Remote Cell Phone Spying for Android and iOS

There is no time when children are not found using the Internet. Nor is there any place better for cheating on partners or sharing essential information about companies than the Internet with the multiple instant messengers. No wonder that remote phone spying on mobile and desktop devices often becomes the only way to protect individuals and businesses.

The modern remote spyware market offers you a wide selection of mobile and desktop tools. However, Internet users wondering how to spy on a cell phone remotely tend to prioritize remote spying tools for mobile over those for desktop devices. 

That is why we have listed the most popular tools to remotely spy on a cell phone. Let us have a closer look at their purpose and functionality as well as the market leaders among the remote spyware.

What Is Remote Cell Phone Monitoring?

Remote monitoring is tracking remote cell phone activities on a virtual Control Panel displaying the updates from spyware installed on the target phone. These remote spying apps are installed on the target device once and require the Internet connection to submit the data collected from the apps to the server, where it is stored for a few months to be viewed by the customers at their convenience.

Remote cell phone spy applications offer different functionality and are aimed at different results. The corporate spy apps are meant to monitor the way employees spend their working hours and prevent any corporate data leaking. Most of them are designed for PCs rather than phones, while others offer a convenient mobile version.

Remote phone spying also works well for your own phone if you are in the habit of leaving it in odd places and wasting time looking for it. Besides, the remote spy software works well for concerned parents and betrayed partners as most of it runs in the background leaving no traces and sending regular reports of the target’s whereabouts and their interactions with other people.

Reasons for Resorting to Remote Cell Phone Monitoring

Hundreds of online applications related to chatting with friends on social media and tools used for communicating with each other such as text message apps are being developed and used worldwide every day. Some of them, like Snapchat, allow other users to see your location and automatically destroy all the information exchanged within a specific time interval. 

These spy apps are a handy tool for cheating on your partners, as well as molesting children and cyberbullying. They can also serve the needs of industrial espionage.

Hence, there are three most common reasons to use remote spyware software.

Kids’ Security

Children require additional protection from their parents and need to be monitored by their parents or guardians, especially young children. In some problematic cases, however, they may need adults’ attention until they are of age. Using remote spy software is the best possible solution. 

Business Data Protection

As an employer, you can monitor your employees throughout the day using the spying tool and be free from any worries related to commitment. You will also know that there will be no leaking of essential business data.

Checking on a Partner

Using remote phone monitoring apps, you can also find out whether your spouse is cheating on you or not. 

Whenever unfaithful partners are concerned, spy apps work better than any other method of getting proof. Within minutes, they will give you access to the information that would require a private investigator or hacker’s intrusion to get. 

How Does Remote Spying Work?

In most cases, you need to sign up and purchase your subscription first before you can use remote cell phone spyware. However, free trial versions are frequently offered for up to one month. 

Jailbreaking the iPhones/iPads or rooting the Android phones is rarely required for the app to work; however, it may be necessary for some functionality to work at full capacity.

Most of the applications we will be looking at have default stealth mode and, after the installation, cannot be detected by the person who is being monitored. Installation is a must for Android cell phones or tablets, but some apps can be installed on iPhones without touching the device. It is best if you check this fact with the app technical support team before making your purchase.

Although the professional spyware applications vary in the functionality they offer and have different interface designs, they still have very much in common. Hence, we will look at the first one in our rating below in more details to set an example.

Top 10 Best Remote Cell Phone Monitoring Apps

Based on remote cell phone spy apps reviews, here are the top ten applications for your consideration.

mSpy

Using this remote phone monitoring application, you can access all the target phone data remotely from any personal device with an Internet connection. It offers 24/7 customer support in multiple languages. After you log into your account in the remote monitoring cell phone app, you can access your online dashboard to remotely monitor cell phone activity. 

On the dashboard, you can find details about all the details of the cell phone activities you are tracking. You can also choose how you want to sync the phone data with the spying app using only Wi-Fi or all the types of connections, and how often you will be receiving updates on certain types of information.

