Autor: FlexiSPY

You are about to find out why mobile spy’s undetectability claims don’t protect you from being discovered. We’ll show you the three places on an iPhone where mobile spy can be seen, and why using their app will likely get you found out.

This article shows results of a test we conducted to verify claims by mobile spy that their software cannot be seen anywhere on the target phone while the app is running. We give you the facts so you can come to your own conclusion about which mobile monitoring software—mobile spy or FlexiSPY—was designed around assuring you will never be discovered monitoring a mobile device.

We explain exactly how the tests were carried out using a publicly sold copy of mobile spy installed on an iPhone 4 and a 5s.

We’ll compare the anti-detection effectiveness of both FlexiSPY and mobile spy head-to-head, to demonstrate why FlexiSPY is the best-choice mobile monitoring app for anyone who wants to stay hidden.

mobile spy’s actual claim to invisibility

Looking at screen grab below you can read mobile spy’s own words on their website telling you their software is 100% undetectable. Though “complete stealth” might sound reassuring, there are a few other mobile monitoring red flags on the target phone that will give you away, and which are not mentioned anywhere on the site.

Yes, mobile spy can accurately claim their app’s icon isn’t seen on the target phone, but they don’t mention other serious discovery risks of any mobile spy app that will invite suspicion and get you found out.

Where To Find mobile spy On An iPhone

Before getting into how we found mobile spy during our test, let’s first discuss some important points about the iPhone’s design. Spyphone developers have to look at these areas carefully if the application is to operate undetected.

First there are the Permissions Settings, and the second is what happens on the target phone based on if it is jailbroken or not. Before installing any mobile monitoring software on an iPhone, you have to get full access to the operating system, this is done by a procedure called “jailbreaking”, so you can install whatever programs you wish.

Later in the article we’ll tell you why jailbreaking a phone is one of the easiest ways to reveal a spyphone app, but for now let’s explore the risks found in Permissions.

How Permissions Defeat Invisibility

When an application that’s running on an iPhone is required to send data, use GPS or open the microphone, it must “ask” permission from the phone’s operating system.

You can see these permission requests in the iPhone Settings menus shown here:

– Settings > Cellular
– Settings > Location Services
– Settings > Microphone

Each menu displays the name of the app which is requesting permissions, something which will quickly reveal that a spy app is running on the iPhone.

Take a look at this screen grab below showing what happened when we activated the ambient listening feature on our copy of mobile spy. The program’s permissions request popped up in the microphone menu, offering a clear sign on the target phone that it is being remotely controlled.

But mobile spy’s invisibility issues don’t stop at the mic.

When mobile spy is asked to locate the target phone, it uses the phone’s GPS, triggering another tell-tale permissions request. The image below of mobile spy appearing in the Location Services menu shows how easily their software reveals itself on the target phone.

As you can see, mobile spy makes itself visible simply by performing routine functions necessary for using some of the app’s most important features.

But as obvious as these undetectability breaches may seem, mobile spy offers an even easier way to uncover its presence on the target phone.

Jailbreaking | The Invisibility Spoiler

Earlier we told you that it’s necessary to jailbreak an iPhone before installing any new software, and here’s why that’s important to know: when you add any new application to an iPhone, you should be aware of its starting state—either Not yet jailbroken or Already jailbroken.

After you install monitoring software on the target phone you have to be sure that there is no revealing trace of internal changes you have made. One such glaring change occurs whenever you jailbreak a cell phone: an icon called “Cydia” suddenly pops up in the app directory.

So for a spy phone app to remain undetected you need to make sure that:

– No Cydia icon is visible if the target phone was not jailbroken before.

– No Cydia upgrade notifications or suspicious installation packages are displayed if it was already jailbroken

Target Phone Not Jailbroken | Watch For This

When you install spy phone software on a target device that hasn’t been jailbroken before, the sudden appearance of the Cydia icon is likely to arouse suspicion of the app’s presence.

When you install mobile spy, the Cydia icon is at first clearly visible in the app directory, and disappears once the software has been activated. However to access the instructions for doing this you have to open Cydia and search mobile spy’s 47-page user guide.

Already Jailbroken | This Happens

On an already jailbroken target phone, the Cydia icon will already be a familiar sight and won’t raise any red flags, but the Cydia Upgrade Notification that appears when mobile spy is installed is sure to cause suspicion. And this is what happens when you install mobile spy.

The image below shows the Cydia upgrade listing along with a clearly visible upgrade bubble and a suspicious installation package which is mobile spy that will quickly reveal your monitoring activities.

