Signs That The Tech In Your House Is Secretly Listening To You

1. Your devices respond to you, even if you don't make a sound

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Do you remember the time you were completely alone in the house and your smart speaker started responding to you, even when you didn't say anything?  Spooky, right?  Well, many people believe that this could be a sign that your smart speaker is actually listening to you... ALL the time...

2. You receive targeted ads

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And one sign that your smart speaker or your phone is actually listening to your personal conversations is when you notice ads for things you have talked about aloud.  You might not have even searched for it on your browser and distinctly remember only talking about it!

3. You're device lights up for no reason

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If you have a smart speaker, your suspicions might arise when they seem to illuminate for no reason whatsoever.  Usually, they illuminate to show you that they are listening to your commands so they can fulfill them, but if they are lighting up when you haven't used the command word, this could be a sign that they're listening to you your personal conversations.

4. Your device seems to be recording you for longer than you expect

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So, have you ever spoken a command, or asked your smart speaker a question, and it didn't respond for, like say, at least 30 seconds?  It's sometimes infuriating because background noise usually confuses it when this happens.  BUT this might

just mean that it is listening out for whatever else you or anyone around you has to say...

5. You hear voices coming from your device

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Now you're hearing voices... And no, they're not ghosts because after searching high and low for their source, you find that they're actually inside your speaker.  But there's probably not a village of tiny people living in there, it might

be a sign there's someone on the other side, and they can hear you!

6. There is unexpected background noise

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And in addition to voices, you might also hear some very unexpected background noise.  This could include typing, breathing, coughing, chewing; all the noises you'd expect humans to make other than talking.  It might've convinced you that there's someone there monitoring you.

7. Connectivity issues or other technical glitches are frequent

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Another sign that people believe to be indicative of your house tech monitoring you is that you seem to experience more technical glitches and/or connectivity issues than usual.  And there seems to be no explanation for it... So you're left with the question: could it be the extra pressure placed on your devices by monitoring software?

8. You notice your camera or microphone is turned on without your permission

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Most of the time, your device's settings will prompt you to allow different sites and apps to use your camera or microphone.  But if you aren't prompted, this could raise suspicions that they're just using them anyway without your permission and can hear everything you say...

9. You receive random notifications

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You might also receive random notifications from different sites you have visited, but not allowed notifications from.  And sometimes, these notifications seem to appear at the exact time you have spoken about something.  For example, you might be discussing travel arrangements and then... BAM... a text from a travel company arrives.

10. Your device 

seems

to be listening

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You might feel like your device is

actually listening to you, just because it seems like it is.  There have been lots of suspicious activity that makes you believe this, but you might be completely unsure whether you are just developing some paranoia from knowing what your tech is actually capable of.

11. There are strange activities on your social media accounts

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If you have social media, you might notice some strange goings-on across your accounts.  It could be your targeted ads or even your interactions.  It might even appear like someone else is controlling your accounts, interacting with your followers, or approving requests without your knowledge.

12. Your device suddenly starts recommending content

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Your device might also be listening when it suddenly starts to recommend content to you.  This could be things you have discussed with friends, or it might've even overheard someone else's conversation that was completely unrelated to you.  But it leaves you with an icky feeling that you're being monitored.

13. Music plays on its own

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Picture this: you're all alone in the house, it's nighttime and it's quiet... But then your smart speaker randomly decides to blast out the Classic Roadtrip Compilation Playlist

at full volume when you go to the kitchen for a glass of water... And you wonder whether someone out there is messing with you!

14. What about interference or static?

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You might also hear quite a lot of interference or static on your smart speaker and there doesn't seem to be an explanation for why it is happening.  Could it be the devices from the people on the other side of the speaker?  Or could it just be your devices?

15. Check your internet plan!

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If you are particularly worried that the tech in your house is listening to you, you might want to check your internet plan.  You see, there might be a sudden noticeable surge of data use from your side that could indicate something out of the ordinary is going on.

16. Your battery drains fast

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In addition to the surge in internet data, you might also notice that the batteries on your devices are draining way quicker than they used to.  Ok, granted this does actually happen as devices become older and batteries wear out, but could it be something in the background draining them?

