Parental and family apps vs stalkerware: how Applore labels them

Before you change anything

What makes an app stalkerware

The Coalition Against Stalkerware defines stalkerware as tools “that enable someone to secretly spy on another person’s private life via their mobile device”. It says these tools run hidden in the background, without the affected person knowing or giving consent.

Three things usually mark an app as stalkerware:

• It is hidden. It may have no icon, a name that looks like a system service, or no notice that it is running.
• It is covert. It is designed so the person being watched does not know.
• It is installed without consent. Someone else puts it on the phone, often with brief access.

Read the full definition in the stalkerware glossary entry.

Monitoring apps

Monitoring apps, sometimes called watchware, are sold openly for parents, families or employers. They can read location, app use and sometimes messages. Typical features of a store-installed monitoring app:

• it is installed from an app store, such as Google Play;
• it usually has a visible icon and a name that says what it does;
• it often shows a notice on the device that it is active.

Google Family Link is one example of a disclosed family app. Google’s help page says a child needs to give consent when a parent adds supervision to an existing account, and both are notified when supervision stops. Family Link lets parents see the location of a supervised device, manage apps and set screen time.

How to tell them apart on your phone

You cannot always tell from the outside, but these questions help. Menu names differ between phone makers and Android versions.

• Can you see it? Open Settings › Apps and look for apps you do not recognise, including ones with no icon on your home screen. A disclosed family app usually has a visible icon and a clear name.
• Does it announce itself? Many monitoring apps show a notification that they are active. An app with sensitive access and no visible sign of running is worth a closer look.
• Where did it come from? App info often shows which store an app came from. An app installed from a file skipped a store’s review. See sideloaded apps on Android.
• Is your account supervised? Search Settings for Parental controls, or check your Google account, to see whether a supervising account is linked. Applore’s Safety Check includes this item.
• What access does it have? Look at Accessibility, Notification access and Device admin apps in Settings. Sensitive access on its own is common; combined with a hidden icon, it matters more.

How Applore labels them

Applore’s check uses a public list maintained by Echap. It has two parts: known stalkerware, and monitoring apps (watchware). Needs your review uses both:

• A store-installed app that matches the monitoring list is labelled a monitoring app, never spyware. It is shown so you know it is there.
• A sideloaded monitoring app with a hidden icon is treated more seriously, because that combination is what stalkerware does. It shows as Known monitoring app.
• An app that matches known stalkerware, from any source, also shows as Known monitoring app.

The label is not a verdict about anyone’s intentions. The app explains why Applore flagged it, where the app came from and what it can see or do. If you installed the app yourself, choose Trust this app and confirm with your App Lock PIN or pattern.

How detection works lists every signal and level.

When a monitoring app is a problem

The same app can be appropriate in one home and harmful in another. Questions that help:

• Consent. Did the person whose phone it is agree to it, and do they know it is there?
• Age. Is it supervising a child, as the app intends, or watching an adult?
• Relationship. Could the person who set it up use what it sees to control or pressure someone?

If a monitoring app is on your phone and you did not agree to it, you do not have to decide alone what to do. A domestic abuse service, a tech safety service or someone you trust can help you plan. Laws about monitoring another adult’s phone differ by country.

What Applore cannot do

Applore cannot tell whether a monitoring app was installed with consent, and it cannot see who is looking at the data.

The privacy policy explains what the check reads and what stays on your phone.

Get support

Before removing a monitoring app, read before you remove a suspicious app. Applore includes support contacts for India, the United States and the United Kingdom, plus global options; see domestic abuse and cyber crime hotlines. If you are in immediate danger, contact your local emergency number. More guides are on the safety guides page.