9 Best Spy Apps For Android Without Access To Target Phone

Are you suspecting your spouse of infidelity? Do you want to find out what your teenager is really up to?

Android spy apps are easily installable and allow you to remotely monitor a target’s phone. You can see their location in real time, view their messages, and even record their phone calls.

It’s kind of scary, but it’s possible. In this article, we’ll explain how spy or cheating apps work, what you can use them for, and the best spy apps on the market for Android.

The short version: You can’t install spy apps remotely, but you usually only need a few minutes of access to the target device to install powerful tracking software like mSpy or FlexiSPY. These apps let you track phone calls, SMS messages, browsing activity, and more.

To learn more, read on.

What Are Spy Apps, and What Can You Use Them For?

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Before I give you a list of the best spy & cheating apps on the market, it’s important to clarify a few things, such as how these spy apps work and whether you can truly install them without access to the target phone.

How Do Spy Apps Work?

Spy apps are software, usually not available from the official Play Store, which you can install on a device to gain remote monitoring access to it.

Typically, you’ll install them from a third-party website when the target isn’t looking. Once you do that, the app will start tracking:

• GPS location
• SMS messages
• Phone logs
• Photos
• Social media apps

Tracking features vary from app to app; some may record phone calls, for example, while others may only give you phone logs that tell you who the target called and when.

What Can You Use Spy Apps For?

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Spy apps are useful for a variety of purposes. A lot of people use them on partners they suspect of cheating.

Not knowing if your boyfriend or girlfriend is cheating can be nerve-wracking. If that doubt is eating away at you, I can assure you that it will eventually destroy your relationship in one way or another.

However, you may not want to confront your partner about your suspicions, as they will likely deny any wrongdoing and reverse the accusation, accusing you of unfounded jealousy and suspicion.

Therefore, using a spy app can sometimes be the best way to either gather evidence of infidelity or get peace of mind that your spouse is loyal. Here is the list of some of the best free wife cheating apps on iPhone & Android.

Parents may also use these spy apps to monitor their teenagers and ensure they are not getting into any trouble. Spy apps can show where your child is at all times, so you can always get them assistance if necessary.

Finally, employers may use such apps to monitor the work phones of employees, such as to record calls and ensure quality of service or to make sure employees are not using work phones for unauthorized purposes.

Lots of employees waste time on social media or messaging apps while on the clock, especially if working from home, and monitoring apps can help you prevent that.

Can Spy Apps Be Detected?

Spy apps are generally hidden – they don’t appear in the list of installed apps or appear on the homescreen. Instead, they operate in the background, and most targets will never find out about it.

If the target is tech-savvy, though, they may suspect there is a hidden app. Nevertheless, it will probably take some time before they suspect anything, which gives you time to identify problematic behavior.

Also, even if someone knows how to search for hidden apps, many spy apps disguise themselves. For example, a spy app might use an app icon and/or name that makes it seem like a system or utility app, so unless someone is truly knowledgeable about system apps, they won’t suspect it after doing a basic search through all installed apps.

Are Spy Apps Legal?

Spy apps themselves are legal, but they kind of operate in a gray area. That’s because they can be used legally – when the other adult consents to you installing the app, such as in the case of employers monitoring their workers.

Even that has caveats, though. If you are installing the app in a state (or country) that requires two-person consent for recording phone conversations, you’d be illegally recording every conversation that the target has with third parties.

Such laws would fall under the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) of 1986 and the USA PATRIOT Act, which updated the ECPA to apply to modern technology.

Two-person laws require both parties on a call to consent before the call can be recorded. One-person laws allow any one party on a call to record the other person without their knowledge.

If the target doesn’t consent or is unaware of the spy app, you’d be illegally wiretapping them. If they find out, they can sue you for an invasion of privacy, and jail time wouldn’t be out of the question either.

This applies to adults, but laws are different for children. If you are an adult guardian of a minor, you may discreetly use parental control apps to keep them safe.

Can You Really Install a Spy App Without Access to the Target Phone?

No. Unfortunately, there are no downloadable apps available to the general public that would allow you to spy on someone without any access to their phone.

If it was that easy, everyone would be stealing passwords and mobile banking information right and left.

Just think of how scary that would be.

If you could just type in someone’s number and immediately access their phone just because you purchased a magical spy app, nobody would be safe. It would truly be a hacker’s paradise.

Spy apps available on the market do require access to the target phone, but only once. You need physical access to install the app, which can take less than a minute; once you do that, you can continue monitoring the target without continued access.

That’s what we mean by “remote monitoring without access to the device.” That is opposed to keylogger apps and other spy apps that store the collected data in a hidden file on the target device; such apps require repeated access to the target device to access the data.

