Connor BrookeWith the best spy app for iPhone, you’ll be able to look at what someone else is doing on their phone — this includes things like browser history monitoring or GPS tracking. But there are hundreds of alleged spy phone app solutions for iPhone; however, many don’t work or function sub-optimally compared to their competition.
Remember that these spy apps aren’t inherently unethical; for example, they can help monitor children’s internet use. Today, we’ll be going over the best spy apps for iPhone in 2023 and pitting them against each other to find out which is the best for you.
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The 11 Best Phone Spy Apps for iPhone 2023
Our research and testing of the market’s leading iPhone spy apps concluded that mSpy was undoubtedly the cream of the crop for comprehensive iPhone monitoring. Here’s how the competition stacks up:
- mSpy — Overall the Best iPhone Spy App | Check out the Free Demo!
- EyeZy — Best Spy App for Real-time Alerts | Take Advantage of its 3-Day Free Trial Before You Buy.
- uMobix — Best for Monitoring Social Media Apps | Comes with a 14-Day Money-Back Guarantee.
- Cocospy — Simple & Intuitive Spy App for Beginners | Offers a 14-Day Risk-Free Money-Back Guarantee.
- XNSpy — Spy on iPhone Without Access to Target Phone | Provides a 10-Day Refund Policy.
- iKeyMonitor — The Best Free Spy App for iPhone | Has a Solid 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee.
- Spyic — Leading iOS App for Monitoring Children | Offers an Impressive 60-Day Money-Back Guarantee!
- Mobile Tracker — Popular Free iOS Spy App | Effortless to Use | Check Out the Demo.
- Hoverwatch — Hidden iPhone Spy App | Cover up to 25 Devices on 1 Subscription.
- Spyera — Great Monitoring Tools and a 10-Day Money-Back Guarantee.
- Mobilespy.at — Spy on Multiple Devices with 1 Subscription | Check out the 2-Day Free Trial.
To compile the list above of the best iOS spy app providers, we took several factors into consideration, including ease of use, pricing, free trials, money-back guarantees, and overall iPhone capabilities.
Eager to learn more? Keep reading as we explore each one in more depth.
The Top Phone Spy Apps in 2023 Reviewed
Here we’ll be looking at the best spy apps for iPhones ranked against each other.
While all the apps on this list will do an excellent job of completing basic tasks, we want to compare their more advanced spying features and price tags to help you get to the best iPhone spy app for your needs.
1. mSpy — Overall, the Best iPhone Spy App
mSpy is a phenomenal parent-focused spy app for iPhone that runs completely undetected on the target device. You can easily remotely control apps and programs on the iPhone device from anywhere — all undetected.
Besides this, mSpy can easily spy on location, social media platforms, messages, phone calls, browser history, and multimedia files — with screen recording capabilities; you can view absolutely everything happening on the device in real-time.
Plus, where other tools might have difficulties with GPS tracking features, mSpy’s is highly accurate, with geofencing support and location history viewing capabilities.
Geofencing allows you to set up alerts for when your child enters or leaves marked areas — this could be home, a friend’s house, or school.
To make matters better, mSpy doesn’t require you to jailbreak the target’s phone; plus, you’ll also be able to see all your children’s texts on your parental dashboard so you can view them even if they’re deleted. You can even look at the images and videos sent through messaging apps.
Besides all this, you can pick and choose which WiFi networks your kids can connect to and the sites they can visit, and on top of this, the keylogging feature will enable you to look at your children’s social media activities — every single word they type across apps — even if it’s on a platform mSpy can’t monitor.
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2. EyeZy — Best Spy App for Real-time Alerts
EyeZy is one of the best iPhone spy apps for real-time monitoring and tracking. With this spy app, you can get alerts when the target phone enters or leaves the geofenced areas.
You can also be alerted to incoming calls or specific keywords used in text messages and on social media accounts. For example, you can set up alerts for when your child uses words like “porn,” “dating sites,” “drugs,” or “suicide.”
