Got a smart phone from my gf - is she spying on me?

[Nayet]

I saw another TV member starting a thread about this same topic a while back, but I cannot find it and am therefore starting a new one. My lady gave me a Samsung Galaxy for New Years. How do I find out whether she has some tracking app installed, and if so, how do I get rid of it?

[Gsxrnz]

You could just go searching the directories on the phone for any dodgy looking files/folders.

Or you could go to Tuk Com and ask them to strip the phone of all data/apps etc to reset it to a virgin phone and reinstall the core software.

Or you could buy some anti-spyware software to search your phone and remove any offending files.

Personally I prefer the "practical test" method. This involves taking your phone on a lengthy tour of Walking Street gogo bars, visit at least three short time rooms taking copious photos, collect a few phone numbers and immediately send some dodgy texts.

Go home and tell the GF you were at bible class for the evening and it ran on for a bit longer than expected.

If you wake up the next morning minus an appendage and/or have a knife in your neck, it's probably reasonable to assume she had tracking software on your phone.

Edited January 1, 2015 by Gsxrnz

[EyesWideOpen]

Wipe the phone, and reload the operating system. Or just be faithful... :-)

After you have wiped it, if the following week she asks you if your phone

is ok, then you will know she put in tracking software.

Edited January 1, 2015 by EyesWideOpen

[colinneil]

Why are you thinking bad about your girlfriend? Maybe she bought you a smartphone because she loves you.

[robblok]

Lucky guy unlike 90% of the guys here you got something from her instead of having to give her gold and other stuff and not getting anything yourself.

As others stated factory wipe of phone and reinstall will do it.

[BKKdreaming]

get a new GF maybe ? or get rid of the 2nd GF ?

Put your phone in the mail to Phuket..... and then have it mailed back

put your own tracking app on it and hand it back to her ?

but really you can take it to a phone shop , they can root it and get rid of everything including the Samsung bloatware ,

if the app builder was good a simple reset would not take off the app.

let us know what you find !

[burgerking]

I think you are seriously paranoid.

[salavan]

leave it at home when you go out, problem solved

[Tonto21]

OP do you have something to hide? I'm not one for saying if you have nothing to hide you have nothing to fear, but why the paranoia?

I'm not trying to pick a fight with you, just asking the question, why are you so fearful of a gift.

OK what would I do.........If I was guilty of concealing my activities from my other half, I would get the phone 'stripped' buy a trench coat, wear a dark pair of glasses and duck in and out of doorway.....and revel in the fact that my GF thinks I am a player!!

If I was innocent of any wrong doing..........I would not give a rats ass and carry on doing what I'm doing, put up with the GF for as long as it suits me.....Until any spying get too much then move on.

Bottom line......The issue here for me is not whether the phone is tapped.......it's the relationship you two have with each other.

[salavan]

get a new GF maybe ? or get rid of the 2nd GF ?

Put your phone in the mail to Phuket..... and then have it mailed back

put your own tracking app on it and hand it back to her ?

but really you can take it to a phone shop , they can root it and get rid of everything including the Samsung bloatware ,

if the app builder was good a simple reset would not take off the app.

let us know what you find !

good idea post it to phuket when she see's you are in phuket you can go home and catch her in bed with another man

[Thaiberius]

Buy one for £10 at your nearest second hand market and leave hers at home. Would you also like me to explain how to tie your shoelaces and put your socks on?

[Bernard Flint]

Lets face it guys, if you were a thai girl would u trust a slimy farang hahahahahahah, i wouldnt.

[kkerry]

Buy a 500 baht Nokia dumb phone to use when you go out. If she asks why, tell her you don't want to risk her precious gift to you being lost or stolen...

As others have suggested, a simple factory reset should be all you need to do.

[ubonjoe]

Moved to the mobile forum.

[HCB]

OP do you have something to hide? I'm not one for saying if you have nothing to hide you have nothing to fear, but why the paranoia?

