2 Scary Signs Your iPhone Has Been Hacked, According To Privacy Experts

The only positive thing about having your iPhone hacked is this one: it doesn’t take long for you to begin noticing little signs that something is amiss. If you’re paying attention to some of the most common signs, you can often spot a hacking earlier on, change your passwords and report it, and move on with your life (hopefully the hacker hasn’t had time to make a dent in your data and gain access to your most secure sites and information).

But the key is to not ignore signs of trouble.

If you suspect you might have been hacked, these two scary signs should seal the deal. Change your passwords immediately, scan for malware, and contact Apple support for help if you suspect a security breach.

Your Phone’s Battery Drains Fast

Even if you’re used to having to charge your iPhone twice a day, when your phone is hacked it will likely experience battery drainage at a phenomenal rate. Your phone could heat up quickly (and actually feel hot to the touch often), and you’ll find your battery routinely drops below 30, 20, or 10 percent even if you haven’t been using your device. The culprit for this could be a hacker running malware on your device that collects your data or apps they downloaded that run in the background and are also serving to collect your data.

Don’t assume something you’re doing is causing rapid battery depletion. Unless you’ve recently downloaded resource-intensive apps and you’re using them constantly, take action if your battery can’t hold a charge for longer than a few hours — it’s a sure sign that something else is happening.

Weird Behaviors

Weird iPhone behavior is one of those things you’ll know only when you experience it. Something will be “off” when your phone has been hacked. You may notice apps you didn’t download yourself suddenly appearing on your phone. Other unauthorized changes will take place, like updates to your settings that reduce your privacy or new app permissions you didn’t allow. If you’re receiving odd pop-ups, which Apple is usually great about limiting, that’s another sign that someone could have control over your phone.

Try not to get overwhelmed if you suspect your phone has been hacked. Change all of your passwords, contact Apple support, and scan for Malware asap.