No matter how many times you upgrade Cydia, that glaring red bubble will never go away. And to completely remove the mobile spy app you just open Cydia and tap Modify and then remove it.

The Facts Tell It | mobile spy Can Be Detected

On their website mobile spy sums up the app’s invisibility in two words: “complete stealth”. But as we found through using the software, this promise does not include protecting you from being discovered.

While mobile spy does allow you to hide the Cydia icon it’s not a very convenient process. And even when Cydia is hidden, other serious stealth threats remain.

mobile spy customers are advised to scrub all traces of Cydia from their target phone, especially suspicious update requests and unremovable notification bubbles.

You can go here to find out how FlexiSPY eradicates all traces of Cydia with just one click.

You may be wondering why there are no FlexiSPY screen shots posted in this article. Not that we have something to hide—we just have nothing to show on this topic. Since FlexiSPY is designed to be invisible everywhere on a target phone, it simply doesn’t show up after being installed.

mobile spy Is Detectable On An iPhone 3 Ways

You—like most folks who want to monitor an iPhone—are doing it to help with a problem, but it will be left unsolved and continue to cause grief if you get discovered. FlexiSPY was conceived and developed with keeping you invisible a top priority. This means your absolute concealment is a core function of our software, literally by design.

So if you’re looking for powerful and reliable iPhone monitoring capabilities plus the proven knowledge you will never be discovered, you can believe promises or benefit from the facts: FlexiSPY keeps you hidden always and everywhere.

This means that this already solves the issue of what to do if the phone was not previously jailbroken before purchasing the spy phone software.

FlexiSPY however remains 100% undetected. We are so confident that it cannot be found on an iPhone after installation that we do not need to advertise that it is completely hidden. But this just goes to show that if you want the best spy phone and you want something 100% undetectable then FlexiSPY is it. It is still the only spy phone software that cannot be found once installed on an iPhone. It also gives you complete power over the visibility of Cydia as well.

Analysis

iPhone spy software will appear in one of three main locations once installed on an iPhone. We show you how to find it even though the software may be advertised as being completely hidden.

Settings > General Location services

It will appear here because the spyphone software needs permission from the operating system to get the device location for you to spy on it. The majority of spy phone software that claim that they are undetectable are usually found here.

When it comes to FlexiSPY vs. mobile spy it was mobile spy that appeared in this menu.

Settings > Cellular

It will appear here because iPhone spy software needs the internet on the phone to upload data to the online account for you to view. This means that there may be times when wifi is not being used to do this. When this happens the phone uses cellular data which is more commonly known as 2G or 3G or 4G. As with location services, the application needs permission from the operating system (iOS) so that the data it collects can be uploaded for you to view. This means it may appear in this menu.

When it comes to FlexiSPY vs. mobile spy neither were listed in this menu.

Settings > Microphone

This is a unique one. Spy phone software will appear here if they use the microphone. This can be for call recording or ambient recording – any feature that uses the microphone. As you know FlexiSPY offers ambient recording for iPhone but still is hidden from this menu.

mobile spy also offer ambient recording and also manage to hide themselves from appearing in this menu.

In terms of FlexiSPY vs. mobile spy spy phone software only has to appear once after it has been installed and already any claims about being undetectable are worthless.

You may be wondering why there are no screenshots with FlexiSPY shown and that is because only mobile spy is visible. When it comes to being undetectable on an iPhone and if you are looking for the best cell phone monitoring software then clearly FlexiSPY rules supreme for providing a great list of features married to software that really is 100% undetectable.

Appendix

We’ve listed below detailed specifications of both FlexiSPY and mobile spy applications used in our test:

Stay tuned for further blog pieces as we face-off FlexiSPY against all other major spy phone competitors to show that, when we say FlexiSPY really is the best spy phone software and really is 100% undetectable once installed, we have the evidence to prove it.

You can see how FlexiSPY stacked up against the remaining competitors for software visibility by clicking the links below.

• mspy
• stealthgenie
• mobistealth

This article shows why stealthgenie’s claim of stealth doesn’t guarantee you’ll stay hidden — and also shows the two ways that stealthgenie can be discovered on an iPhone

What you are about to read is the result of tests carried out to verify claims by stealthgenie that their product is 100% undetectable to the person using the monitored cell phone. We put their words to the test – along with similar claims by other manufacturers – and let the facts show which cell phone monitoring software actually delivers on the promise to protect customers from being detected.