I'm not trying to pick a fight with you, just asking the question, why are you so fearful of a gift.

OK what would I do.........If I was guilty of concealing my activities from my other half, I would get the phone 'stripped' buy a trench coat, wear a dark pair of glasses and duck in and out of doorway.....and revel in the fact that my GF thinks I am a player!!

If I was innocent of any wrong doing..........I would not give a rats ass and carry on doing what I'm doing, put up with the GF for as long as it suits me.....Until any spying get too much then move on.

Bottom line......The issue here for me is not whether the phone is tapped.......it's the relationship you two have with each other.

55555++ 100 % i agree with you

[AlexRRR]

You better check that phone again....never ever heard a TGF forking out that much on a gift for her man....must be a copy therefore i assum your safe.

[Nayet]

Thanks for the advice, folks. I am not paranoid. In fact, I think she is probably not trying to spy on me, but I can't be certain without verifying. We have been together for 2-1/2 years, and I know her fairly well, but a lot of people have lived with and completely trusted their partner for far longer than that and then found out they have been betrayed. That is not news to anyone here. Not that I think tracking me is really a betrayal.

[LuckyLew]

Ask her if she bought the phone at Indra Square in Bangkok

If she did it cost her only a couple grand, do not worry if she put tracking on the phone ... the phone will die in two weeks

Sounds more like you have issue with your relationship, maybe you should put a tracking app on her mobile

Then you can see if she is following you around and play cat and mouse

[kiniyow]

Nothing quite as Fantastic as trusting issues

[build6]

One of you doesn't deserve the other, not sure which.

[kingstonkid]

Can I ask a really stupid Question?

What are you guys so worried that you are being tracked are youdoing "naughty" things or just paranoid

[DGS1244]

If she had the phone before you then she could have got the IMEIN (International mobile equipment identification number) number from it, every phone has one, and then it does not matter what Sim card you have she can track you if she knows where to go. Some companies, AT &T for example will change the number for a charge. I know of one instance last week where a lady in Thailand broke up with her Australian boyfriend after he had given her a smart phone. Since then he has been tracking her and accessing her SMS messages etc. etc. so yes beware.

[humqdpf]

Wipe the phone, and reload the operating system. Or just be faithful... :-)

After you have wiped it, if the following week she asks you if your phone

is ok, then you will know she put in tracking software.

You an wipe all you like, deleting files, etc. But this does not deal with the oldest trick in the book. You need to check the phone simcard account. If your girl set up the account, it is very easy to have all sms and call info sent to her own phone. I don't know whether she would be able to track your phone using this method but it would not surprise me.

[rotary]

Use your cheap B500 phone with a prepaid sim card for "Monkey Business"

[Fullstop]

is she spying on me?

http://www.android-keylogger.net/category/android-keylogger/

Yes. She is. Go to settings / Backup and Reset ...and punch "factory data reset"

Start from scratch as if it was a new phone.

[NoBrainer]

Tell her than you very much for the lovely gift. Then take it to TukCom or MBK and trade it for a new iPhone 6 (2 sizes to choose from). Won't cost that much to upgrade

and you will definitely like the phone much better, as the user experience is night & day.

Then you will not have to worry about the tracking issue.

P.S. Do not give her the password to your iTunes account under any circumstances.

If she asks about the phone, just tell her it was nice, but you much prefer the iPhone, so you changed it.

End of Story

[jacksam]

Full stop is correct. All she would have done is install a tracking app. Post in IT forum. I would not bother. Check if app us installed. Do not factory reset. You can have another cheap smart cell. I cheat and its a way of life.

[Fullstop]

Do not factory reset.

Why not? It's the simplest solution. Done in seconds. The phone would be same as it was when it came out of the box.

[mike324]

if its a new phone, simply reset it to factory settings if you are afraid

[mihalis]

If you aint doing anything wrong, then who cares.......... Really, u must be worried.....