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Home > Cell Phone Spy Software – the Complete Guide

Cell Phone Spy Software – theComplete GuideI have created this cell phone spy software guide to help you save twothings, time and money. You’ve probably found this site whilst searchingonline for information about cell phone spy software or monitoringsoftware. Good reliable information is hard to find on the subject so Ihave put together this guide designed for complete beginners as well asmore experienced users.

Whether you are looking for information about using this software orneed advice on where to buy it, I think I can help.

How to Use This GuideIf you are a total beginner, start at the beginning and read everything.For everyone else it is laid out so that you can scan ahead and find theinformation you require compiled in one place. I cover the main points inthis article and for each section you can click on the blue links to go to amore detailed explanation. The links will open a new page with amore in-depth look at each subject.

Home About Contact Us Cell Phone Spy Software Guide

CELL PHONE SPYINGTHE COMPLETE GUIDEStep by Step - How to SPY on a Cell Phone or Tablet

MOBILESPY REVIEW

MOBISTEALTH REVIEW

SPYBUBBLE REVIEW

EASYSPY REVIEW

PhoneSheriff Investigator Review – NoJailbreak RequiredMAY 7, 2014

Phone Spy Software Comparison –StealthGenie vs Mobile Spy vs mSpyNOVEMBER 26, 2013

How to Hide the Cydia App Icon AfterJailbreaking an iPhoneSEPTEMBER 18, 2013

How to Monitor WhatsApp MessagesUsing Spy SoftwareSEPTEMBER 13, 2013

How to Monitor Viber Messages andCalls – All of ThemSEPTEMBER 13, 2013

Important Reading!

The Best Spy Software?

The Problem With Spy SoftwareWhat’s the problem, why do you need this guide? At first glance cellphone spy software can be quite confusing. There is a lot of informationto take in: how does it work, whatphones are compatible, what can youmonitor. Then you come across termslike Jailbreaking and Rooting it canquickly become confusing. Take yourtime it is actually morestraightforward than you first think.

The second problem is finding theright product from a reliablecompany. Unfortunately this market has been targeted by someunscrupulous companies offering software which does not work. Thereare a lot of scams around and you really need to be careful what youbuy. Sometimes these companies can look legitimate to the untrainedeye, but they will basically take your money and run.

Another problem is finding out how to use the software effectively andget the most from it. There aren’t many places on the web with anydetails on how to use spy phone software, apart from the companiesselling it.

The fact is that most of the so-called review sites you’ll come across,have never even tried the software. Any product on this site that Irecommend, I have tested and in some cases have them permanentlyinstalled on my own cell phones. Not only does this help me to evaluatethe various programs, but it means I can give valid help and advice on

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how to use them properly.

Cell phone spy software is a technical product. People do haveproblems with installing and using the software but most of theseproblems are easily avoided, when you have some real experience.

The Legal QuestionsI focus solely on legal ways to use spy software – you can read more atthat link. When people first discover these monitoring programs theywonder how they can be legal.

It is perfectly legal to sell and use cell phone spy software but in legalterms there are certain conditions.

1. You must own orhave legal authorityover the targetphone.

2. You must informany adult user of thetarget phone thatthey are beingmonitored.

Obviously it will be againstthe laws of most countriesto just spy on anyone’s cellphone. Some seriously misleading advertizing has led people to believethis is possible – and many will ignore the legal requirements.

To stay within the law you can basically use this type of software in two

legal ways to spy on a cell phone

ways:

You can monitor your own children’s cell phones – withoutnotifying them if you wish.

You can monitor your company cell phones but here you mustinform the users that their phone may be monitored.

Anything else beyond these circumstances and you will be breakingsome privacy law or other. Of course human nature is what it is andpeople will ignore this in many cases – but you have been warned. (Thatis my disclaimer!)

What is Cell Phone Spy Software – Whatcan it Do?It is basically software which when installed on a cell phone (the targetphone), will monitor most activities that take place through the phone. Ifyou haven’t looked at any of these programs before I can guarantee youwill be amazed just how deep this monitoring can go. The best programshave become very sophisticated and can monitor most phone use.

If you’re totally new to spy software, I recommend you check out acouple of my reviews. These should help you get a better understandingof how it all works.