We take you through the procedure and examine the results as we test a commercially available copy of stealthgenie for invisibility on both an iPhone 4 and 5s.

We also compare the anti-detection capabilities of both FlexiSPY and stealthgenie with a side-by-side test that clearly demonstrates why FlexiSPY is the best mobile monitoring software for those who want to stay invisible at all times.

stealthgenie’s Claim: Their Software Stays Hidden

Strictly speaking, their claim is true: stealthgenie’s software app icon can be hidden on the target phone. But what isn’t mentioned are the side effects that a mobile spy app causes that will attract attention and cause you to be detected.

How to find the stealthgenie spy application on an iPhone

To help you quickly understand how we uncovered stealthgenie, there are two important things you need to understand about the iPhone’s design. These things must be carefully considered by the spyphone developer if the application is to remain completely invisible.

The first is the Permissions Settings, and the second is the impact of the starting state of the device at the time it is jailbroken.

If you’re not already familiar with this term here’s the general idea: Before installing any mobile monitoring software on an iPhone, you have to “jailbreak” it to allow full access so you can install your choice of programs. We’ll talk more about why doing this can be fatal to spyphone invisibility, but first let’s look at Permissions.

Permissions

Any application that runs on an iPhone, and needs to use the services listed here also needs to be granted special permissions.

• Sending Data
• Using GPS
• Using the microphone

These permissions are granted in the following Settings menus of the iPhone:

• Settings > Cellular
• Settings > Location Services
• Settings > Microphone

In each of these menus, you will find the name of the application that is requesting permissions.

This is a dead giveaway that the spy app is installed on the iPhone.

In our test, stealthgenie did not come up in any of the three menus.

But checking a little further we discovered that stealthgenie did not appear in Settings & Microphone because when we tried to activate the remote recording feature they advertise on their website, the microphone failed to open.

So while stealthgenie was indeed not visible in the Settings menu during our test, this random by-product of an apparent operational irregularity should not be confused with FlexiSPY’s designed-in and airtight undetectability.

And we don’t require customers to sacrifice an important spy feature in order to achieve promised invisibility. Another issue that reveals the presence of their monitoring app is easy for anyone to spot: the text command which remotely activates Stealthgenie’s recording feature shows up right in the target phone’s SMS inbox — notifications and all.

Impact Of Jailbreaking

Before installing any application, the iPhone is in one of these two states:

– Not yet jailbroken.

– Already jailbroken by the user.

After the installation of a spy application, care must be taken to ensure that there is no sign on the target phone that anything has been changed. But the thing is once you jailbreak a cell phone, an icon labeled “Cydia” appears in the app directory.

So for a spyphone app to remain undetected you need these conditions:

– If the cell phone was not jailbroken before, there must be no Cydia icon visible.

– If it was already jailbroken, the installation package list must appear unchanged.

The Not Jailbroken Device

If the iPhone you want to monitor wasn’t jailbroken before, the sudden appearance of the Cydia icon will announce the presence of spy software.

Though it’s a simple matter to remove the Cydia by including in the software an easy way to remove the icon, but no such feature is offered on the stealthgenie product. That means it’s likely that Cydia will show up in the target phone’s apps directory, just like in the example seen here:

The Jailbroken Device

If the device is already jailbroken, the Cydia icon will already be known to the person using the target phone — however they do not expect to see an unfamiliar installation package. stealthgenie introduces an additional installation package on the cell phone called Mobile Developer which could raise suspicion that the software has been installed.

The image below shows how opening up the Cydia program plainly reveals a listing for the Mobile Developer package, another way using stealthgenie to monitor a cell phone is a major risk to your concealment.

While it is easy to remove the telltale listing with one tap, most people are unlikely to know this. FlexiSPY deals with this problem by automatically deleting the package source when installation has finished.

We knew for sure the listing “Mobile Developer” was stealthgenie because it was the only program we installed on to our iPhone after jailbreaking it. That, and the fact that it’s the only icon for a well-known, reputable app like Facebook or is part of the iPhone software such as Maps.

What We Found: stealthgenie Is Ultimately Detectable.

When stealthgenie says on its website that its software runs in stealth mode, perhaps what they really mean is that their application does not have an icon. However, this is not the same thing as being undetectable or invisible, because there are still clear traces of stealthgenie’s presence.

We recommend that users of stealthgenie hide the Cydia icon, and we provide instructions on how FlexiSPY gives you that option here.

