Before you remove a suspicious app: safety and evidence first

Am I safe right now?

A few questions worth asking yourself before you do anything to the phone:

• Could the person who installed the app react badly if its reports stopped?
• Do they have other ways to reach or find you, such as shared accounts or location sharing?
• Is there a device they cannot access, such as a friend’s phone or a library computer, that you can use to read and plan?

If you are using Applore, Quick exit leaves the app in one tap and removes it from Recents. It does not delete data or hide that Applore is installed.

Why not remove it immediately

The urge to delete an unwanted app straight away is natural. Groups that support people facing stalkerware, including the Coalition Against Stalkerware and the Safety Net Project, suggest pausing first, for three reasons:

1. The installer may notice. When a monitoring app is removed, its reports stop. If that person is controlling or dangerous, the change can put you at more risk.
2. Evidence disappears. Removing the app deletes information about it, such as when it was installed and what access it had. You may want that later for an advocate, a lawyer or the police.
3. It may not be the only access. Account passwords, shared locations and linked devices keep working after an app is gone.

Waiting is not the only safe choice. Some people remove the app quickly and that is right for them. The point is to decide with a plan, not in a hurry.

Keep a record

Before removing anything, record what you found. You can:

• Create a report with Applore. From an app flagged in Needs your review, tap Remove, then Create evidence report in step 3. Applore makes a PDF and a data file (JSON) on your phone. Nothing is uploaded; you choose where to send or save it with Android’s share sheet, for example to a trusted email address or a phone that is not this one.
• Photograph the screens with another device. The app’s App info page, the accessibility, notification access and device admin lists, and the date.
• Write notes somewhere safe. App name, what it can access, when it appeared, and anything that happened around that time.

Anything you save on the phone itself could be seen by whoever controls the app. How to keep a record of a suspicious app covers this in detail.

Talk to someone

A domestic abuse service, a tech safety advocate, someone you trust, or the police can help you decide what to do and when. Advocates can also help you make a safety plan that covers more than the phone. Support hotlines lists where to start.

Remove or trust the app

When you are ready, you have a few options.

With Applore. Applore’s five-step flow, reached by tapping Remove on a flagged app, follows the order on this page:

Without Applore. If the app is a device admin, first deactivate it in Device admin apps (see check device admin apps). Then open Settings › Apps, tap the app and tap Uninstall. Menu names vary by phone maker.

A factory reset. A reset erases the apps on the phone, but also your evidence, and it does not change who can access your accounts. Restoring a backup can bring apps back. If you reset, also review your Google account devices, passwords and sharing settings. The Android phone safety checklist lists them.

What Applore cannot do

Applore does not remove apps by itself, and it cannot tell you whether removing an app is safe in your situation. How Applore’s check works explains what a flag means.

Get support

The Applore app includes support contacts for India, the United States and the United Kingdom, plus global options such as the Coalition Against Stalkerware’s list of support organisations. If you live somewhere else, search for a domestic abuse helpline in your country. Hotlines and Quick exit in Applore explains how the in-app list works.

How Applore handles the report is in the privacy policy. More guides are on the safety hub.