How a Divorcing Spouse Can Spy on You Using Your iPhone

How Do You Tell if Your Spouse Is Spying on Your Phone? Can my spouse put spyware on my iPhone? Best Way to Track Cheating Spouse, Cell Phone Tracking, Track Cell Phone Location. How to Spy on an iPhone and prevent it. Cheaters Can Get Caught with This Clever iPhone 7 Setting. Can Someone Read Your Text Messages Through iCloud? How Do I Know if My Husband or Wife Is Spying on Me?

Divorce can motivate some people to stalk and spy on their spouses iPhones.

Understand, Android smartphones are not immune to this. Similar spying tactics apply.

To protect your privacy, change every password for every bank account, Internet account, credit card, and email account you have.  We cannot stress this enough.  Change them all!

What are the best ways to track a cheating spouse, cell phone tracking and track cell phone location?

If you have an iPhone, start with changing your Apple ID password immediately. Why worry about phone security? It’s important to maintain your privacy during the divorce. Protecting confidential communications with your attorney is particularly important. You should do everything possible to minimize and eliminate security vulnerabilities.

How do you tell if your spouse is spying on your phone?

Feel paranoid? Don’t.  Ask every experienced family lawyer and he or she will tell you phone, e-mail, and social media personal security is critical during this time.  Information is power.  You are much better off preventing the unwitting sharing of information.  Better safe than sorry.

How can I keep my Husband or Wife from Spying on my Phone?

One vulnerability is cloud storage. Data on your iPhone is automatically uploaded to iCloud when connected to power, locked, and on Wi-Fi.

Data on your Android smartphone is automatically uploaded to Google Cloud or some other cloud service.

To prevent automatic uploading, change your account and device settings, start by opening your Settings app.

Go to:             Click Apple ID (at the top of the screen) > iCloud > Manage Storage> Backups.

Next, click on the file for your phone.

Then, turn off data you choose to no longer back up.

You should also Delete Backup, removing any data that was automatically saved.

Smartphone Spy Hacks You Can Do Right Now

Here are 10 ways your spouse could spy on you using your iPhone:

1. Two-factor Authentication

Your spouse could spy on your text messages if you don’t have two-factor authentication.

Your username and password gets you into your iPhone/iCloud account.

Two-factor authentication adds a verification-step before any attempt to access is allowed. A variable code is sent to the iPhone to verify it’s really you.

For security:

Enable two-factor authentication. And change all of your passwords to those your spouse can’t guess.

Go to:             Settings App> Click Password & Security> Turn On Two-Factor Authentication

You may also in the Settings App go to Face ID & Passcodes to create alternative passwords or simply reset your password that someone else cannot guess. 

2. Using iCloud to Spy on Spouse

Your spouse could spy on you through a shared iCloud account.

Sharing an iCloud account with your spouse surrenders access to about everything on your iPhone. Your location, photographs, contacts, text messages, everything.

How do I Separate My iPhone from My Spouse’s?

For security:

Set-up a new iCloud account for yourself and never share it with your spouse.

Get a new phone, maybe a secret phone, with a new plan registered in your name only.

Stop using the phone and plan you share with your spouse as soon as possible. 

3. How to Tell if My Spouse is Tracking My iPhone: Find My iPhone

Your spouse could spy on you with Find My iPhone.

Find My iPhone is an iCloud tracking device.

This app lets iCloud track a lost device from the internet, so you can find it.

Find My iPhone could be used to track your location whenever the device is with you.

You won’t even know you’re being tracked.

For security:

Disable this app from the privacy settings on your iPhone.

Go to:             Settings App> Click Apple ID (at the top of the screen) > Go to “Find My” iPhone> Disable or Delete the app from your phone. 

4. Can Someone Read Your Text Messages Through iCloud?

Your spouse could use iMessage to spy on you. You may have synchronized your Mac or iPad with iMessage and your email account, but doing so can leave you vulnerable to stalking. Someone who downloads this messaging app can obtain your emails. Your messages could be viewed on a remote device without your knowledge, let alone your permission.

iMessage with Message Forwarding could be used to intercept your messages.

By synchronizing a Mac or iPad with iMessage and your email account, you make yourself vulnerable to spying.