So while stealthgenie claims their software “will never be found”, it doesn’t guarantee the ultimate goal of keeping yourself hidden from the phone’s user. Put simply – you either stay absolutely invisible and the spy phone software you’re using works, or you don’t and it doesn’t.

The Final Word: stealthgenie Is Visible On An iPhone In Two Distinct Places

Successful cell phone monitoring ultimately depends on you not being discovered. FlexiSPY was designed for 100% mobile phone monitoring concealment. So for anyone looking for powerful cell phone monitoring capability and the confidence that at the end of the day you won’t be revealed — these facts speak louder than promises and hype: FlexiSPY hides the app and has you covered.

Appendix

Below you can find the detailed specifications of stealthgenie and FlexiSPY used in our visibility tests.

Stay tuned for further blog pieces as we face-off FlexiSPY against all other major spy phone competitors to show that, when we say FlexiSPY really is the best spy phone software and really is 100% undetectable once installed, we have the evidence to prove it.

You can see how FlexiSPY stacked up against the remaining competitors for software visibility by clicking the links below.

• Mspy
• Mobile Spy
• MobiStealth

Update 5/26/2015

– Mspy’s application is now completely visible, and is unable to be hidden.

If you are reading this it’s probably because you need to monitor a cell phone, but are worried about getting discovered. You’ve seen mspy’s claim that their product is completely invisible, but the reality is this does not include keeping you hidden. This article clearly demonstrates exactly how their software is detected by showing you the 3 places where mspy is visible on the target phone.

To see if their software is truly 100% undetectable on the target phone as claimed, we purchased a commercially available copy of mspy and thoroughly tested its stealth capabilities using an iPhone 4 and 5s. This article details how the test was conducted, and lets the results alone show which spy phone app only talks about invisibility and which one proves it by actually being invisible.

You’ll see FlexiSPY’s and mspy‘s anti-detection features compared side-by-side, and get a clear understanding why FlexiSPY is the best-choice mobile phone monitoring application for anyone who wants to stay completely hidden.

mspy says their software can’t be seen

Take a look at the below screen grab from mspy’s website that advertises their software as being undetectable. You might be impressed the words “100% invisible”, but does that mean everywhere on the target phone?

Although mspy does keep their app icon hidden, they don’t mention the other signs created by any mobile spy app that will make it easily visible and quickly reveal that the target phone is being remotely monitored.

Here’s how to find mspy on an iPhone

Before going into how we uncovered mspy on our test device, we should to explain a couple of important iPhone technical features that interact with any spy phone software. Developers must take great care in designing these features to ensure that the software remains hidden.

The first of these possible threats is found in the Settings menu under Application Permissions. Next is the starting state of the device— whether or not it is jailbroken prior to installation of the spy phone software.

For those not clear on what jailbreak means, it’s really quite simple. In order to install cell phone monitoring app on an iPhone, you must first gain special access that allows you to install your choice of software. This is referred to as “jailbreaking”. A little later we’ll explain what happens when you jailbreak an iPhone and how it can reveal your monitoring activities. But first, a look at Permissions.

App Permissions will reveal mspy

An application which is running on an iPhone has to “ask permission” from the phone’s operating system any time it’s required to send data, use the GPS or open the microphone.

You can see these permission requests in the iPhone’s Settings menus. When you tap open any of the menus shown below you’ll see the name of the permission-seeking application.

• Settings > Cellular
• Settings > Location Services
• Settings > Microphone

This is such an obvious program installation red flag that anyone searching for spy phone software will go straight to the Settings menus before checking anything else on the phone.

When we tested our copy of mspy, their software revealed two tell-tale listings in the Permissions menu. First, mspy asked permission to open the Microphone when we activated their ambient recording feature. And as you can see in the screen grab below, mspy also shows up under Location Services when it checks the iPhone’s GPS location for upload to the customer’s online account, something that can quickly draw attention and lead to the monitoring app getting discovered.

Either one of these Permissions requests alone is enough to get you discovered using mspy to monitor a mobile device.

But there are more, even easier ways to spot mspy’s software installed on an iPhone.

Jailbreaking can kill spy phone stealth

An iPhone prior to software installation is either Already jailbroken or Not Yet jailbroken. Each of these possible mobile device starting states presents a different threat to concealment.

After monitoring software is installed on a mobile, it’s crucial that there is nothing visible on the target phone that would reveal internal changes have been made.

Here’s where one small detail can turn out to be fatal to invisibility:

Whenever you jailbreak a mobile device, an icon called “Cydia” pops up in the App Directory.

