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Sign you have ‘virus-infected iPhone’ hidden in your battery settings – list of three surprising clues you’re a victim
There are some clues that your Apple ID has been compromised too
YOUR iPhone might be hacked – and security experts have shared the key signs to look out for.
Thankfully your iPhone probably isn’t compromised. In fact it’s surprisingly difficult to end up with a hacked handset.
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But there are some important signs that your is infected that you should definitely try to learn.
That way if you see them, you can investigate and try to sort it out before anything bad happens.
experts at Keeper Security say there are three simple signs to spot.
"Although Apple devices are less likely than other devices to get infected with viruses, due to the strong security features of the iPhone Operating System (iOS), it is still possible for your iPhone to get a virus," Keeper Security's Ashley D'Andrea explained.
"iPhones are much more likely to get viruses if they are jailbroken, which is when someone removes the iOS restrictions on their Apple device so they can download apps and software from third-party sources.
"If you jailbreak your iPhone, you run the risk of unauthorized apps and software containing viruses that could infect your device."
THE WARNING SIGNS OF INFECTED IPHONE
One big giveaway is if you’re spotting unfamiliar apps on your device.
If you see an app that you definitely know that you didn’t install, it could mean your device has been compromised.
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This might not even be by a distant hacker – someone close to you might have installed spying software on your phone.
If you go into your settings and look for the app, you can check to see what permissions it has access to.
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Is it tracking your location or using your camera or even accessing your microphone? You can literally find out in seconds.
And then if you’re worried, just delete it.
Another warning sign is that your data usage has suddenly shot through the roof.
If you’re using your iPhone totally normally but it’s suddenly consuming a lot more data, that can be a sign that something is amiss.
APPLE ID COMPROMISED? THE OFFICIAL SIGNS
Here's Apple's official list of clues that your Apple ID has been compromised...
- Apple notified you (notification or email) about accounty activity that you don't recognize (for example, if your Apple ID was used to sign in to a device that you don't recognize or your password was changed but you didn't change it).
- You notice unusual activity like messages that you didn't send, deleted items that you didn’t delete, or purchase activity that you don't recognize.
- Your password no longer works, you don't recognize some or all of your account details, or your device was locked or placed in Lost Mode by someone other than you.
It might mean that a rogue app is consuming lots of data in the background.
You can see app data usage in settings to check where your precious megabytes and gigabytes are going.
If an app is behaving suspiciously like this – especially if you can’t explain the data use – it’s best to delete it.
And thirdly, watch out for when apps are draining your battery excessively.
You can see how your battery life has been affected by malware.
Ashley D'Andrea
This is similar to the data problem – some apps might be using a lot of battery in the background.
This isn’t always a sign of malware, but it could be a clue that an app is doing something that it shouldn’t be.
You can just go straight into your iPhone’s battery settings to see exactly which apps are using what amounts of battery.
And if a suspicious app seems to be using loads of battery and you can’t work out why, it’s probably best to delete it.
CHECK YOUR IPHONE'S BATTERY USAGE
Here's what you need to do...
You can see a quick overview of your battery level and activity by going to Settings > Battery.
Tap a time period to see your Activity graph for the last 24 hours, or a set number of days.
You can also see a list of apps that contributed to your battery usage.
And it'll display the amount of battery that was used by each individual app.
You can see how long each app was in use on the screen, as well as in the background.
Apple explains that you might see the following usage types:
- Background Activity means that most of the app's battery usage — such as playing music or tracking location — happened while the app was in the background.
- No Cell Coverage and Low Signal means that your device was searching for a signal or being used with a low signal.
- Connected to Charger means the app was used only when your device was charging.
If you're worried about battery life and can't get to a charger right away, consider turning Low Power Mode on to preserve it.
You can find this feature in your battery settings.
"Just as you can notice increased data usage as a sign of a virus-infected iPhone, you can see how your battery life has been affected by malware," Ashley explained.
"Visit Settings, then click on Battery. From there, you can choose whether to view battery activity over the past 24 hours or from the previous three days.
"That screen will show you which apps have taken up the highest percentage of your battery, as well as whether your screen was on or off."
And aside from these signs, remember to look out for the obvious clues that your device – or some of your accounts – have been compromised.
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Look out for changes to settings that you don’t recognize – that’s a big sign that something bad is going on.
If you’re worried that your iPhone has been compromised, delete any suspicious apps as soon as possible.
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