Phone tracking · Safety
Found tracking on your phone? What to do first
Updated September 2026
Finding out someone has been watching you is frightening. The instinct is to delete everything right away. If the person could be dangerous, a few minutes of planning first keeps you safer and keeps the evidence.
Short answer
If you might be in danger, don’t remove it yet. Use a phone or computer the other person can’t access, document what you found, and call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 (or text START to 88788) to plan your next step. When it’s safe, change your account passwords first, then remove the app or sharing.
If you’re in immediate danger, call 911.
1. Pause before you remove anything
Removing an app or turning off sharing can tip off the person watching, and if they’re controlling or violent, that can escalate things. If it’s a situation like that, plan first.
2. Use a safe device
Assume the tracked phone can see what you do on it, including searches. Research, call for help, and change passwords from a device the other person has never had access to, like a friend’s phone or a library computer.
3. Document it
- Screenshot the app, its permissions, and the location-sharing or account screens.
- Write down dates, and anything the person knew that they shouldn’t have.
- Keep copies somewhere the other person can’t reach, like an email account only you can open.
This matters if you go to police or seek a protective order.
4. Get help
- National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233, or text START to 88788. Free, confidential, 24/7.
- Police: installing spyware on someone’s phone without consent is illegal in many places.
- Coalition Against Stalkerware (stopstalkerware.org) and NNEDV Safety Net (techsafety.org) have guides and resources for survivors.
5. When it’s safe, lock things down
- From a safe device, change your Apple Account or Google Account password and turn on two-factor authentication.
- Sign out devices you don’t recognize (steps for iPhone and Android).
- Stop any location sharing you didn’t choose.
- Remove the app, or back up your photos and factory-reset the phone.
- Change your phone’s passcode to one the other person doesn’t know.
Check your car too
Someone who tracks a phone may also have put an AirTag or GPS tracker on your car. Our free guides show where to look and how to scan for AirTags.
Check your car too
People who track a phone sometimes track a car as well. Our free guide covers the 10 places trackers get hidden on a vehicle.
Common questions
+Should I delete stalkerware as soon as I find it?
Not always. Removing it can alert the person who installed it, and in abusive situations that can make things more dangerous. It also destroys evidence. Document it and, if you can, talk to an advocate first.
+Is it illegal to put stalkerware on someone's phone?
Installing spyware on another adult's phone without their consent is illegal in many places, under stalking, wiretapping, and computer-access laws. Police or a lawyer can tell you what applies where you live.
+Will a factory reset remove stalkerware?
A full factory reset removes installed apps, including stalkerware. It won't help if the person knows your Apple or Google password, because they can sign back in. Change those passwords first, from a device they don't have access to.
+Who can help me check my phone?
Domestic violence advocates, including the National Domestic Violence Hotline (1-800-799-7233), can help you plan. The Coalition Against Stalkerware (stopstalkerware.org) and NNEDV's Safety Net project (techsafety.org) have more resources.