National Domestic Violence Hotline
Confidential support, 24/7, with advocates trained specifically in tech safety planning.
Mobile privacy audit
Take back control of your mobile privacy.
In Charge Privacy Check is a self-guided command center for mobile privacy: lock down location sharing app by app and at the OS level, secure the accounts tied to your phone, and build the habits that keep people from seeing more of your life on your device than you intend — quietly, safely, on your terms.
Mobile privacy command center
Four ways to take back control
Being tracked on your phone rarely comes from one place. In Charge Privacy Check is organized around the things that matter most for mobile privacy — pick where you want to start.
Lock down location
Turn off tracking app by app and at the OS level, from Instagram to Life360.
Secure your accounts
Two-factor authentication, active sessions, and connected apps across every platform.
Remove & recover
Turn off location sharing at the account and system level, plus Apple’s Safety Check for an instant reset.
Build lasting habits
Passkeys, tracker alerts, account hygiene, and the habits that keep you private going forward.
01 · Step by step
Removal checklist
Turn off the location-sharing settings tied to your phone and accounts, on Android and iOS.
If this involves a partner, ex-partner, or someone who could react badly, talk to the National Domestic Violence Hotline before changing any sharing settings — turning off location access can alert them immediately.
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01 · Detect & remove
Find and safely remove hidden monitoring apps
Stalkerware is built to hide in plain sight — disguised as a battery, calculator, or system app, with no icon or a generic name. Go slowly, and read the notice below before you touch anything.
Removing stalkerware can alert the person who installed it — instantly. Most stalkerware apps notify their operator the moment they're uninstalled, permissions are revoked, or the phone is reset. If you believe a partner, ex-partner, or family member installed this to control or monitor you, talk to the National Domestic Violence Hotline or the Coalition Against Stalkerware first, from a different device they don't have access to. Before removing anything: take screenshots or write down app names, install dates, and unusual permissions somewhere the monitoring person can't see — this is often important evidence. Consider your physical safety first; removal can wait until you have a plan.
Recognize the signs
Check your battery usage for what’s actually draining it
A hot phone or a battery that empties faster than usual is a common early sign — but it’s not proof on its own, since normal apps can do this too. Checking which specific app is using the battery narrows it down fast, especially anything running heavily in the background under a generic or unfamiliar name.
Also check for physical trackers, like an AirTag
Stalkerware lives on your phone, but someone can also track you with a small physical device slipped into a bag, coat pocket, or car — Apple AirTags, Tile, Chipolo, and Samsung SmartTags are all built to be nearly invisible and work without ever touching your phone.
If you think a tracker was placed by someone who could react badly to being discovered, treat it like stalkerware: don’t disable or destroy it yet. Photograph it where you found it, note the date and location, and talk to the National Domestic Violence Hotline or local law enforcement first — a tracker can be used as evidence.
Also check your car’s connected services app
Many newer cars come with a manufacturer app — Hyundai Bluelink, Toyota app, GM OnStar, FordPass, Stellantis Uconnect, Kia Connect, and similar — tied to an online account that can show real-time vehicle location and sometimes remote lock, unlock, or start. Someone with login access to that account can track the car with nothing installed on your phone at all.
Check the accounts themselves, not just the phone
Someone can monitor you through account-level access alone — no app on your phone required. Email forwarding rules, a device signed into your Apple ID or Google Account, or a changed recovery method can all quietly expose your messages and location.
Document what you find before you remove anything
Whatever you’ve found so far — a suspicious app, a physical tracker, an unfamiliar signed-in device — documenting it properly now can matter later for a protective order, a police report, or a dispute over account ownership.
Scan and remove monitoring apps, step by step
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02 · Lock it down app by app
Turn off location on specific apps
Each app's in-app location setting is a good first move, but the switch that actually rules everything is your phone's own permission screen. Do both for each app below.
The OS-level switch always wins. Every app still has to ask your phone for permission first. Android: Settings → Location → App location permissions. iPhone: Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services. Set anything without a real reason to know where you are to Never / Don't allow, and reserve While using the app for the rest.
⚠ Before you flip everything to Never: turning off location access can also turn off features you rely on — turn-by-turn navigation, ride-share pickup accuracy, Find My device recovery, weather-by-location, and photo geotagging all depend on it. If an app has a real reason to know where you are, “While Using the App” protects your privacy without breaking it. The same trade-off applies to iPhone’s system-level Significant Locations service — turning it off can affect personalized features in Maps, Siri, Calendar, and Photos (see the iOS removal checklist above for the exact steps and Apple’s own warning language).
04 · Good habits
More ways to protect your mobile privacy
Location tracking is one threat, but most personal-data exposure comes from everyday habits. These close the biggest gaps, drawn from guidance published by the EFF's Surveillance Self-Defense project and Google and Apple's own account security teams.
05 · Support
Get help
These organizations specialize in tech-facilitated abuse and stalking, plus broader identity-theft and data-privacy support. All are free and most are available around the clock.
Survivor Tech Safety Coalition
Independent, vendor-neutral guidance for survivors and detection tools contributed by security researchers.
Learn more →NNEDV Safety Net Project
Technology safety planning resources from the National Network to End Domestic Violence.
techsafety.org →Trans Lifeline
Peer support run by and for trans people, including guidance on spotting monitoring apps.
translifeline.org →RAINN
The National Sexual Assault Hotline offers free, confidential support 24/7, including for image-based abuse and covert surveillance tied to sexual violence.
Immediate danger
If you are in physical danger right now, contact emergency services directly.
Call 911National Cybersecurity Alliance
General digital-safety guidance, including advice on spotting hidden monitoring apps for any age group.
staysafeonline.org →Cyber Civil Rights Initiative
Support for victims of non-consensual intimate imagery and sextortion, plus the free StopNCII.org removal tool.
IdentityTheft.gov (FTC)
The federal government's free step-by-step recovery plan if your identity or accounts were compromised.
identitytheft.gov →Identity Theft Resource Center
Free live-chat and phone support for identity crime and data-breach victims, run by a nonprofit.
idtheftcenter.org →Privacy Rights Clearinghouse
Consumer guides and complaint assistance for data brokers, surveillance, and privacy violations.
privacyrights.org →
03 · Lock the account itself
Secure your social media accounts
Location settings only matter if the account itself is locked down. Someone who has your password doesn’t need your location toggles — they can just log in. These three moves matter most on every platform: turn on two-factor authentication, review who’s currently signed in, and cut off any third-party app you don’t recognize.
⚠ 2FA isn’t a fix if someone else still controls your recovery methods. If a partner, ex, or family member has access to the phone number or email address on file, they can approve a text-message or email code as easily as you can — two-factor authentication only protects you if the second factor is actually only yours. Before turning it on: change your account password from a device only you control, switch your recovery phone and email to something they can’t reach, then set up 2FA with an authenticator app instead of SMS, and save the backup codes somewhere they can’t find them — not in a shared notes app, cloud drive, or message thread.