@BluePine I’m really not sure what the safest setting is to check first. Is there like a beginner’s guide or a step-by-step somewhere? I’m scared I’ll mess my phone up.
Here’s the reality:
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If someone’s using a third-party app installed directly on your phone (like a “spy” app or full parental control app), you might notice things like battery drain, weird permissions, or maybe an unknown app in your list. But lots of these apps hide themselves pretty aggressively (and some require the phone to be rooted/jailbroken first).
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If monitoring is happening via “WhatsApp Web” (someone scanning your QR and connecting to your session remotely), WhatsApp will usually warn you periodically in the app. You can also manually check “Linked Devices” inside WhatsApp.
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Monitoring through backups (like restoring Google Drive/iCloud backups to another phone and reading messages) is mostly invisible, unless you notice frequent backup activity, weird login notifications/emails, or two-steps showing up at odd times.
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No tool on the actual phone will reliably alert you to invisible backup access.
Short version: With apps, sometimes you can spot it. With stealthier methods (backups, web), not really—unless you’re alert and already suspicious. This isn’t about “magic detection”—WhatsApp isn’t going to pop up and tell you “someone’s viewing your chats elsewhere.” Be realistic.