What To Look For When Snooping Through Your Partner’s Phone?

The risk may not be worth the trouble if you don’t know what to look for when snooping through a phone, especially if the suspect is your bae. We are sorry you felt compelled to spy in the first place. The very act doesn’t point at a happy, healthy relationship. Your gut must have told you something fishy is happening in your relationship behind your back. 

Alternatively, it’s also possible that you are typically a paranoid person. However, we would like to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume your partner has handed you a valid reason to feel this way. Being blindsided like that is bound to drive you mad. 

Right then, your attention turns to that one treasure trove of information—their phone. Even the greatest players leave digital footprints of their transgression. All you need is a killer snooping strategy to catch them in the act. Let’s walk you through the ethical loopholes along with a master plan to expose the phone owner. 

Is It Healthy To Go Through Your Partner’s Phone?—It’s Not, But Why Do People Snoop?

Do you want the truth or just something to ease your guilty conscience? Let’s be blunt—breaking into someone’s phone is not acceptable. It verges on digital abuse. If you get caught, you could face charges for a direct breach of privacy. Honestly, the consequences don’t look good.

We believe, deep down, everyone understands the stakes before reaching out for that little temptation. They know they are crossing a strict boundary but can’t seem to talk themselves out of it.

According to a Pew Research Center survey, 42% of American adults agreed that snooping through your partner’s phone without consent is inappropriate. Yet the same study reveals that one in three Americans has fessed up to looking through their lover’s phone in their absence. 

Another recent survey by a telecommunication portal shows that 68% of their test subjects expressed no repentance for their actions. Strange, isn’t it? These people were fully aware of the contradictions in their conduct. Then why would someone bend their moral compass? Here’s why:

1. Trust issues between partners

No one in an emotionally secure relationship would ever entertain thoughts like, “What to check on her phone to see if she’s cheating?” Research shows that lack of trust is the predominant factor behind this. 

Your partner’s suspicious behavior could easily cost you a good night’s sleep. Precisely what are they doing at the office until one in the morning every day? The less transparent they are about their whereabouts, the more it triggers you to keep a tab on them. 

2. Insecurities and doubt in one’s ability   

It’s a wonder how disbelief crops up in a relationship. Take a couple in my neighborhood, for example. She teaches kindergarten and he is in investment banking. The huge disparity in their wages stood like a wall between them. Clara was worried Asher would leave her for someone else of his financial stature. 

Inside his phone, she looked for evidence to validate her delusions. That’s what insecurities do to you—they turn you into a phone-snooping suspicious shadow of yourself.   

3. Fear and anxiety

Let’s just say that a person is not born pryer. They become the way they are after many painful episodes of childhood trauma and toxic relationships. Perhaps your previous partner was a serial cheater. Or maybe even your current partner has broken your trust in the past. 

No matter how hard you try to forgive and forget, you never fully overcome the lingering fear of “What if it happens again?” That pent-up anxiousness eventually spirals into the urge: “I want to look through my boyfriend’s phone”.

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4. Relationship OCD

You combed through your partner’s phone that one time. Was there any good reason? Maybe, maybe not. It could be out of mere curiosity. Perhaps you were looking for enough evidence to prove them the bad guy and end the relationship. Either way, you found nothing to hold it against them. 

Since then, that one attempt snowballed into an obsession. Going into a person’s phone repetitively is a byproduct of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. In Relationship OCD, your intrusive thoughts push you to repeat the same invasive action for momentary relief. 

What To Look For When Snooping Through A Phone? 

Snooping is a big no-no for someone trying to build a relationship on the foundation of respect and trust. Why on earth then would we guide our readers to access their partner’s confidential details? For one thing, the world is not entirely segregated into black and white. 

The gray zone in the middle goes beyond the boundaries of right and wrong. Snooping through someone’s phone can be legitimized under certain conditions. For instance:

• They are putting you in some kind of danger such as financial fraud
• You know for sure that your partner is cheating but they outright denied the allegation. Now you need to find incriminating evidence to get them to acknowledge the affair

Nobody would frown upon this little trick for the sake of your peace of mind and a secure future. But to play the card right, you have to know your way around the cobweb of the digital world. Let’s help you with exactly what to look for when snooping through a phone:

1. Snoop through their messages and emails

Ease yourself into the investigation process and start with the basics. When looking through her phone, scroll through the recent messages and emails. Some people don’t even bother hiding their tracks. You might get all the information lying in front of you on the very first go. However, we may have to dig deeper if they put in extra effort. So, 

• Look for multiple chat apps on that phone, not just the default texting app
• Did they have a conversation with some ‘John Work’ at 2 last night? Search for any suspicious contact name 
• Don’t overlook the archived conversations
• Once you find the tea, check for pictures and other media files shared in that chat for further insights 

2. Check out the call history and contacts 

Sounds like the oldest trick in the book, right? That’s because it’s always proven to be highly effective. The call history can sell a cheating person out with precise details of their daily conversations. 

I remember an ex-boyfriend who spent hours on the terrace talking to a ‘friend’. His phone bill respectfully disagreed though. Oh, it was a friend alright—a very special one. If your partner happens to hide in the other room too, here’s what you do:

• See who they are calling, paying close attention to the call durations 
• Tap into their favorite contacts and speed dial list
• Try to get access to their phone bill for the call logs from the last few months 

3. Gallery and Google photos 

The photo gallery is the gold mine to find hidden stuff on boyfriend’s phone. There is a peculiar thrill in a secret affair. One feels tempted to save the selfies of their affair partner knowing full well they might get caught. And don’t even get us started on these secret lovers exchanging nudes. Follow our lead to uncover more evidence:

• Start by thoroughly combing through the gallery 
• Are they receiving romantic memes from someone else? Look into it 
• Don’t skip the cloud storage because potential threats are often backed up there
• Most phones have a feature to create hidden folders. That’s your next target. Any folder that requires a password is worth further investigation  

4. Their ‘trash’ is your treasure 

If they intend to hide something, they’ll likely delete it—simple as that. That makes the trash folder one of the major things to check on girlfriend’s phone. From deleted messages to pictures tossed into the recycle bin, the possibilities are endless. Who knows the real scoop might be in the trash!