Can my Husband See My iMessages?

Remember, iMessage lets you receive text messages from any email address that is registered with your Apple ID. Your spouse’s iPhone could very well be one of those devices. However, if you and your spouse share the account, he or she could enable iMessage just as easily as you disable it. Those emails could be read on a remote device without your knowledge or permission.

For security:

Disable iMessage on your iCloud account or iPhone.

You can disable your iMessage by going to:

Go to:             Settings> Click Apple ID (at the top of the screen) > iCloud> Messages

From there you should be able to disable from other devices. Be sure to follow up and disable from all other connected devices that are linked to your phone.

Now, a shared account is problematic because your spouse could simply enable it again.

Best to secure all your communications, including emails, by establishing your own personal account. And keep it secret!

5. Is my phone being monitored? Find My Friends

Your spouse could use Find My Friends to spy on you. Combining the Find My Friends app with the Notify Me feature on your iPhone could send notices to your spouse whenever you enter or exit a certain place. A bank, attorney’s office, or safe house.

Can I track my partners iPhone?

According to Apple Support, to use Find My Friends, both parties need to have the Find My Friends app on their iOS devices. An invitation must be sent and accepted, but once authorized the friend has unfettered stalking privileges 24/7. You or your spouse may have already set-up Find My Friends for each other.

Geo-fencing could alert your spouse when you enter a defined geographic area.

And pin-point your precise location.

This combination is particularly dangerous if there’s domestic violence.

How can I tell if my husband is tracking my iPhone?

To determine whether your location is being shared without your consent, go to “Settings” on your iPhone and tap “Location Services” to see if Find My Friends is accessing your system.

For security:

Turn off the Share My Location setting on your iPhone.

Go to:             Settings App> Click Apple ID (at the top of the screen)> Click Find My> Disable Share my Location 

6. Your Spouse Could Use iPhone’s Camera to Photo-stream Automatically to iCloud.

Every photo you take is automatically uploaded to My Photo Stream when your camera is on and connects to Wi-Fi.

The new photo automatically, instantly streams to every device shared on your iCloud account, including your spouse’s.

Any photo or video that is deleted will be permanently removed in 30 days from the iCloud account.

Photos contain visual location markers like street signs and store fronts.

But it’s not just the picture.

GPS coordinates, or geo-tags, are embedded in every photo.

When the camera is on, the location data may be available on the web.

You don’t even have to post to social media.

For security:

Disable Location Services for your camera.

Go to:             Settings> Privacy> Location Services> Camera> Choose Never or your preferred setting for your phone and other Apple devices.

7. How to Spy on an iPhone and Prevent It: Reading Your iPhone SIM Card

Your spouse could spy on you by reading your iPhone SIM card.

The security information card, or SIM card, stores memory on a smartphone.

This is separate from the iPhone’s memory card.

The SIM card identifies a specific user on a specific network, such as AT&T or Verizon.

It may be illegal under Tennessee law and federal law to remove the SIM card from someone else’s device to spy with a SIM-card-reader, without that person’s knowledge or consent.

8. Cheaters Can Get Caught with This Clever iPhone Setting: GPS

Your spouse could use your iPhone GPS to track your every move.

Your mobile device acts as a beacon. GPS, or Global Positioning System, on your smartphone is a tracking device that’s always running.

For security:

Disable GPS on your device.

Go to:             Open Settings App>Privacy> Share My Location

From here you may disable Share My Location and the Location Services that are being used by other apps on your phone. 

9. Your Spouse Could Access Everything on Your iPhone

If your spouse has possession of your iPhone, even deleted files might still be accessed, viewed, and downloaded onto another machine. Keep in mind, iCloud does not permanently remove records from storage until 30 days.

For security:

Permanently wipe files from your device. Restoring a device to factory settings removes everything but the factory firmware on your iPhone.  

10. How Do I Know if my Husband or Wife is Spying on Me? Spyware

Your spouse could add spyware to your iPhone to stalk you. By “jail-breaking” your iPhone and installing spyware on it, your spouse could track your every move, call, photo, and text. “mSpy” is an example of the one the apps that could be used to track your phone or device and is undetectable.

For security:

Keep your smartphone with you at all times.

