Is your smartphone bugging you? A simple test will reveal the truth!

In recent years, there has been widespread concern among smartphone users that their devices are secretly eavesdropping on private conversations and then serving targeted ads based on that information. We covered the topic earlier on our website as well, read the article Do mobile applications really listen to us? And what do they do with the obtained data? Despite repeated assurances from tech companies that they don’t use such practices, multiple users are reporting experiences that suggest otherwise.

Testing the eavesdropping hypothesis

Experts from NordVPN have designed a simple test to verify if your smartphone is actually listening to your conversations. They recommend choosing a topic that you have never researched and that is outside of your normal interests, such as a trip to a country that you would never visit, that you have never been interested in. Then you should talk about this topic several times in the presence of the phone without looking it up online. If you start seeing ads related to this topic in the following days, it may indicate that your phone is eavesdropping on your conversations.

Who is to blame?

Modern smartphones have technologies that allow constant access to the microphone. Especially in the case of voice assistants such as Siri, Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa. These apps are designed to listen for specific commands, but there are concerns that they can also record other conversations without the user’s knowledge. Recent revelations suggest that some marketing agencies are using software capable of capturing and analyzing conversations through microphones in mobile devices in real time, which is then used to target ads. Apple also has a problem with illegal eavesdropping and recording, and it has to pay heavy fines to iPhone owners.

How to protect yourself from potential eavesdropping

There are several steps you can take to minimize the risk of unwanted eavesdropping:

• Check app permissions: Periodically check which apps have access to your device’s microphone, camera, and location. If the application does not need these accesses for its functionality, consider removing them.
• Turn off voice assistants: If you don’t use voice assistants, consider disabling them to reduce the risk of unwanted listening.
• Using security apps: There are applications that monitor and alert you to unusual activities related to your device’s microphone or camera.
• System and application updates: Regular updates ensure security bug fixes and reduce the risk of device misuse.

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While there is no clear evidence that smartphones are systematically eavesdropping on users’ private conversations for the purpose of targeting ads, caution is warranted. Many of us have our own experience, which rather indicates eavesdropping. Carefully managing app permissions and using your device wisely can help protect your privacy in the digital world.

You can also discuss this article on our website AndroidForum. If you’re looking for an answer to a problem with your mobile device, app or accessory, ask in our new AndroidFore.