17. Wait... when did I turn my location on?

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Your location might be on without you remembering that you turned it on... Ok - you might have forgotten, but did you really?  This could be another indication that your device is actually tracking you, and it isn't just in your house anymore, it's wherever you go!

18. There's a constant buzzing sound

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What is that buzzing sound?  You haven't suddenly been infested by a swarm of hornets... but that endless buzzing is becoming a permanent fixture in your life.  Your ears are becoming immune to it but there might be a nagging concern that your speaker is listening.

19. Your device seems to be recording you ALL the time

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There might be some telltale signs of your device constantly recording you.  The light might not turn off, or maybe it is illuminated every time you enter the room, even if you don't make a sound.  You might even worry about it recording you when you go to use the bathroom...

20. There are strange files on your device...

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There might be new files that appear on your device that you believe might be a sign of someone, or something monitoring you.  And a lot of the time, you might not even be able to open these mysterious files and you might worry that if you do, something will happen to your device or accounts.

21. And apps too...

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There might even be new apps appearing on your devices without your permission.  And you might not have even ever heard of the apps before, let alone know why they exist!  These could possibly be another indicator that the tech in your house is listening to you.

22. Why is it always buffering?

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More suspicious activity on your devices might be the fact that it ALWAYS seems to be buffering or installing something.  Usually, this happens when something is being downloaded or installed onto your device and if you haven't approved of this yourself, you might wonder what's going on.

23. You receive calls from unknown numbers

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Perhaps you are receiving unexpected and unwanted calls from unknown numbers which might indicate that your contact details are visible somewhere or have been acquired somehow.  And even if you answer them, you are probably still none the wiser about who it actually is on the other end.

24. Activity on your accounts aligns with your conversations

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You might begin to worry about what you say out loud because it seems that the activity on all of your accounts aligns with your conversations.  From targeted ads to media suggestions and recommendations, you don't feel like you can say anything out loud without your tech's knowledge.

25. Your storage is full

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Another possible indicator is that your storage seems to be filling up pretty fast, even if your device is relatively new and you haven't had a chance to install or create anything yet.  So you might see suspicious files or apps appear without your say-so.

26. Your device keeps freezing

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And nowadays you might not even be able to use your device without it freezing.  Even if you've been lucky enough to keep your storage space low, your device always seems to be busy doing something unknown.  And this activity causes it to constantly freeze.

27. Why is it so slow?!

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Just about everything on your device takes such a long time to load and it has become really slow faster than you would expect it to.  And it might make it almost impossible to use as if something has completely taken over and stolen it from you.  And you can't even open your messages.

28. It switches off on its own

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You might also find that even when you have a full battery, or it's still plugged into the mains, it switches off all by itself without any explanation.  And this happens really unexpectedly and also when it is least convenient for you, making it almost impossible to use your device.

29. It won't turn back on

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Eventually, you might find that some of your devices in your house won't even turn back on.  Especially if you have taken steps to investigate why they are behaving in such a strange and suspicious way.  But does this mean they have stopped listening?

30. You seem to have lost control...

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And finally, in extreme cases, you might feel like you have completely lost control of the tech in your house.  You might even feel like it has begun to even control you, especially if you are censoring what you say aloud and avoiding switching your devices on!  But it is important to note that these signs are mostly speculative and may not necessarily indicate that your devices are actually listening to you!

31. How could your smart devices be listening to you?

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Technology these days is super-duper, as we know, but it also means it can work against you. Your phone could easily be listening to you because it's equipped with microphones, cameras and everything in between. And with most phones set to hands-free as much as possible these days, your phone could definitely be listening.

32. Why would it want to?

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Your phone could be eavesdropping on you because it wants to give you the most personalized experience, as well as collect data about you. This means third parties can more easily give you ads and personalized web experiences. But your phone could also be eavesdropping on you if it's been tapped or compromised!

33. You've started getting ads for something you said out loud

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Did you randomly mention to yourself the other day that 'Oh, I could do with one of those (enter object name here)' and now you're noticing that you're getting ads on your webpages tailored for that very thing you mentioned you needed? Your phone must have heard, right?

34. And you've definitely never Googled that topic!

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Of course, in this day in age, the minute you think of something you need, the logical next step is to quickly grab your phone and Google for what you need. But maybe you mentioned it was something you needed and hadn't got round to searching for it yet - so there's no other explanation other than your phone listening.