To add another level of security, consider using a Recovery Key. By creating a Recovery Key, the only way to reset your password is by using another device already signed in with your Apple ID or by entering your recovery key.

Go to:             Apple ID > Password & Security> Recovery Key 

Implement all of the security measures discussed here.

Don’t make it easy for your spouse, or your spouse’s ally, to spy on you. That includes children.

Password Security Tips

It is far too easy for others to guess passwords and gain access to information that you wish to remain private.  Here are four very basic password security tips:

1. Use a mix of letters, numbers, and symbols that have no meaning.
2. Never use names, birthdates, pet names, etc.
3. Never tape passwords or write them down in a location that is discoverable, and
4. Never let Apple devices or Windows memorize your passwords.

Take password security very seriously.

This video was produced in 2021.  Expect iPhone technology to evolve over time.  As time passes, you will need to update your knowledge as well.  We hope the concepts you learn here will help.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Would it surprise you that in divorce one spouse might use iCloud for iPhone to track the other? When preparing to protect your own mobile privacy, note your computer guru’s advice about passwords (discussed later). If you have not done so already, divorce is the time to put that advice and a bunch of other mobile security measures into practice.

Divorce Can Motivate One Spouse to Use iPhones and iCloud to Spy on the Other Spouse

Security is not a game of chance. Your money, your court case, and your personal safety could be jeopardized by failing to take prudent steps to safeguard your information and communications on every iOS, smartphone, mobile device, and computer you use. Go the extra mile to secure your privacy during the divorce. Tighten security at all levels!

A quick caveat before getting started. There are creative new apps to choose from every day, with existing apps being continuously updated (including those used to spy on a spouse). New features are rolled out regularly for mobile devices, both in downloadable apps and cloud services. Although we have tried to be reasonably specific about what you can and should do to improve security during your divorce, the onus is upon you to take action and remain vigilant in keeping your mobile devices and computers secure.

Why worry about phone security? During the divorce, you need to maintain privacy on all fronts, particularly confidential communications with your attorney. But there is more to it.

Stalking & Tracking Your Communications and Location

Back in 2011, Apple rolled out iCloud for Mac, PC, and iOS devices. Effectively providing cloud-based services with seemingly unlimited storage and sync solutions for users with multiple devices, which describes most of us. Today, users rely heavily on iCloud for internet storage, file sharing, iPhone and communications. In fact, it is hard to remember life before iCloud. Because of this ubiquity, cloud-based technology has earned special treatment in every divorce and begins with the word “BEWARE.”

If you have an iPhone, iPad, iPod, or Apple computer, then your data is automatically uploaded to iCloud. With Android smartphones, data is automatically uploaded to Google+ cloud storage or some other cloud-storage app. Whatever cloud service you use, the point is your data is automatically uploaded. You have to make changes to your account or device settings to prevent that from happening.

No matter how secure you believe your text messages and phone calls are, understand that there is probably much more you could do, and should do, to improve privacy. (Do you recall when nude photos of celebrities Rihanna, Kim Kardasian, and others were leaked back in 2014? Hackers took advantage of iCloud weaknesses. If two-factor authentication had been enabled as an additional security measure then, for instance, these celebrities might have maintained their dignity.)

Two-Factor Authentication in Divorce Can Impede a Spouse’s Spying

One threshold security measure is Two-Factor Authentication. This verifies that the person accessing the account with username and password is actually the account holder. If you use online banking, then you are probably familiar with two-factor authentication to access your bank account.

Apple starting using two-step authentication for all Apple ID and iCloud accounts early in 2014, before the celebrity leaks noted above. The user is prompted to enter username and password after which a text message containing a verification code is sent to the registered device. The security code must be entered to obtain access to the account (for instance, to change account settings or purchase from iTunes or App Store).

Because of the divorce, you should enable two-step authentication. With your iPhone, sign in with your Apple ID, go to “Password” and then “Security,” from there, follow the instructions at the top of the page. A shared iCloud account with your spouse, however, is something two-factor authentication will not cure alone.

The Trouble with Shared iCloud Accounts in Divorce

Do you and your spouse share an iCloud account? Then protect yourself from potential stalking. Sharing an iCloud account with your spouse gives him or her unfettered access to almost any information on your iPhone, including your location, photographs, contacts, and text messages. (How to turn off GPS is discussed below.)