Functionality of mSpy

With mSpy, you can monitor a wide range of things. Here is a detailed list:

• Call Logs. With the Call Logs option, you can trace the details of all the incoming and outgoing phone calls. On the front home page of this remote cell phone spyware app, you can find the list of top 10 phone numbers your target has the longest and most frequent conversations with. By tracking these details, you can come to know whether your children or employees are talking too often over the phone or just the right amount of time. You can also spot the unknown contacts your partner has been interacting with most actively. 
• Contact List. The Contact List section shows you the list of all the contacts your target had added in their phones. With the Premium package, you will also get the ability to block incoming calls from certain contacts.
• Text Messages. This option gives you information about all the text messages that were received by your target. What is more, the deleted ones will be highlighted in the red color.
• Calendar. Get to view your target’s planned activities to anticipate their further movements and always be one step ahead.
• Locations. Be aware of your target’s current whereabouts and the routes they have taken. The mSpy dashboard displays the most visited locations using the map or satellite views. 
• Geofencing. With the geofencing functionality, you can create special zones by circling them on the map and set up notifications. You can decide whether you would like to get notifications when your kid, employee, or partner leaves a specific zone or enters it, or both. 
• Social Media and Messengers. You can view the details of all the conversations your children or partners held with their friends in the past and check whether they might be interacting with online predators or spammers. You will also be able to keep tabs on who your partner is texting or check if a credulous employee is sharing any important information about your business.
• Multimedia. You will be able to download and watch all the videos from the remote cell.
• Keylogger. This remote cell spy functionality records all the keystrokes on the target device and can even catch some of your target’s passwords and logins when they type them manually.
• Keyword Alert. Create a list of words and be altered by the system every time your target types them on their device.
• Networks. With this remote cell phone tracking app, you can access the list of Wi-Fi connected networks around the cell phone location. 
• Browser History. With the Browsing History tool, you can access the list of sites your target viewed, search history, and bookmarks. You can also restrict access to all the websites you disapprove of.
• Applications. You will see the installed applications and be able to block them completely.
• Screenshots. This feature allows you to see what exactly is happening on the target screen with a certain regularity.
• Emails. Using the mSpy application to remotely monitor cell phones, you can access all your target’s emails in the Inbox and Sent folders. 

mSpy Remote Installation Process

If you are wondering how to install spy software on a cell phone remotely, you can find the answer with the professional spy apps, like mSpy. Technically, the installation steps differ in details, but they are all pretty similar, so you can use one to showcase all. 

On the one hand, it is possible to remotely install this spy software on the target Android with Customer Support. However, the remote installation of the cell phone spy app, in this case, means that they are doing it for you in the live chat while you are holding the target device in your hands.

On the other hand, if your target person uses an iPhone, the remote installation of this cell phone spy software is also possible. Technically, it is not installed, but syncing your mSpy account with the target’s iCloud and you will need their Apple ID and password.

You can follow the simple installation steps provided by Customer Support or found in the Help Center after you sign up for a package and create a customer account.

mSpy Pricing

The price of the Basic monthly package is $29.99, but the best value for money you can get with mSpy is $199 annually for the Premium package. 

Here is the detailed pricing:

Android Basic

• $29.99 for one month.
• $59.99 for three months.
• $99.99 for twelve months.

Android Premium

• $69.99 for one month.
• $119.99 for three months.
• $199.99 for twelve months.

iOS Premium

• $69.99 for one month.
• $119.99 for three months.
• $199.99 for twelve months.

iKeyMonitor

This remote spying software was initially rolled out as a keylogging tool to record the desktop computer and laptop keystrokes. However, it eventually grew into integral well-rounded spyware that is equally efficient for both computers and mobile devices. 

iKeyMonitor mobile application has an intuitive dashboard that you can access from any device you want. After you sign in to your account, you can get details of all the statistics related to phone use, such as the phone user’s name, IP address, last time he had logged in, and others.

On the dashboard page of this monitor home from the cell phone app, you can find details of the chat logs for all the messages exchanged on different social media channels, and under the website logs option, you can track all the websites your children had been browsing.

Functionality

According to the remote cell spy reviews, parents appreciate it for tracking their children’s real-time locations as well as WhatsApp, Facebook, and Snapchat.