While you are at it, skim through their list of recently blocked contacts. There might be a scheme at play to avoid texting or receiving calls from a certain someone when you are around.

5. Look at their browsing history 

Ever heard the saying, ‘If you want to know someone, look into their search history?’ Google is our middle name. It knows all about our darkest thoughts, curiosities, and guilty pleasures. You just need to master the art of navigating search engine history like a pro. So, whenever you are ready, 

• Keep an eye out for any suspicious behavior or patterns in their browsing history 
• Did they search for ‘secret dating apps’ or something to that effect?
• Check out the saved login credentials for any surprises
• Downloads and bookmarked items are equally important 
• If they shifted to incognito mode, leverage spy apps like mSpy or eyeZy to retrieve the full record 

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6. Are their any suspicious apps?

Did you seize the perfect opportunity to snoop into your partner’s phone only to find nothing? No secret folders, no deleted messages—ah, such a waste of time and energy. Surprise, surprise! The search isn’t over yet. Let’s open Pandora’s box of secret apps. 

Wondering where to look on iPhone to see if your partner is cheating? Head to ‘screen time’ in the settings. On Android, it’s the ‘digital well-being’ feature. It will give you a panoramic view of the most used apps and the time spent on them. Did they spend a suspiciously long time on a calculator? That’s your first clue. Here are more examples to watch out for:

• If there are multiple clocks or calculators on the phone, one of them has to be a disguised photo-vault 
• Is there a game called Plato with a dice icon? Tap on it. Plato, Briar, Wire—all are discreet chat apps that don’t look like it at a glance

7. Social media activities

What to look for when snooping through a phone? We believe social media has a lot of potential. In the digital age, when people even flirt on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram are hardly innocent. If your partner is cheating on Facebook or Snapchat, their apps will have some clues. Find your sweet time to grab your partner’s phone because a lot of work will go into this. Such as,

• Create a suspect list based on their activities including likes, comments, and tags
• Check out their messenger activities, chat histories
• Find out who’s DMs they are sliding into 
• Are they logged in from multiple accounts that you didn’t know of? Then prioritize the data and content from the secondary account because this could be the one they might be using to cheat on you

8. Track their location with Google Maps

Your boo has ditched you for four weekends in a row to hang out with their friends. Hard not to take it personally, isn’t it? Also, a little mysterious. While you are on your snooping venture, Google Maps can help clarify the mixup. Most phones have location history enabled. You can track the trail through map data and catch your partner at a suspicious stop. 

Some of our readers asked about apps to look for on boyfriend’s phone. We bet you didn’t expect Uber in answer to that. Right after maps, the cab services know best about your partner’s whereabouts. One scroll through their riding history can uncover whether they have been sneaking off to romantic rendezvous.

9. Bank transactions 

Payment statements are great at revealing if your partner is cheating on you. A person leading a double life has to have some discrepancies in their banking activities. There’s no point idly wondering what to check on his phone. Get cracking at his financial secrets right away. Here’s how:

• The easy way to do this is, of course, the messages and notifications from banking apps. If you have access to full statements, even better
• Carefully review every expenditure, lump sum withdrawals and transfers
• Hotel bills, subscriptions to dating sites, or payment receipts from a cafe—everything adds up to something 

 10. Unexplained purchases through shopping apps

So, a deep dive into your partner’s search history and bank statements brought up a down-payment at Tiffany’s. Odd, considering you never received that necklace. Suspicions begin to cloud your mind. Who was it for? 

Before you stomp out and spark a heated argument, take a quick glance through the other shopping apps on their phone. They better not be spending more money on expensive clothes for an affair partner!

11. Monitor the calendar entries 

A good friend of mine, Garry, had enough of his wife’s lies and decided to pull a crafty stunt. He went into her calendar and noted down all the meetings scheduled for the next few weeks. Then, he made a few calls to confirm her story and dropped by some of these locations. And there she was, enjoying dinner with her lover. 

No one ever imagines getting caught through calendar entries. It’s a vulnerable spot and that’s what makes it your trump card. Remember to cover this the next time you check on her phone to see if she’s cheating.

Can A Relationship Survive Snooping?

Imagine you got a little carried away after learning how to find hidden stuff on boyfriend’s phone. And now they gave you the ultimatum. All you needed was a little reassurance. Losing everything you had was likely not a part of your plan. The good news is that it’s fixable. 

Prying isn’t necessarily a deal breaker for everyone. Especially if you can convince them it was nothing but a momentary lapse of judgment. Open communication and trust between partners is the glue that holds a relationship together. Give your partner a chance to calm down and clear their head. Once they come back, make it a point to work on these two aspects. 

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It shouldn’t be that big of a deal—unless you accidentally discovered something truly damaging. In that case, the blame game will linger on for a while and your relationship may not withstand the blow. 

One might feel oddly powerful with the knowledge of what to look for when snooping through a phone. We don’t want you to misuse this advantage and snap at your partner’s privacy at every chance you get. Desperate times call for desperate measures and snooping is one of them, a rare exception. This cannot turn into a viable solution to all your relationship issues. Talk to your dear one—fight, weather the storm together. That’s the only way you grow as a couple. 

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