Here is what you need to do if you share an iCloud account with your wife or husband:

• Change all of your passwords: “Change password” should be your new mantra. Change your Apple ID, change your iTunes ID, Facebook log in, change your Google Play ID, and so on.
• Password recovery question: What is the name of your favorite pet? Who was your favorite teacher? What was your first car? The answers could be easier to guess than you might think. Do not underestimate how well your spouse knows you and can anticipate your actions. Make sure your password recovery question is one he or she cannot guess.

Consider creating a new iCloud account for yourself, one that is never shared with your spouse. That way, your spouse will no longer have access to anything your device shares on the cloud. To do this, go to “Settings” and choose “iCloud” and then “Sign Out.” You will be prompted to Log In or create a new Apple ID. Creating a new Apple ID should also create your new iCloud account.

Should I get a new phone if I am about to get divorced? Strongly consider getting a new phone (or secret phone) along with a new phone plan if divorce is on the horizon.

What can you do to protect your privacy during the divorce? We have talked about this before, but it is well worth repeating here. Getting a new email account that you do not share with your spouse (or anyone else if you’re smart), is the first action you should take to secure private messages and privileged communications with your Tennessee divorce lawyer. Set up a new secure email from gmail or hotmail or Yahoo! (there are others, too) for all divorce-related communications. All are free.

Obtain a new phone on a different plan that is registered in your name only. Not possible? Then get yourself a new phone on a plan in the name of a trusted friend or family member. Regardless, the prudent course is to stop using the phone and plan you share with your spouse as soon as you possibly can. Once you have a new plan and new phone, keep it locked.

How a Spouse Uses Find My iPhone as an iCloud Tracking Device Without the Other Spouse Knowing

Take a closer look at the “Find My iPhone” app, which is standard for all iPhones. The Find My iPhone app allows iCloud to track your iPhone from the internet when you have lost it, but the app could also be used by your spouse to track your location. You want to disable this app from the privacy settings on your iPhone. Go to “Settings” and to “iCloud,” from there tap “Find My iPhone” to disable it.

Could someone be tracking your iPhone from another device? Find out. Go to “Settings” and “Location Services,” from there tap “Find My iPhone” and turn ON the “Status Bar Icon.”

iMessage with Message Forwarding to Track the Kids’ Cell Phone (and Spy on You in Divorce)

Are you accustomed to using “iMessage”? You may have synchronized your Mac or iPad with iMessage and your email account, but doing so can leave you vulnerable to stalking. Someone who downloads this messaging app can obtain your emails. Your messages could be viewed on a remote device without your knowledge, let alone your permission.

Many parents are familiar with iMessage. They use it to monitor their children’s SMS text messages, it is one way of preventing bad things from happening to kids. In a divorce, iMessage coupled with Message Forwarding could be used by one spouse to intercept the other spouse’s messages. All that is needed is an Apple product to serve as the remote device for purposes of monitoring the target’s messages and the target’s Apple ID and password.

The remote device could be a Mac, iPhone, iPod, iPad, or a deactivated device, so long as it is internet connected by Wi-Fi network or cellular data network. The Text Message Forwarding feature is used to forward the SMS texts to the monitoring device. The only loose end is to clear notices sent to the target device that someone has signed into that account. Could your spouse gain advantage in the divorce by using information about your activities obtained in this way? Yes, possibly. Many certainly try.

Remember, iMessage lets you receive text messages from any email address that is registered with your Apple ID. Your spouse’s iPhone could very well be one of those devices. You can disable iMessage by going to “Settings” and “Messages” and from there set iMessage OFF. However, if you and your spouse share the account, he or she could enable iMessage just as easily as you disable it. The best way to secure all of your communications, including emails, is to establish your own personal account and keep it secret.

Track a Spouse’s Cell Phone Without Them Knowing: “Find My Friends” App on iPhone

Is someone using “Find My Friends” to stalk you? That could very well be. The Find My Friends app combined with the Notify Me feature on iPhone allows others to receive notifications when the target of their interest enters or exits a certain place, such as a restaurant, church, or place of employment (or a paramour’s apartment, psychiatrist’s office, unemployment office, or drug rehabilitation facility). With geofence, a friend can receive alerts pin-pointing your exact location within a defined geographic area of, say, four city blocks. That is, he or she can customize an area, create a geofence, within which all comings and goings result in alerts.