Like mSpy, the iKeyMonitor remote phone spy app is functionality for the comprehensive monitoring of cell phones remotely. It can capture the location, calls and text messages, calendar, multimedia files, etc. However, the list of messengers it covers is somewhat different and includes the following:

• KakaoTalk
• BBM
• Zalo
• Hike
• IMO 

Although it does allow you to block apps and inappropriate websites, you cannot restrict incoming calls. Nor will you be alerted about uninstallation.

The iKeyMonitor remote cell phone spy app is compatible with iOS, Windows, macOS, and Android phone devices. That makes it unlike mSpy and most of its other competitors targeting mostly remote cell phone monitoring.

Price

You can download the iKeyMonitor remote cell phone spy software for free once you sign for the application. No credit card is required if you would like to subscribe to the plan. You also get the free trial option and 30 days money-back guarantee. Other than this, you also receive a 50% discount offer if you opt for the yearly subscription.

There are two subscription packages you can enroll for, iKeyMonitor Free and iKeyMonitor Full. In the iKeyMonitor Free version, you can buy add-on features for a period of 3 days at $9.99. 

Here are all the price options they offer:

• Free, $0 for a month.
• Addon features for the Free version at $9.99 for three days.
• Full, $59.99 for a month.

FlexiSPY

This app stands among the most powerful remote cell phone trackers used for tracking any kind of devices, such as a computer, tablets, mobile phones, and others. This app is one of the most popular ones among the remote spyware for cell phones. You can use it for monitoring children, unfaithful spouses, or employees. This application has all the features you need to monitor anyone.

In your account, you can access your personal dashboard to find the details of the total number of new SMS received, the number of emails received, the total number of recordings, notifications received on Facebook. You also get statistics of the total number of locations that your target has visited within a specific period.

Functionality

FlexiSPY has all the features you need for spying, including advanced functionality, such as keylogger, social media tracking, geofencing, browsing activity, keyword alert, and restrictions.

Additionally, you can use the FlexiSPY Extreme package to enjoy such advanced options as:

• Phone Call Recording. As the name suggests, it gives you access to the telephone conversation that you can listen to any time. 
• Spycall. This functionality gives you access to your target’s surroundings: you need to call your target for the surroundings recording to be launched.
• Ambient Recording. Like the previous option, it makes recordings of your target person’s environment. However, in this case, they trigger automatically within the set time intervals, and you do not need to call your kid, employee, or partner.
• Messenger Call Recording. It works for Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Viber, Skype, LINE, Hangouts, and saves the audio recordings of all the messenger apps calls.
• Remote Camera. This functionality gives you access to the target camera so that you can inconspicuously take photos.
• Remote Video. This feature is similar to the previous one and allows you to secretly intercept the control over the target device camera and record videos of the surroundings.
• Spoof SMS. You can send invisible SMS from the target phone to anyone on the contact list. 
• Call Notification Alert. This option is a handy addition to Call Interception. Once you have the latter configured, you can set up immediate SMS notification every time a call is made or received.
• SMS Keyword Deletion. It automatically wipes away the SMS containing the keywords of your own choice.

Using the app, you can monitor all the details of any device. This is one of the best remote cell phone spy apps which is well-known for its call interception feature. Needless to say, you might not need all these extra functions at once, and the previous apps offer a couple of these functions that could be handy in any situation at a lower price. However, there are extreme situations when you might want to use these extreme features.

Price 

If you own an Android phone and iPhone, the FlexiSPY app is available in the LITE subscription at $29.95 per month and an Extreme subscription plan at $349 per annum. For more details, check the extensive price list below:

• Lite:
  • $29.95 for one month.
• Premium:
  • $68 for one month.
  • $99 for three months.
  • $149 for twelve months.
• Extreme:
  • $199 for three months.
  • $349 for twelve months.

TeenSafe

TeenSafe used to be one of the best parental control apps you can find only in the App Store and Google Play Store that help in tracking just any Android and iOS device. Its official site has been inactive since 2019. Remote spying on a cell phone is easy and quick with this app, and you can block your kid’s Android entirely.

However, unlike the previous apps, it does not have a default background mode and makes kids aware of the omnipresent parental control. Hence, despite the title of the app, it will work for the primary school students much better than for the cautious teens who appreciate their personal space and independence.

Functionality

It cannot boast of the extended functionality of the previous apps either but has all the basic ones that you might need to keep a watchful eye on your kids when you send them to school.