StealthGenie Review

Mobile Spy Review

mSpy Review

Comparison of Features Review

Each software program will have its own unique set of featurespackaged together in different price plans. They all offer the samebasic features such as monitoring text messages, e-mails, web history,call logs and GPS tracking. These features and more are usuallyavailable with the cheapest price plans.

They also offer more advanced features for even more detailedmonitoring. Some of these include call recording, monitoring chatservices such as WhatsApp, Skype and Viber, monitoring social networkuse, phone surroundings recording and remotely controlling the targetphone.

The top spy monitoring programs are regularly updating their moreadvanced features, competing with each other to offer morecapabilities.

For more details check out – What Can Spy Software Do?

Will Monitoring Software Work on MyPhonePeople can get confused about the requirements for spy software towork and which cell phones are supported by the differentcompanies. There are two other major points to consider:

1. The iPhone – for ANY spy software to be installed on the iPhone(any version), the phone must be Jailbroken. No exceptions – no thirdparty software can be installed on an iPhone unless it has a Jailbreak.The same goes for any iPad you wish to monitor. For more info see - what is jailbreaking

information see What is Jailbreaking and How to Jailbreak an iPhone.2. Rooting an Android – again there is some confusion around this

one. Rooting is NOT necessary for spy software to work on anAndroid phone – but there are a couple of features which requireRooting to work properly. For Mobile Spy Live Control Panel to workthe phone needs to be Rooted and to monitor WhatsApp on mostprograms again Rooting is required. Apart from a couple ofadvanced features Rooting is not needed. Read more about Rootingan Android here.

Now let’s look at what else is required.Cell phone spy software will only work on Smartphones – that isphones with an internet connection.

The phone you intend to monitor MUST have some access to theinternet. It is best if it has an active data plan but it can work withreduced features using a Wi-Fi connection at home. Data logs – allreporting – is sent from the target phone via a web connection. Nointernet connection means no monitoring. So your ten year old Nokiabrick will be safe from spy software!

The second thing you need is a phone which is supported by thesoftware program you plan to use.

I go into lots more detail in this article about Phone Compatibility.

This type of software will work in ANY country with any service provider– wherever you can get an internet connection.

The most important thing is to make sure the spy software supports thetarget phone Operating System. If this sounds strange to you – go

check out that article!

How Does It Actually Work?Getting this part clear in your head will help you understand why certainrequirements are important for the software to work well. They say animage can tell a thousand words so take a look at the picture below.

Photo credit – StealthGenie

The basic process is this:

The spy software is installed on the target cell phone.

All monitored activity is logged and sent to the spy software

company servers via a web connection.

You log in with a unique password to view the reports – again with aninternet connection from any device, anywhere in the world. Reportscan be downloaded to your PC in most cases.

You can read this article to find out more details.

What About Remotely Installing Spy Software?I love this one – I keep getting asked how you can install spy softwarewithout having access to the target phone. The answer is simple – youcan’t!

The confusion comes from some software products online claiming thatthis is possible. Trust me on this one, they are all scams and will not workas they describe. You canread a great article aboutremote install spy software atSpyzRus.net.

If you buy one of theseprograms you will lose yourmoney and have a uselessproduct. The only way tomonitor a cell phone is byphysically installing spysoftware onto the targetphone – you need to haveaccess to the target phone for at least a few minutes. No exceptions!

you can BUT remote phone spy DOES NOT work as well as the spy you mustinstall directly to the cell phone.

Only go for remote cell phone spyIF there is no way you can getaccess to the target phone toinstall the conventional phone spyor the phone you want to spy on is not compatible with any of thephone spy.

Remote phone spy relies onbluetooth connection to spy on it.Generally a remote phone spywill only successfully allow you to spy on the target cell phones text messages and phone calls.

If the phone is password protected you will also need to get past that toinstall the software.

Buying Cell Phone Spy Software SafelySo we are moving on – you know a bit about how it all works, what it cando and the type of phones we can monitor. Now you need to find theright spy software for your needs but most importantly, you need tofind one which works and won’t leave you feeling ripped off!

If you are starting from scratch, with no knowledge, this is the mostdifficult part – but you have this guide to help you!

