Is Someone Tracking You With The Help Of Your Mobile Phone? Here's How You Can Find Out

In today's time, a person's reliability on gadgets has increased multi-fold. I am sure you won't deny that the first thing that you see in the morning is your mobile or you wake up to a call or message, and the last thing that you see before going to lala land is your phone, don't you? From our Aadhar card to bank account details and even the itinerary for our upcoming trip, everything is stored safely in our smartphone. The dependence has become such that we can't recall the numbers of our closed ones. Our life revolves around our phones and if the gadget is lost we feel challenged.

If we want to travel somewhere, we use the maps application on our smartphone, when we are hungry but at the same time we are lazy to cook or step out to eat, we simply order food online from numerous food applications downloaded on our phone. From shopping, reading news, paying bills everything can be done with the help of numerous apps on our smartphones. And there is no denying that with so many things in just one gadget, our dependency on mobile phones has increased multifold over the years. (Looking out to buy a smartphone? Buy Samsung Galaxy M10 at a discounted price of ₹ 7,990 from here.)

Now just imagine that somebody is tracking your mobile phone. Yes, it is possible and just don't think that it just happens in movies or daily soaps, similar incidents have been reported by people across the world. We often end up buying expensive smartphones to meet the latest trends but do we ever think about how to use the gadget to ensure that our safety is not at risk. Smartphones can be easily tracked. It is not necessary that there has to be a trained hacker to do so, anyone with basic technological know-how can be the brain behind hacking your mobile phone.

You must have read or come across news of Facebook, Twitter or Google account of users being hacked. Many times, it is the applications in your phone that steal your important data. But the problem here is how will you identify who is tracking your data? To solve your worry, we have found out some easy tips that can help you from being a victim.

1. Code To Find Out Call & Message Forwarding

*#21#

Dial this code in your smartphone and press the call button. It will tell you if your calls, messages and others are being diverted to any other number. If there is any, it will you what kind of call forwarding is it and on which number it is being forwarded to. All the information will be available on the screen of your smartphone the moment you dial this code.

It is not always necessary that you have enabled this feature on your phone. It may be possible at times that your partner, father or mother, or any other member of your family has enabled this feature of call, message forwarding on your phone to track you. Many times, you or the user of the phone is unaware of this.

Even hackers can activate this code on smartphones due to which the calls coming on your number gets forwarded to another number. In such a situation, a hacker will be able to track your presence - where you are? Where are you staying? And every little detail that you want to keep secret.

2. To Know If Your Data, Synchronisation, Calls & Others Are Being Forwarded Then Dial This Code

*#62#

Dial this code on your android phone and you will get to know if there is any redirection happening on your phone/mobile number. This is a better feature on your smartphone compared to others as it helps find out if anyone is tracking you with a sensor or any other method. It is possible that all your details are being tracked and monitored by your service provider or ISP (Internet Service Provider). For your safety, stop all kinds of redirecting on your phone.

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3. To Stop All Kinds Of Redirecting From Your Phone

##002#

This is a universal code to stop all kinds of redirecting from your phone. It is advisable to use this code every time you go on roaming and especially when you are going on an international trip. This code will prevent your calls from being forwarded. It will also help cut your roaming cost for calls which you have not made.

4. To Know IMEI Code Of Your Phone

*#06#

This is a universal code to know the IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identifier) number of your phone. (Buy Redmi 6 Pro from here at a discounted price of ₹ 9,999). IMEI number is very useful as it helps locate the phone if it is lost. From lodging an FIR to search where your phone is, IMEI number is really useful. It is, however, advisable not to share your phone's IMEI code with anyone. If your phone is lost, the moment it is switched on, you will be able to know where it is. If anyone gets to know the IMEI number of your phone, then the person will get to know the model and technical specifications.

Methods That Ensure Your Phone Safe

1. Update Anti-Virus software

Whichever phone it be, whichever model you are using, the first thing a user should do is to update anti-virus. Be it iOs, Android, Windows, Linux, or any other phone or whichever user interface it be, ensure that the anti-virus software is updated. If you fail to do that then your phone is surely exposed to danger. Not only virus, Trojan can also affect your phone. It can steal the password and pin of your phone.

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2. Stop Tracking Of Your Phone Via Advertisement

i-phone, i-pad, Android smartphone and other phone users are some way or the other often worried about this problem. Advertisement coming through web, SMS, or from Android smartphone applications, they can easily be tracked. To stop them follow this:

iOS Users

Settings >> Privacy >> Advertising >> Limit Ad Tracking

Go to your phone settings, click the privacy option and then go to the advertising section. You will see too many options, out of them, select the Limit Ad tracking option. With the help Advertising Identifier option, you can check till date how many track codes have been put in your smartphone. You can easily unlink them. (Buy Apple iPhone 6s at a discounted price of ₹ 27,999 from here.)

Android Users

Settings >> Google >> Ads >> Opt out of ads personalization

If you select this option then applications on your phone will know that they will stop showing you personalized apps making your profile.

To Make Your Phone Safer

Use messaging applications that are safer. You may use like Telegram, Chare, Wickr, Signal and of course WhatsApp. They are safer because of their end-to-end encryption.

Do not download any program in your smartphone that is non-verified. Use Google or iOS applications only after checking their ratings. Also avoid connecting your phone to an unknown laptop, computer, or other charging points because many times, public ports are hacked or bugged.

Do not give any permission to any website or application to track your phone.