Rooting question

[Android Central Question]

I found someone I know downloading something weird it was a long number then it said how many mb then it said root to SD card, well my question is I've had problems long ago with this person somehow hacking into my phone.. my old phone company found that someone was an put hidden apps somehow on my phone an I want to make sure this is not what he was doing again an if he done these things through my SD card????? Because the thing is on the tablet there's no SD card nor on his phone??

 

[B. Diddy]

Welcome to Android Central! Did this person actually have your phone for some time without your supervision?

 

[M 5439]

He was my boyfriend so he had access to my phone 24/7

 

[M 5439]

An thank you so much

 

[B. Diddy]

How tech-savvy is your boyfriend? I wouldn't expect a non-hacker to be able to sneak spyware or other malware onto another person's phone without it being fairly obvious. If you're concerned, your best bet would be to back up your important data, then do a factory reset. When you set the phone up again, don't restore any backups -- just set it up as if it were a new phone. You can still sync it with your Google account, but don't automatically reinstall any apps -- do that manually.

Then make sure your boyfriend doesn't have access to your phone. If he insists, I'd suggest questioning if this is the right relationship to be in. It's also a crime to hack into someone else's phone.

 

[M 5439]

He said he knows nothing about the internet an apps. But idk because i have done the factory reset but for some reason it starts downloading weird things like English apps but it does that even if I don't reset it..

 

[M 5439]

I'm not sure how to find hidden apps.. the phone company found them b4

 

[B. Diddy]

What do you mean by "downloading weird things like English apps"? Show us a screenshot of what you're seeing: http://forums.androidcentral.com/ge...ide-how-post-screenshots-android-central.html

 

[M 5439]

The last time it happened was I think about a month ago. But I tried to stop it from downloading an it won't let me stop it.... And I've had three different phones in the last probably four months and every one of them started doing the same thing within 2 or three weeks after I got them.. he hasn't said much recently about what I talk about on my phone or where I go.. but when the SD card thing happened I told him I was gonna start talking to my friends again.. so idk..

 

[M 5439]

But now I know this site so when it happens again or if it does I will ask right away..

 

[B. Diddy]

I'm still not quite sure what you mean by "downloading English apps." Do you typically use a different language as a system language? Or are you talking about this? https://forums.androidcentral.com/ask-question/610914-how-do-i-stop-downloading-female-english.html

 

[Rukbat]

It definitely sounds as if he's installing some kind of spying app (or maybe more than one). I won't give you relationship advice (that's frowned on here), but I will say that you need some - and quickly. (If you ask your phone company, they'll probably tell you the same thing, because they aren't going to want to keep cleaning your phone out.) (And don't believe his "knows nothing about about internet and apps" thing. All he has to know is how to click one button on one site to install a spying app on your phone, as long as he has your phone. So you might want to think about keeping your phones away from each other the way you keep other personal things away from each other.)

As far as an SD card, all Android phones have a folder named sdcard. The physical SD card is called extSdCard. So even if your phone doesn't have a slot to put an SD card in, it has a folder named sdcard.

 

[M 5439]

I'm no longer with him.. I'm back to using my old phone an some reason the screen comes on by itself an goes to Google or my camera by itself.. I'm wondering if maybe b4 I left if there's something on it again?? How do I find it if he did an get rid of it? I only talked to the phone company once about it.. an I started locking my phone when I was still with him.. an an can he put something on my number from a distance??

 

[M 5439]

An thank you to everyone for your help

 

[M 5439]

An it does have a slot for SD card.. but I'm worried about putting it back in that mabe he is getting into my phone that way

 

[M 5439]

An nah I just use English that's it

 

[Rukbat]

First, format the SD card. (Make sure you've backed up anything that's on it that you want to keep - pictures, songs, etc.) That wipes everything off it.

Second, you could have someone flash new firmware (again, after backing up everything on the tablet that you want.) That way, anything he might have put on it will be gone.

 

[M 5439]

Are you talking about an app with a bliue lightning bolt that says app flash?