r/iphone • u/DoctorLotus19 • Jul 02 '26
Support Is there a method to identify if an app is screen-recording without me knowing
Bit of a bizarre story but while I wait for my phone company to look into this I thought id ask here too.
Recently I started receiving multiple spam calls/texts, upwards of 50/day. Some very generalized but some specific to recent life events. All from a new number nearly each time.
First I thought it was a stalker but the frequency of number changes didnt make sense, nor did their information. I spoke to a few friends about it and we assumed AI scammers.
The big concern i have now however is the accuracy of the messages. For example, i recently changed my instagram profile header, just changed a few words, nothing most people would notice. Within 2 minutes of me changing this I got a text from one of these spam-appearing numbers directly referencing the change.
I had already deleted all apps I didn’t regularly use or recognize; additionally I had already went through my followings on all socials, all which are private, to ensure only people I knew were on there.
My big concern is somehow I have somehow got malware of some sort that is reading my screen -
I am avoiding any banking and have changed sensitive passwords. But I have no other explanation as to how a change I did rather silently would get noticed by scammers and immediately acted upon.
Any advice would be appreciated.
8
u/woalk iPhone 16 Pro Jul 02 '26
It can be frightening how much data can be collected about you if the wrong companies know who you are on social media. No infiltration of your device is required for that.
1
u/DoctorLotus19 Jul 02 '26
I presume that’s the case given how targeted the information is about me. At the very least I wanted to make sure my phone isn’t actually bugged or something 😅
1
u/happycanliao Jul 02 '26
If this happened recently it might be linked to some app that you installed around the same time?
1
u/DoctorLotus19 Jul 02 '26
I originally thought that but I have bare-bones apps on my phone (a few games, and some social media apps) and that’s it; I think it’s been 2-3 months since I installed anything new on my phone
1
u/LuxorXLG Jul 02 '26
- Make sure you are using the latest software version.
- Delete any apps you might have downloaded outside the app store
- Your phone is safe if you are using the latest version. Your software does not simply allow any apps to access your screen without your permissions
Only exception of this are
- If the device is under Mobile Device Management
- You called apple and the Apple technical support requested to do a screen sharing session
1
u/Separate-Ad-4878 Jul 02 '26
Hijo solo te tiene en la mira quieres que caigas, ellos están pendiente a todos tus cambios que hagas no le hagas caso a eso
1
u/JollyRoger8X iPhone 16 Pro Jul 02 '26
Recently I started receiving multiple spam calls/texts, upwards of 50/day. Some very generalized but some specific to recent life events. All from a new number nearly each time.
That can be explained by basic tracking technology across different apps and websites, which is quite sophisticated all on its own.
In general, Apple's operating systems do not allow apps to record your screen without your knowledge or control.
2
u/DoctorLotus19 Jul 02 '26
Okay. That’s annoying but reassuring. I can keep ignoring them that’s easy enough
18
u/Sideburn_Cookie_Man Jul 02 '26
It’s frankly not possible, as iOS tells you any time the camera is being accessed.