But if you install a monitoring app on a device that’s already been jailbroken, the new program can be seen in other places on the target phone.

This means that, to keep a spy phone app absolutely hidden you need to neutralize whichever one of the detection threats shown below applies to you. The target phone’s starting state tells you which risk to you’ll need to avoid:

– Not Yet jailbroken: The Cydia icon must not be visible on target phone

– Already jailbroken: The existing installation package list must not show any changes. (More about this a little later)

Cydia Exposed

Here you can see what it looks like when the Cydia icon suddenly appears in the app directory of a previously un-jailbroken iPhone. This is what happens on the target when you install mspy, and it will get you discovered:

So if the phone isn’t jailbroken, keeping Cydia out of sight on the target phone is a must-have condition to you staying hidden.
We found that when using mspy there are several steps necessary to hide the Cydia icon. First, you have to open the Cydia program and access the mspy repository. The next screen grab shows just one step of the multi-step Cydia-hiding process:

You have to do this because mspy has included an additional application inside the repository that must be installed–and the iPhone restarted–before Cydia icon is hidden.

There is nothing to tell the customer that additional steps are required to hide the Cydia icon, and the instructions for doing this can only be found in the Help section of the mspy online account.

The fact that you have to go back into the mspy repository and install an additional application in order to hide Cydia raises the risk of detection. Many customers will either forget or be unable to complete the required steps, making it more likely that they will be discovered while using mspy.

NOT jailbroken phone can get you detected

As you’ve learned, when you install spy phone software on an iPhone which is not yet jailbroken the Cydia icon shows up on the target phone, drawing attention and raising suspicions.

To a software developer who is truly in touch with the product’s customers, designing a spy phone app that allows the Cydia icon to be quickly and conveniently hidden just makes good sense and is not difficult to do.

Trying to hide Cydia using mspy requires you to install an additional program and restart the phone, and the software doesn’t let you know more steps are required.

ALREADY jailbroken phone threatens monitoring stealth

If the target phone has already been jailbroken, then the Cydia icon will already be visible and won’t attract any unwanted attention. But what will stand out is the upgrade notification appearing within Cydia that shows the requesting app. And that’s exactly what happens with mspy.

When you install mspy on a previously jailbroken phone, an upgrade notification bubble appears along with the listing for the software installation package. Once the upgrade notification is seen, all it takes is a couple clicks to entirely remove the app from the target phone.

Furthermore, even if mspy is upgraded via Cydia, the notification bubble will not go away. This will cause even more suspicion which could lead to the app being removed entirely.

This next image shows how easy it is to spot these two threats to your concealment while using mspy:

mspy’s software design requires specific actions to remove clear traces of invisibility on the target phone. FlexiSPY takes care of this for you by automatically deleting the package source, so no installation listing or attention bubble will ever appear.

Since we didn’t install any other apps on our test phone after it was jailbroken, we know that the listing “iPhoneInternalService” is actually mspy and not some easily recognizable apps like Facebook or phone software such as Maps.

Bottom Line: mspy CAN be detected on an iPhone

mspy’s website says their software runs in “100% invisible mode”, but what this means is simply that their app does not have an icon. But not having an icon is not guarantee of 100% invisibility.

So if you’re using mspy, our advice is to make a list of potential stealth threats so you won’t forget that you have to deal with each of them if you don’t want to be discovered.

Or you can take a look here and see how FlexiSPY lets you get truly invisible with just one click.

mspy’s claim that their app “…cannot be detected by your target…” is not a promise they you won’t be uncovered. The point is, there is no gray area when it comes to cell phone monitoring software. It either actually does what it claims and keeps you hidden on the target phone, or it lets you be detected.

Just remember this and you’ll stay hidden…

To successfully monitor an iPhone without being detected, you need a spyphone app that’s always invisible in all areas of the target phone. So if you’re looking for the most powerful cell phone monitoring features available plus the confidence that you will never be detected, the truth is in the facts: FlexiSPY takes care of everything you need to always stay invisible, everywhere on the target phone.

Appendix

Below are listed detailed specifications of mspy and the iPhones used for testing.

Stay tuned for further blog pieces as we face-off FlexiSPY against all other major spy phone competitors to show that, when we say FlexiSPY really is the best spy phone software and really is 100% undetectable once installed, we have the evidence to prove it.

You can see how FlexiSPY stacked up against the remaining competitors for software visibility by clicking the links below.

• stealthgenie
• mobile spy
• mobistealth