Remote monitoring apps instead upload the collected data to the cloud, so you can access them from another device.

Of course, there are ways to spy on someone’s phone remotely, but you’ll need advanced spyware software or advanced hacking skills. Pegasus is a well-known spyware that governments and authoritarian regimes have used to spy on individuals, including journalists, but it’s costly and not accessible to all.

Another method hackers use to access someone’s information is sim swapping, in which you use the target’s personal details to get the phone company to switch the target’s account and phone line to a new sim card you bought and installed in your own phone. However, that doesn’t allow for continuous monitoring of the target device.

While there are some apps that claim to allow remote monitoring without any access to the target device, they are engaging in false marketing. After paying for the app, you’ll find out that you’ll need one-time access to the target device for installation purposes.

With that cleared up, let’s explore the best spy apps on the market.

Also Read: How To Spy On A Smartphone Without Installing Software?

Best Spy Apps for Android Without Access to Target Phone

1. mSpy

mSpy calls itself “The Best Phone Tracker for Parental Control,” and I tend to agree. Don’t let the “parental control” part fool you – it can be used for any spying purpose.

For legal purposes, a lot of these apps brand themselves as parental control apps.

The app has been around since 2010 and is well established as one of the best spy apps. It’s a comprehensive spying app that allows you to:

• See comprehensive call logs, complete with timestamps and durations of calls
• Live GPS location and route histories
• App usage, including downloaded apps
• Photos and videos
• Text messages
• Which websites the target visited and/or bookmarked
• Calendar

The app doesn’t require the target device to be rooted, but you can access more information if it is.

For example, the keylogger allows you to see every message the target typed, even if they delete it later. However, if the device is rooted, you can also see deleted incoming text messages and monitor social media apps like Instagram.

You do need one-time access to the target device to install mSpy. You will get detailed instructions on how to perform the installation, which takes less than 10 minutes.

Find out the best alternatives to mSpy here.

2. Eyezy

Eyezy is another excellent phone monitoring spy app. One of its strong points is the alert system.

For example, you can set red geographical zones (such as a bad part of town or the street where your spouse’s suspected cheating partner lives). If the target crosses into a red zone, you will get an alert.

Alerts can also be programmed for keywords in text messages, such as keywords that would indicate drug use or sexting.

Another cool feature is the screen recorder, which takes remote screenshots, so you can see what your target is doing.

Here are some other Eyezy features:

• Call logging
• Website visit history
• WhatsApp and other messenger monitoring
• Social media monitoring

Download Eyezy from the Google Play Store!

3. Spyera

Spyera is a spy app for Android that allows you to:

• View photos and videos on the device
• Track location via GPS
• Read emails and text messages
• See installed apps
• Check web history

Perhaps some of its most shocking features, though, are its recording capabilities. First of all, you can record phone calls and even listen live to phone calls.

Not only that, though, but you can remotely take control of the microphone on the target device and activate it, allowing you to listen in on the surroundings. If you suspect your spouse of cheating, for example, this is a sure way to catch them in the act.

You can also record calls made on apps, like WhatsApp, LINE, and Viber.

Setting up real-time notifications for when a call is made will help you listen in on important calls live.

It’s not just the microphone you can control remotely. You can also remotely activate the camera to take pictures and videos of the surroundings (or the subject) in secret.

You can even take screenshots of applications remotely to see what your spouse is up to on WhatsApp, Tinder, or any other app. If the target is making video calls on FaceTime, you can record those calls as well.

Using the app, it’s even possible to adjust phone settings remotely and disable certain features.

Geofencing alerts are available. Set a defined radius for a specific location and get an alert when the target enters that radius.

One way cheaters try to avoid detection is by changing sim cards. A new sim card can store new contacts, and having a second sim card just for cheating that you can take out at any time is a great way to avoid having someone call you when you don’t want them to.

With Spyera, you can get an alert when the target changes sim cards.

4. SpyBubble

SpyBubble is a spy app that allows you to monitor everything the target is doing on their phone. From reading text messages and emails to recording phone conversations, you can discover it all.

The built-in keylogger lets you record keystrokes, and you can view their browsing history and check their GPS location. The data from the phone will be updated and synced to your dashboard every five minutes.

Your dashboard lets you easily browse photos, videos, WhatsApp chats, contact, and more! It’s all neatly categorized, so you won’t have a hard time finding what you’re looking for.

5. Cocospy

Using Cocospy, you can track and monitor Android devices and view call logs, SMS messages, GPS locations, browsing activity, and more.

It also lets you set up geofencing alerts and track apps like Viber.