Presumably, Find My Friends was designed as a benign tracker to locate the people users ordinarily communicate with, but it is also a ready tool for stalking and tracking you in a divorce. The app can send a “Notify Me” message when a friend (or companion) leaves one location or arrives at another, and another, and another.

According to Apple Support, to use Find My Friends, both parties need to have the Find My Friends app on their iOS devices. An invitation must be sent and accepted, but once authorized the friend has unfettered stalking privileges 24/7. You or your spouse may have already set-up Find My Friends for each other. Or your spouse may have set it up without your knowledge (having secretly sent an invitation to your iPhone and then accepting on your phone, say, while you were in the pool swimming with the children or napping on the sofa).

Through all of this, the target spouse may be completely unaware that his or her every move is being monitored with a notice transmitted to the stalking spouse. This is particularly dangerous for potential victims of domestic violence. Take precautions and put your safety and the safety of your children first.

To determine whether your location is being shared without your consent, go to “Settings” on your iPhone and tap “Location Services” to see if Find My Friends is accessing your system. To hide your location, go to “Settings” and scroll down to turn OFF “Share My Location.” When using Find My Friends on iCloud, sign in, open Find My Friends, tap “Me,” and deselect “Share My Location.”

Photostream: Track a Spouse’s Cell Phone Without Them Knowing

How Your Device’s Camera Photostreams iCloud Automatically

Then there is “Photo Stream.” Do you just love to take pictures with your smartphone? Well, your divorce attorney may instruct you to stop using the camera on your mobile device. Here is an Apple description of My Photo Stream:

“When do my photos upload to My Photo Stream?

Photos that you take on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch will automatically upload to My Photo Stream when you leave the Camera app and connect to Wi-Fi. And new photos that you import on your Mac to iPhoto or Aperture automatically upload when you connect to Wi-Fi or Ethernet. You can change your iPhoto or Aperture preferences so that only photos you manually add to My Photo Stream upload.”

When you take a picture, it streams to every device shared on the iCloud account with you, including your spouse’s – immediately, automatically. This is yet another reason for why you should seriously consider acquiring a new iPhone and a separate iCloud account.

As easy and fun as it may be to snap a photo of that new car you bought or of your hot date at the local bar, it is best to keep a low profile during the divorce. Every picture uploaded with photostream contains more than just visual location markers like street signs, office signs, and store fronts. GPS coordinates, or geotags, are embedded in each photograph. When the camera is on, photographs need not be posted to Facebook, for example, for the location data to be available on the web. To maintain privacy, turn OFF “Location Services” for your camera.

Security Information Cards (SIM Cards)

Spying in Divorce By Reading a Spouse’s Cell Phone SIM Card

What does the SIM card do for your cell phone? The security information card, or SIM card, stores memory on a cell phone, but is separate from the phone’s memory card. The SIM card is what identifies a specific user on a specific network, such as AT&T or T-Mobile. Popping the SIM card out of someone else’s phone to spy with a SIM card reader without that person’s knowledge or consent, even if it is your spouse, could be illegal under both Tennessee law and federal law.

Having said that, however, some software programs can retrieve, alter, and delete information on cell phone SIM cards. Lawful use of software may help individuals manage their own phones (for example, recover a deleted phone book or restore a deleted message). Unlawful use may include spying on a spouse during Tennessee divorce.

Global Positioning System (GPS)

Using iPhone GPS in Divorce to Locate and Track the Other Spouse’s Every Move

Did you know that the Global Positioning System (GPS) runs on your iPhone or Android all the time, even when you are not on a call? The GPS function of your smartphone is, essentially, a tracking device isolating your whereabouts at any given moment. Most of us do not want our location transmitted to servers 24/7/365. The good news is that you can disable GPS during your Tennessee divorce.

• iPhone Privacy Settings

You can disable GPS on your iPhone by following these general instructions. From the “Home” screen, enter your password. Go to “Settings” and then “Privacy,” from there tap “Location Services” where you can turn GPS tracking OFF. Press “Privacy” to save your settings with GPS disabled.

