1. Phone Activity:
- App Usage: Some smartphones, particularly iPhones and Androids, allow you to track the recent apps or screen time in settings. If someone has been using your phone, you may notice unfamiliar apps or long usage times of certain apps.
- Phone History: You can check your call history, text messages, and even browser history to see if anything unusual stands out. If your browser history has been cleared, though, it might be harder to detect.
- Notifications: Some phones allow you to view notification previews, so if someone unlocked your phone, they might have seen notifications even if they didn’t open the apps themselves.
- Security Settings: You could set up a lock screen or use Face ID/Fingerprint ID to prevent others from accessing your phone without your knowledge.
2. Social Media Accounts:
- Login Activity: Many social media platforms (such as Facebook, Instagram, and Google) allow you to check login history or device activity. You can often see the locations or devices that have accessed your account.
- Story Views: On platforms like Instagram or Snapchat, you can see who has viewed your stories, which could indicate if someone has been checking your profile.
- Unusual Activity: If someone has been browsing your profile or interacting with your posts (liking old pictures or posts), you might notice a spike in engagement that seems out of the ordinary.
3. Messages (Text or Apps like WhatsApp):
- Read Receipts: Some messaging apps like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger have read receipts, which show when someone has opened your message. If the “read” indicator shows, someone has opened it, even if they didn’t reply.
- Typing Indicators: If someone is typing in a chat with you but hasn’t sent anything, it’s a sign they may have checked your messages but didn’t respond right away.
4. Emails:
- Login History: Services like Gmail allow you to check the recent activity on your account, including login times, IP addresses, and locations of sign-ins.
- Read Receipts: Some email services also offer read receipts to tell if an email you sent has been opened.
5. General Tips to Protect Your Privacy:
- Password Protection: Use strong, unique passwords and consider using a password manager to keep track of them securely.
- Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Enable 2FA on your accounts for extra protection, so even if someone tries to access them, they would need additional verification.
- App Lock: Some apps allow you to set up individual PINs or fingerprint protection to keep others from accessing specific apps (like social media or messaging apps).