The key to buying safely is to do some due diligence, this way you canavoid the scams and poor quality programs. You need to be able toevaluate the spy software company and if you are reading spy softwarereviews – you need to consider the review site and their motives.

I go into a lot more detail in this article – Buying Cell Spy Software Safely– you must read this before buying any spy software.

Choose the Best Software for Your NeedsPeople get obsessed about which is the best cell phone spy software.Everyone will form their own opinions on this but the important thing isto find the best one for your needs.

To make that decision you needto find programs which:

Everyone seems to get obsessed aboutwhat is the .best cell phone spy

to find programs which:

Support your target cellphone

Cover your monitoringneeds

Suit your budget

There are no shortcuts here; you need to look at the programs in a littlemore detail. To help I have written some in depth reviews of the bestones. Using these reviews will help you to identify which ones meet yourrequirements.

Recommended Spy Software ProgramsThis is by no means a definitive list – other programs are available.These are the cell phone spy programs that I have tried and tested andam happy to recommend:StealthGenie

Mobile Spy

mSpy

Remember your due diligence – don’t just accept what I say, check themout for yourself!

A New Addition – But Not Really Spy Software

EasySpyCell TrackerSpybubbleMobistealthMobileSpy

I have tested a new type of monitoring product this year calledPhoneSheriff Investigator Edition – it is from the company behindMobileSpy. It can only monitor Apple devices such as the iPhone andiPad, under certain limitations, and does not require the phone to beJailbroken.

Now get this straight, it is not regular cell phone spy software – it isnot installed on any phone, and is in fact a computer software programwhich runs on Windows (hence no Jailbreaking). It is quite limited interms of features and shouldn’t really be compared to the others. IfJailbreaking the iPhone is not an option for you and you still want to keepan eye on your kid’s phone, PhoneSheriff Investigator might be worth alook. It is a good example of how this market is changing quickly withnew products and new ways of monitoring – who knows where we will bein another five years!

How to Install Monitoring Software on aCell PhoneSo now you have gone through the learning and evaluating process –you’ve selected the software and you just need to buy it and install thesoftware onto the target phone. This part is really important as mostproblems will arise from the software not being installed properly.

I have a detailed guide for Installing Cell Phone Spy Software – check itout.

The simple version -

Choose the software wisely

If you are mostly interested in monitoring your kids cell phone then no discussionon cell phone spy would be complete without including these two;

Phone SheriffPhone Beagle

How to install cell phone spy

Buy the package you require

You get a download link in an email

Download and install the software onto the target phone

Configure the options and settings

Re-boot the phone

Sign in to the online Dashboard to view reports

Sounds easy – and in most cases it is. You must follow any specificdirections from the spy software company to the letter.

Taking your time is a good idea if it is your first attempt at using theseprograms.

Don’t forget to read the article!

Potential Problems with Monitoring SoftwareSpy software is a technical product and things can go wrong – people dohave problems from time to time. If you buy a poor quality softwareprogram, the problems will never be resolved. If you stick to therecommended spy software apps you will at least have some back upwhen things do not work.

Most problems will arise from three things:

Selecting the wrong program or package – we go back to theimportance of compatibility and is your phone supported.

Incorrect installation – it is easy to slip up during the installationprocess, especially if you are trying to hurry.

Poor Web connection – everything depends on good internetconnections. If internet access is interrupted, the reporting will beinterrupted.

Consider the technology at work and understand that you will have downtime at some point. The best programs work hard to minimize anymissed reports but if your connection lets you down you may encountersome breaks in reporting.

I continually monitor the programs which I recommend and part of myreason for a recommendation is service reliability.

Tips for Getting HelpIf you do encounter problems with your spy software it is good to knowyou can get some help and support from the software providers.Some are better at providing this support than others and in my opinionthey could all do with some improvements in this area.

They will all help but the speed of reply can sometimes be too slow. Ihave found a few ways to get better support service.

If you are contacting a support line – by phone, email or live chat, bepersistent. Try contacting them at different times – day and night,some support centers are in different time zones.

Try to ask clear and to the point questions – don’t just go off on a rant!

Be polite but get your points across.