I like how it has a demo version that allows you to see what your dashboard will look like and get a feel for the app. The homepage of the dashboard shows:

• Basic device information
• Five most recent calling contacts
• Five most recent messages
• Last seen location
• Phone activity breakdown

You can then use the menu on the left side to navigate to what you want to see, whether it’s photos on the device, the calendar, or apps.

The app also comes with a 60-day money-back guarantee.

6. XNSPY

XNSPY is a phone tracking app that allows you to monitor 12 different social media apps, monitor text messages, record phone conversations, and more. Even without rooting, it allows you to monitor WhatsApp messages.

Not only can you record phone calls, but you can control the microphone from your dashboard to listen in on their surroundings. In fact, you can control the device remotely, even locking it, blocking apps, or sending other remote commands.

One of XNSPY’s best features is the analytics section, where you will get a breakdown of their recent calling activity. It shows who they were calling, when they called them, how long they called them for, and the geotags associated with each phone call.

It also shows you the top five callers, both by calling frequency and call duration, so you can see who they are communicating with the most.

This information is further broken down into a bubble graph, which XNSPY calls an activity punch card, which allows you to get a complete overview of their calling activity over a certain period of time.

If you want to see how the app and dashboard work, simply check out the demo. At the top, you’ll see basic information about the device you’re monitoring and your XNSPY plan; under that, you’ll see graphs that show the target’s recent call and text activity.

Scroll down a bit more to see their most recent known location on a map and a list of their most recent text messages, including whom the text messages were sent to or received from. If the number wasn’t saved as a contact, it will simply say unsaved number.

Navigate to the different options in the menu on the left side. For example, the Screen Time option shows you a breakdown of their most used apps and other screen time activity.

The Remote Control option lets you do things like record the surroundings remotely, take a screenshot, or even wipe the device clean remotely.

XNSPY also allows you to expert the data collected. For example, if you are working with a private investigator, you can download the data and send it to them for further investigation.

Explore the best alternatives to XNSPY in this post.

7. Minspy

Minspy is a phone tracking app that allows you to track phone call logs for incoming and outgoing calls, track SIM location, view SMS messages, and spy on apps like WhatsApp, Snapchat, and Instagram.

The app shows you exactly who the target called, when they called them, and how long the call lasted. It also shows if the call was incoming or outgoing.

You can also see photos and videos on the app. The app doesn’t require rooting on the target device and can be installed quickly, without being detected.

Not only can you hide the app icon, but the payment to Minspy won’t be easily identifiable, even if your spouse has access to your shared banking information. That’s because the payment will be made to Minspy’s developers, without using the word Minspy.

8. Spyic

Spicy is a powerful phone tracking app that you can use to spy on a cheating spouse or monitor your kids or employees. Whether you want to check which websites they have been visiting, which places they have been going, or their phone call history, you can do it with Spyic.

Installing the app takes just a few minutes, and it will start tracking activity on the target device immediately. If you want, you can set up geofencing alerts to get notified when the target is visiting a specific location.

9. FlexiSPY

Another powerful app is FlexiSPY. One of the reasons you might choose FlexiSPY is its remote installation service.

This does not mean that you don’t need access to the target device to install the app. Instead, it’s a service in which a FlexiSPY agent will help you root the target Android device and install the app if you are not that tech-savvy and don’t know how to do it yourself.

As long as you have physical access to the device, you can connect remotely to a FlexiSPY technician who will do most of the work for you. A translation tool is available for customers who don’t speak English, but you won’t have too much work on your end anyway.

Note that this is an optional service. If you are a bit more tech-savvy, you can definitely install FlexiSPY yourself.

Another amazing service that makes FlexiSPY unique is the preconfigured phone option. One of the challenges of spy apps is that you do need access to the target device to install them, but if you’re trying to spy on your spouse and their phone is always locked, it might seem impossible.

FlexiSPY can deliver a phone to your door with the app already installed and configured. You can pretend you are giving the phone to someone as a gift, without them knowing it has a spy app already installed

They won’t suspect anything, because who would think that a new Samsung or iPhone comes with spyware installed?

Various phone models are available, including Google Pixel and Samsung Galaxy phones – even the newer flip smartphones that can be folded into two. It makes the perfect Trojan horse.

Most of the phones are iPhones and Samsung Galaxy phones, but there is a nice price range, ranging from just a couple hundred dollars to expensive phones that cost up to three thousand dollars. See available models and updated pricing here.

Check out the best alternatives to FlexiSPY here.

Conclusion

While it’s not possible to install a spy app remotely, you only need access once. In addition, you can order a new phone with a spy app installed as a gift.

The best spy apps include FlexiSPY, mSpy, and SpyBubble. However, shop around until you find one with the features and pricing you like.

Spy apps are powerful tools that should be used with caution and in accordance with the law.

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