This cell phone app allows parents to read all the text messages and check the real-time location of their kids from their phones. Here is a more detailed list of functions you get with TeenSafe:

• SMS 
• iMessages
• Calls
• Contacts List
• Locations
• Browser History
• Bookmarks
• WhatsApp
• Kik Messenger

However, this app disadvantage is that it does not track Instagram or Snapchat, which are popular with kids.

Price

With TeenSafe, you have the option to cancel your subscription anytime. The monthly fee is $14.95. You can also remotely spy on a cell phone for free with this remote cell phone monitor within the 7-day trial period.

Here is the full price list:

• Android:
  • $0 for seven days.
  • $14.95 for one month.
• iOS:
  • $9.95 for one month.

TheOneSpy

TheOneSpy is one of the leading cell phone monitoring applications that offer a reliable and trustworthy spying solution for tracking someone stealthily. It is compatible with the Android version of 4.1 and beyond, and it is suitable for Samsung, Sony, LG, Xiaomi, HTC, Lenovo, and Motorola phone devices.

With a mobile device or laptop/PC, you get into your account from any place. You can access your online dashboard remotely to check the details of how your target spends their time online, what they search for online, and what routes they take once the applications are installed on their phone, etc.  

Functionality

With this spy app, you can use the following tools:

• 360⁰ View
• Phone Calls
• Live Screen Recording
• Password Chaser
• Instant Messenger Logs
• Keylogger
• Snapchat Events
• Locations
• Geofencing
• Network Connections

The unique 360⁰ View function allows you to view the device surroundings through the front and back cameras.

As you can see, the feature list is not so long as with the previous apps. Nevertheless, TheOneSpy has an excellent track record. There are over 500 thousand app users who have used it to monitor their kids. It is user-friendly, and it displays all the details of the phone usage by your children accessible from the online dashboard portal.

Price

This spying software for cell phones offers you two types of a subscription package: XLite and Premium. The latter is the comprehensive subscription plan currently offered with 50% if you pay for the year in one installment. 

XLite comes at the monthly fee of $6.25, and the Premium Edition costs $12.5/month.

• XLite:
  • $25 for one month.
  • $45 for three months.
  • $75 for twelve months
• Premium:
  • $50 for one month.
  • $95 for three months.
  • $150 for twelve months.

Hoverwatch

Hoverwatch is yet another market leader according to remote cell spy reviews. Using the application, you can remotely track any Android device from any location. It is also compatible with macOS and Windows. However, you cannot use it to track iPhones and iPads.

This app is available at an affordable rate and includes all the basic functionalities you may need. Like the first three apps in our list, it runs in the hidden mode and does not let the phone user detect whether he is being tracked or not. 

Functionality

This is an excellent app for remote phone spying capable of performing the following tricks for you. You can use it for monitoring all the popular social media applications and instant messaging apps, such as WhatsApp, Viber, Telegram, Facebook, and Snapchat. Besides, you get all the functions below:

• Call Logs 
• Saved Contacts
• Call Recordings
• Notes and To-Do Lists
• Locations Monitoring
• Remote Camera
• Live Screenshots
• Multimedia Files
• SIM Card Change Detection

Using the interactive dashboard of this application, you can manage more than one phone device from the single portal. 

Price

Hoverwatch offers three subscription types for remote cell phone monitoring, varying in the number of devices you can monitor at a time. 

The basic type is the Personal package that includes only one device, and you can get it for €24.95 per month. 

The Professional pack allows you to track up to 5 devices, each for €9.99 per month. And you can get the best value for money with the Business package that covers 25 phones, tablets, or computers for €6.00 each. 

Massive discounts are offered for the annual subscriptions. Alternatively, you can choose to be charged every three months.

Here is the detailed pricing policy:

• Personal (1 device):
  • €24.95 for one month.
  • €59.95 for three months.
  • €99.95 for twelve months.
• Professional (Up to 5 devices for $9.99 per device):
  • €49.95 for one month.
  • €99.95 for three months.
  • €199.95 for twelve months.
• Business (Up to 25 devices for $5.99 per device):
  • €149.95 for one month.
  • €299.95 for three months.
  • €499.95 for twelve months.

