In this guide we will see the best apps to spy on Android smartphones, we will understand how to use them and also what are the limits and legal risks. In fact, they can prove to be valuable tools to track down a stolen phone, monitor underage children or play a joke on friends, but you must pay attention to privacy!
Who hasn’t thought of installing an app to spy on their partner’s smartphone? However, we must stop you now because acting without thinking when it comes to privacy could cost you very dearly. But let’s start from the beginning: in this article we will present 5 apps to spy on Android smartphones. Before listing the various apps and their features though we will give you some information about the legal risks and how to use these spying apps appropriately. There can be several situations in which using an app to spy on Android smartphones can be useful or even advisable. For example, it can be installed on your device to make sure that nobody uses it improperly or worse that someone steals it. Or they can be used by parents to monitor their children’s activities, in fact nowadays the cyberbullismo sui social it can cause damage to children and it is not always easy to identify and resolve these problematic situations in time because cyberbullies have the coverage and anonymity of the network, but even here there are limits. Spying on your partner or friends, on the other hand, could be very risky from a legal point of view.
App to spy on Android smartphones: what does the law say?
Let’s start with the basics. Article 15 of the Constitution establishes the right to secrecy of correspondence: “the freedom and secrecy of correspondence and any other form of communication are inviolable”. Their limitation can only take place by an act motivated by the judicial authority with the guarantees established by law. The smartphone or any other computer system is therefore protected by this right of secrecy, as were letters. The Android smartphone spying apps can be very invasive in fact it is possible to track calls, messages, activities on social networks, GPS and many other actions. It follows that those who take any type of information from a smartphone without permission. even just a text message or a notification on Facebook – risks committing an offense of abusive access to the computer system pursuant to art. 615 of the penal code and is punished with imprisonment up to 3 years or the crime of unlawful interference in the private life of others that can cost you up to 4 years in prison. There are also aggravating factors. In fact, the app to spy on the Android smartphone must be installed on the phone you want to track. If this is stolen by force or threat, there is even the risk of falling into the crime of robbery!
Famous is the case of a husband who installed spy software to prove his wife’s betrayal into her phone in order to obtain evidence to present to the judge. Well, his wife discovered and denounced it and found it right: the suspected betrayal in no way justifies the violation of privacy. So be very careful the risks are really high! There is a faint hope though. The Court of Rome in 2016 ruled that it is not a crime to spy on the conversations of the cohabiting partner when the mobile phone is left at hand, for example on a table or on the sofa in the apartment, since when you live together, privacy is reduced. Other cases where you can use apps to spy on Android smartphones? Obviously to track ourselves. Are you afraid that your mobile phone will be stolen or that someone will use it without your consent? You can do it safely.
And how does it work for minors? Can parents “spy on them”? In principle, it is not possible to control the smartphone, even of a minor child who is still protected in his privacy. In fact, art. 16 of Convention on the Rights of the Child states:
However, there is also the right of correction and control which allows parents to educate and protect their child. The idea therefore is that the parent can intervene and spy on the activities of the child only if there is a valid reason such as a suspicion of bullying. There is no well-defined border in the case of minors, which is why in these cases it may be advisable to also seek advice from more experienced people such as social workers. Some of the apps to spy on Android smartphones that we will see in a moment, however, also make available parental control tools to block sites considered dangerous. So ultimately? Absolutely avoid spying on a person (of age) without their permission.
EvaSpy | Best apps to spy on Android smartphones
EvaSpy is a very complete “spying” application that offers many features at a competitive price. We can consider it one of the best in circulation both in terms of performance and usability also because, unlike many others similar, EvaSpy does not require rooting. This Androis smartphone spy app is a perfect solution for remote monitoring of tons of activities ranging from social networks and instant messaging (Viber, WhatsApp, Facebook, Snapchat, Tinder, Instagram, etc.), applications used, Internet activities such as queries search and URLs visited, keystrokes, clipboard events, GEO location and many more.
Excellent for parental control as it not only allows us to see what our children are up to, but also to block potentially dangerous sites, impose limits on the use of applications, track GPS location and routes on the map, check call logs and text messages. The flexibility of EvaSpy also allows you to use your Android smartphone as a security camera thanks to access to the camera and microphones.
mSpy | Best apps to spy on Android smartphones
Another interesting app is mSpy. Let’s start by saying that in this case the applications in terms of security are many. In fact, by installing mSpy on your mobile phone, it will be possible to save all data and recover them in case of loss or theft of the device. It should also be noted that it can also be used to record spied phone calls. Obviously it does not end here: mSpy also acts as a parental control and can remotely block smartphone applications, unlike other competitors, and it is possible to install it on all devices and even from browsers. You can decide to try it for 10 days before purchasing a plan.
Flexispy | Best apps to spy on Android smartphones
Flexispy is one of the best spy software in the world for mobile telephony. It is a very powerful tool that offers over 150 different options to monitor the activity of the smartphone on which it is installed including GPS, audio and video calls, messages, social media activities and much more. No other application offers so many options. The message tracker in particular is a very powerful tool which works as a real standalone app. The cost is obviously not negligible, but there is a free trial period.
Hoverwatch | Best apps to spy on Android smartphones
Hoverwatch spyware is an app that has quickly gained popularity: once the application is installed on the smartphone you want to monitor, the Hoverwatch web interface allows you to obtain all the information in a simple and orderly way. The monitoring features are manifold. For example, we mention the possibility of the GPS position of the place or area where the smartphone is located and therefore very useful for controlling the movements of one’s children for example. The Howerwatch app is also an ideal solution for monitor communication activities, whether it is calls, SMS, private messages and online accounts on social networks or communication applications such as WhatsApp or Skype.
KidLogger | Best apps to spy on Android smartphones
Finally we mention KidLogger, an application that allows you to monitor SMS, calls, applications used, Web history and more. As the name suggests it is strongly indicated for parental control. In fact, in addition to the classic list of applications and websites used most frequently, you can also monitor the time of use of the device. It also provides the ability to record keystrokes and monitor screen activity by taking periodic screenshots. In common agreement it can also be used to monitor the productivity of your employees.
The basic version of the app is free and allows you to monitor up to 5 devices at a time and keep history for 9 days for up to 9MB of data storage. Other plans allow you to extend these limits. The interesting thing is that it is a project open source, in fact the source code is provided for those interested.
Conclusions: be careful!
All the apps that we have reported in this collection can be very useful for spying on an Android smartphone, but we remind you once again that this could constitute a serious crime! We do not take any responsibility for the misuse of these applications. Sometimes it is better to talk and discuss directly – even with children – before moving on to “hard ways”. That’s it from the mobile devices section, keep following us!