35. You discuss a vacation with friends... and suddenly there are ads for it

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The last time your friends were round for a catch up, and your phone was lying innocently on the couch next to you, were you talking loudly about the next vacation you all needed, and where you wanted to go? Did you then notice ads popping up on your phone for vacations in that very destination?

36. Your battery is drained even when you've barely used apps

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There are many logical reasons your battery could be draining even when you think you're not using your phone a lot, because apps and notifications running in the background can easily drain battery even when you're not using your phone. So if you know you've closed all apps and your battery is still being drained, this is a sign.

37. Your phone feels hot to the touch

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Have you noticed that when you pick your phone up sometimes, or when it's in your pocket, it suddenly burns quite hot? There have been issues with batteries overheating on some phone models, but if your phone is just weirdly hot for no reason, it could be a sign it's working hard in the background.

38. You're ALWAYS going over your data plan

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No matter how many times you change your contract and upgrade to allow yourself more data, you always seem to get told you've gone over it for the month. You know you use it a lot out and about for Snapchats, browsing and maybe even Pokémon Go, but there's no way you use as much as they're saying!

39. And you honestly can never work out why!

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Are you sick of getting constant notifications saying that you've gone over your data for the third month in a row, and you have no idea how when you've barely using the internet while roaming? Are you constantly racking your brains to how you've done it? It doesn't make sense, right?

40. You've been told you're using more data when you know you're not

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You know full well that you haven't used more data, even though you're being told by your provider that you have. So this means your phone is likely using the data for you - listening to you, working in the background, and tailoring internet apps! You don't even doubt yourself, you know your phone must be working against you!

41. You've noticed useless apps

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Your devices have a LOT of apps on them - but hey, they're all useful, right? - but you've also noticed recently that you have random apps you don't remember installing. It might just be one hiding in the background, but it could be a sign your phone has been tapped and things are installing without your approval.

42. Ads are starting to appear more and more

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Another sign that your phone might be listening to you and what you're looking for is that you're absolutely bombarded with ads and pop-ups, every single time you go onto the internet or try and search for something. The ads are tailored but also obviously spam.

43. Your devices just don't perform like they used to

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You got an expensive contract for the latest and greatest phone, so you'd expect it to work perfectly for a long time, right? But you've noticed recently your phone doesn't seem to be performing very well - it might be slow and clunky and feel like it's trying to do a lot, which could be a sign someone has tapped or is listening.

44. You're even getting spam calls to your house or other devices

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We all get spam calls from time to time, and especially when we've taken out a new contract or signed up to subscription emails - and we all know how annoying spam calls can be. But if you're seeing a huge influx of spam calls from nowhere, it can be a sign your phone has been tapped.

45. And weird looking texts, too

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Spam texts can also happen as often as spam calls, but it's rare that spam texts are completely nonsensical! Spam texts are usually 'follow this link to track your package' vibes, but if you have texts that seem like random code, it could be a sign of being tapped or someone listening through your phone.

46. Your contacts have been getting messages from you that you definitely didn't send!

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Have you had your friends and family say that they've got random messages from you? Whether texts or email? Messages written as though they're from you but inviting them to do something dodgy like click a suspicious link? This could be a sign your phone has been infiltrated!

47. The websites you visit look a little... off

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Have you noticed when you're browsing on your phone - and maybe even those websites you've had tailored ads for (because your phone has been listening to you!) - the websites you visit look a little off, like maybe pixelated logos, old-fashioned fonts or tabs that don't work?

48. Your phone's torch randomly comes on

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Do you leave your phone beside you, or across the room, and notice it lighting up without you even touching it or saying anything? This could be your phone 'coming awake' because it's listening to what you're saying without you needing to touch it, or prompt it.

49. Temperamental devices are now the norm

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You've also noticed that a lot of the time, your phone doesn't do what you're asking it to do. You might try to press certain buttons to find they don't work, or it locks itself, maybe even types its own words and goes crazy when you're trying to send a message. This could also be a sign!

50. Your device cameras switch on randomly

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You'll be casually browsing your phone only for the camera app to open itself, whether the front-facing or the back-facing. Or you might find your phone is across the room and when you pick it up, the camera app is open even though you don't remember opening it...