Spyzie

Spyzie has been specifically designed to prevent all the online threats and cybercrimes present in the internet world. It works great to avoid the chances of being affected by any cyber safety breach.

This remote spyware for cell phones works well on iOS and Android devices, including Samsung, HTC, Motorola, LG, and Sony. It is an easy-to-install remote cell phone spy app that does not require jailbreaking iOS devices.

Spyzie offers you the advantage of the free trial version that you can take advantage of to test the app before purchasing.

Functionality

Like all the previous remote spyware apps, Spyzie gives you access to the following options:

• Phone details 
• Statistical reports
• Call logs
• Contact lists
• Text messages
• Social media apps
• Locations
• Geofencing
• Browsing History
• Multimedia files
• Installed applications
• Keylogger
• Screenshots
• Wi-Fi networks
• Calendar and timestamps

Although Spyzie does not require rooting the Android or jailbreaking the iOS devices to run smoothly, your target device may have to undergo these procedures for you to enjoy full access to the social networks.

Unfortunately, the official site of the app doesn’t work at the moment.

Price

For the Android phone, you can subscribe to the Spyzie Basic version at $29.99 per month, Pro version at $39.99 per month, and Ultimate version at $49.99 per month. If you own an iPhone, you can opt for the Pro version or Ultimate version available at the same prices.

Here is what you get with Spyzie:

• Android:
  • Basic: $29.99 for a month.
  • Pro: $39.99 for a month.
  • Ultimate: $49.99 for a month.
• iOS:
  • Pro: $39.99 for a month.
  • Ultimate: $49.99 for a month.

TheTruthSpy

TheTruthSpy is a perfect mobile application used to remotely spy on cell phones. Using the app, you can track the activity of anyone, no matter if they are using an Android phone or an iPhone/iPad. It does not show up on your target phone screen when you install it and, hence, your target person does not come to know whether they are being monitored.

The cell phone spy software remote installation implies your physical access to the target device as with the previous apps.

Functionality

This remote spy for cell phones gives you access to the following details on the target cell phone:

• GPS location
• Text messages
• iMessages
• Calls
• WhatsApp tracking
• Social networks 
• Instant messengers
• Web history
• Recorded call 
• Multimedia
• Keylogging
• Ambiance recordings

As you see, TheTruthSpy is a good option to track a phone or tablet in real-time and remain undetectable. You will get to view all phone data tracking above with a money-back guarantee of 5 days. You can also manage up to 5 devices. 

Price

TheTruthSpy mobile app is available in three subscription plans: Standard at $21.99 per month, Premium at $25.99 per month, and Gold at $30.99 per month. You can opt for the subscriptions for one month, three months, six months, and twelve months’ plan. See below:

• Standard:
  • $21.99 for one month.
  • $55.99 for three months.
  • $88.99 for six months.
  • $130.99 for twelve months.
• Premium:
  • $25.99 for one month.
  • $66.99 for three months.
  • $105.99 for six months.
  • $158.99 for twelve months.
• Gold:
  • $30.99 for one month.
  • $77.99 for three months.
  • $122.99 for six months.
  • $184.99 for twelve months.

Qustudio

Qustodio is a unique parental control app that also comes with premium features tailored for parental control. Using this application, you can start supervising and managing your kids’ phones with the ability to totally overtake control over the device if necessary.

The Qustodio app is compatible with Windows, Android, Kindle, iOS, and macOS devices. Although it is not equipped with some basic features other professional spy apps boast of, the application has a unique filtering technology that you can use to automatically protect your children from accessing the harmful content on the web.

Functionality

So what are the features that make Qustodio so convenient for tracking kids’ activities? They include the following:

• Extended Reporting. This is the feature that will be submitting regular reports to your email, giving you some statistical information on your child’s activity.
• Basic Protection. It works as a comprehensive filter with time management and time limit options. You will be able to set your own limitations on daily Internet usage.
• Games and Apps Blocking. The blocking option helps you monitor the installed applications on your kid’s apps list and decide whether they are good to use or not.
• YouTube Control. Here lies the key to its popularity as it lets you see what kind of videos your kid searched for and watched on YouTube, which is one of the most popular apps and sites among children.
• Advanced Facebook Monitoring. This feature covers Facebook contacts, status, pictures, etc.
• Call Tracking and Blocking. This kind of blocking works only for Android, but it is impossible to overestimate it. You will get to view your child’s call history as well as being able to block the unwanted contacts.
• Track SMS. The SMS tracker works only for Android either and allows you to read your kid’s incoming and outgoing text messages.
• Family Locator. It works similarly to the GPS locations functions in the other spy apps and can show you your kid’s past routes and real-time location.
• Panic Button. Unfortunately, it is available only for Android and will alert you about your child’s location if they find themselves in any trouble.