• Android Privacy Settings

Not everyone has an iPhone, of course. You can also disable the GPS function on your Android smartphone by following these general instructions. Go to “Settings” then swipe down and tap “Location.” From there, turn GPS functionality OFF for all apps. Alternatively, from “Location” select “Location Services” and tap “Google Location Reporting” and turn OFF. Tap “Delete Location History” to delete the old location history on your smartphone, then disable the history feature by turning OFF.

PASSWORDS: How to stop someone from spying on my cell phone.

Strong Passwords Are Your First Defenders Against a Spouse’s Snooping, Tracking and Spying

As mentioned previously, you need to change all passwords. As soon as divorce is imminent, it is strongly recommended that you change every password for every account – email, financial, social, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Amazon, eBay, and the like. Start by changing the password on each of your email accounts, that way your spouse is blocked from logging into your email account and obtaining all your new passwords. (Be sure to follow the security tips below.)

So that your spouse cannot use some keylogger software or retrace your new password changes, sign into your accounts using a computer that you do not ordinarily use. Or use your smartphone to change your account passwords.

Put your smartphone on the top of the list of passwords to change. Do you have your smartphone password protected? If not, then do so. Talk to your service provider if you do not know how.

Assume your spouse has your passwords. You may not recall handing that information over, but you may have. You may have already given away sufficient details for your spouse to guess your login credentials. Or maybe you had your spouse sign in for you once to take care of something urgent and he or she saved the information. Just assume your spouse has it and move forward from there. Think of your spouse as a potential hacker. That does not mean he or she will, but it does mean that he or she could (and divorce is a powerful motivator).

Tips for Creating Secure Passwords Before Divorce

We should all be making our passwords as secure as possible. The thing about divorce is that your spouse knows you and could be very adept at guessing what your choices might be. Sometimes a purely random arrangement of characters is best (instead of using your mother’s maiden name, your dog’s name, or the middle names of your children).

Here are some tips for creating a strong, secure password. We are not offering any examples because we do not want you to parrot them. Be creative!

1. The recommended minimum is 12-14 characters. Why? Because the longer the password the more secure (assuming you follow all the other security tips listed below). Everyone should agree that “12345” is a bad password and that “54321” is no better.
2. Every password should include a combination of numbers, uppercase letters, lowercase letters, and keyboard symbols. Random is good and mix the characters up.
3. Do not include your name, company, or user name in your password.
4. Make each password substantially different (no variations on a theme).
5. Do not share your password with anyone.
6. Use different passwords for different accounts.
7. Create a password that is easier for you to remember, but harder for others to crack.
8. Do not use a complete word, name, or place name in your password. Do not pull a word from the dictionary. Many common words are used so often, professional hackers assemble lists of them and use them to steal every day. Passwords that are difficult for people to remember can be easy for computers to guess.
9. Keep your usernames and passwords hidden and secure.
10. Use two-factor authentication whenever possible.
11. Secure your devices. Install or update your anti-malware software. Make sure your OS is updated, too.
12. Change your passcode. Lock your phone so a passcode or fingerprint is needed to use it.
13. If you have multiple accounts, you may want to consider obtaining a password manager for heightened security.

If you are unsure why you should employ the security measures discussed above or are confused about how to proceed, then talk to an experienced divorce attorney. You do not want to inadvertently surrender personal information to your spouse that could be used against you in the divorce.

Statements can be taken out of context, as when an innocent email to a close friend is interpreted, however wrongly, as an invitation to tryst with a paramour. Nor do you want to make it easy for your spouse, or someone allied with your spouse (including your child), to stalk you because your mobile device is a beacon. Take protecting your privacy very seriously. Do everything you can during the divorce to keep all of your messages private, especially confidential communications with your lawyer.

References, resources and more:

• Electronic Spying in Tennessee Divorce Laws
• Recording Telephone Calls and Wiretapping In Tennessee Divorce Law
• Surreptitious Digital Audio & Video Recording—Electronic Eavesdropping
• Divorce Spyware in Tennessee
• Hacking Computers, E-mail Accounts and Phones — A Big TN Divorce No-No
• Divorce and the Electronic Communications Privacy Act