to discuss the legality of it etc I just need to know how to remove it.
Because all it says is "you do not have permission, contact your administrator " or similar.

I don't want to eff the device up but surely one of you savy bunch will have a way.

Regards.

 

[ocnbrze]

Hard reset the device.

 

[oldbarsteward]

I can't do that as I'll loose a separate work related app

 

[Hadron]

I'd check your terms of employment before doing anything. I know you don't want to talk about legality, but I'd at least make sure it's not a disciplinary or sacking offence first, because they will know if you remove it.

The simplest answer is surely to turn the phone off when you finish work (or stick it in airplane mode). Then they cannot do anything with it outside of work hours.

If it's just a device administrator app then just search settings for device admin apps and turn that off for the app in question. Then you can uninstall it. But if their device admin goes any deeper than that there is nothing much you can do except disconnect the device outside of work hours, or finding a less creepy employer.

 

[Dannydet]

As Hadron stated, that's about the best answer.

 

[svim]

It's a company phone so that pretty much sums up the situation. Unless they gave it to you to be used as a personal phone, there is no legal questions involved. They own the phone and they can monitor your usage on that phone and/or restrict it to be used for only business-related tasks.
If they insisted to install some kind of MDM solution (Mobile Device Management) on a personal phone too, that would be a matter where you would have a lot of leverage for legal actions.
Basically, use your company phone for business tasks, use your phone for your own needs.