The app does not have a stealth mode, which may be a disadvantage, especially when teens are concerned.

The cell phone spyware remote installation is possible through Customer Support, which is available in eight languages, and there is also the Priority Support option.

Price

There are three subscription plans to meet your personal and business needs correspondingly: Family, School, and Business. You can opt for 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, and more devices to be monitored simultaneously. The price of five devices tracking is €28.95 per month, and costs €173.95 per month for a hundred devices. 

See the detailed price policy below:

• Family
  • Small: up to 5 devices and €42.95 for a year.
  • Medium: up to 10 devices and €73.95 for a year.
  • Large: up to 15 devices and €106.95 for a year.
• Schools:
  • 5 devices at €28.95 for a month and €312.95 for a year.
  • 10 devices at €37.95 for a month and €409.95 for a year.
  • 25 devices at €61.95 for a month and €699.95 for a year.
  • 50 devices at €100.95 for a month and €1,090.95 for a year.
  • 100 devices at €173.95 for a month and €1,878.95 for a year.
• Business:
  • 5 devices at €28.95 for a month and €312.95 for a year.
  • 10 devices at €37.95 for a month and €409.95 for a year.
  • 25 devices at €61.95 for a month and €699.95 for a year.
  • 50 devices at €100.95 for a month and €1,090.95 for a year.
  • 100 devices at €173.95 for a month and €1,878.95 for a year.

KidSecured

KidSecured has a number of positive reviews from parents and is promoted as a parental control app that comes with all the features you need to watch your kids’ activities on the phone.

As with most of the previous apps, you will have to install it on the target device first. Then you can access your Control Panel to check on the updates from any device you own. 

Functionality

This is a smart cell phone monitoring tool that helps you in tracking all the Internet activities of your children, their contacts, calls, calendar, and locations. It also controls their text messages, iMessages, and social networks, such as: 

• Telegram
• Hangouts
• Tinder
• Line
• Viber
• Kik
• Instagram

You can also view your kids’ browsing history and bookmarks, block websites and applications, and see all the keyboard entries made on the device.

The app is compatible with iOS and Android devices with and without jailbreak or rooting. You can also use the 14 days’ refund guarantee in case you do not like the app and would like to return what you invested in it.

Price

The KidSecured mobile app is available in the Basic and Premium packs. While Basic exists only with the monthly subscription and only a few spy tools, the Premium plan offers you discounts on three and twelve months’ subscription plans, making the last one the best value for money. 

The monthly fee for the Basic plan is €26.99, and the Premium plan costs €14.16 a month if you pay for a year in a single installment.

Here is the more detailed pricing for your convenience:

• Starter: €26.99 for a month.
• Premium:
  • €59.99 for a month.
  • €100.98 for three months
  • €169.92 for twelve months.

Conclusion

The remote cell phone monitoring apps are a perfect solution for protecting your children and ensuring they use the web safely. There are demo versions of the applications above available on their official websites for you to overview their interface and functions in more detail. You can also take advantage of the trial versions they offer for free.

As in most of the cases above, you need to install the application on the target phone you are going to track rather than remotely install cell phone spyware. If your query is, “Can this spyware be installed remotely, without touching the phone?” the answer will be a “No.” It is only possible to do it on some iOS devices that do not have two-factor verification. And as far as Android devices are concerned, “remote installation” means installation by Customer Support through the special apps, for example, Team Viewer.

mSpy is the best value for money, providing an extended list of the most popular spying tools at the most reasonable price. With the multiple features of mSpy, you can benefit in many ways: catching your cheating spouse, monitoring your kids, and tracking your employees. And you can do it all silently, keeping a low profile without getting detected.

FAQ