EyeZy has tons of other amazing features, too. This app enables users to monitor messages across social media channels like Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Instagram, and more.
It can capture screenshots and browse photos on an iPhone, plus search through the target phone user’s calendar and email — you’ll know everything you need to know for peace of mind, all at a glance.
Besides all this, one of our favorite things about EyeZy is that installation is incredibly simple. Users can install EyeZy directly onto an iPhone or use iCloud sync to install the app.
Alternatively, it’s possible to install EyeZy over a local WiFi network using an iPhone’s local sync feature. Once installed, the app is very difficult to detect without specialized software.
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3. uMobix — Best for Monitoring Social Media Apps
uMobix is our top pick for social media spying. With this spy app, users can track a target’s online activities on Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Reddit, and more.
uMobix is even capable of spying on users’ conversations in dating apps like Tinder and Bumble, giving parents an incredible amount of transparency into what their children are doing online.
uMobix is also packed with more common features, including a built-in keystroke logger and GPS tracking. You can also remotely control a phone’s settings to limit screen time on specific apps or to prevent access to the device entirely.
Besides this, one unique feature of this app is that it enables you to monitor deleted data and modifications to contacts.
If a target user changes a contact’s name, for example, you’ll be notified, and uMobix will help you keep track of the activity related to that contact.
uMobix can also be used to remotely activate an iPhone’s camera or microphone or record activity on the screen. That makes it very useful for monitoring more than just what’s happening on the phone itself — all in real-time.
This includes social media feeds and the video content they’re consuming.
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4. Cocospy – Simple and Intuitive Spy App for Beginners
Cocospy is the best spy app for iPhone on this list regarding its user-friendliness and ease of use.
The app can be set up and installed within 5 minutes, as advertised, and provides you with a straightforward dashboard through which you can spy on the other device.
While the tool is simple, it’s not easily outdone in terms of the plethora of features it possesses.
It allows you to monitor GPS location and read any SMS or iMessage, including deleted ones. It also tracks all multimedia and audio files exchanged with the monitored phone.
Cocospy also allows you to monitor social media chats, extending even to more underground networks outside of the usual Facebook/Instagram/Snapchat.
You also get access to the calendar and contact book of the target mobile device for additional insight into the user’s activity. Like most advanced tools, it comes with a keylogger and allows you to look at the phone’s gallery and file storage.
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5. XNSpy — Spy on iPhone Without Access to the Target Phone
XNSpy is one of the few iOS spy apps that can work perfectly without jailbreak — and even without installing software. This makes it one of the best spy apps for iPhones without physical access to the target device.
It’s a giant in the iOS spying space, and for a good reason. The app is cram-packed with an abundance of features but maintains a great degree of user-friendliness.
It also comes with handy alerts. With the premium version, you can get an alert whenever a watchlist word is mentioned on the phone or whenever the other person receives an email.
You can also remotely use the target device’s camera to record their surroundings or even stealthily wipe data. As one of the best hidden spy apps for iPhone, XNSpy is nigh-undetectable when installed on a monitored device.
XNSpy also allows you to read emails off the targeted device and is compatible with iOS and Android, so it’s also one of the best Android spy apps.
On top of all of this, with XNSpy, you can effortlessly monitor and look through multimedia files stored on the tracked device. This is great not only for parental monitoring but for businesses looking to ensure the appropriate use of work devices.
XNSpy lets you monitor the location of the spied phone and location history to see where they’ve been before — everything and more is on offer with XNSpy, but it does come at a higher price.
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6. iKeyMonitor — The Best Free Spy App for iPhone
iKeyMonitor is the best free spy app for iPhone. It has exceeded other free spy apps for iPhone in our testing due to the breadth of its features. It’s also compatible with Android phones, and upon installation, the app is immediately set to stealth mode.
Once you’ve installed iKeyMonitor on an iPhone, you won’t need to fiddle with the customization anymore. You can also remove the app from the targeted phone with ease.
It was initially developed as a keylogger software; however, it has expanded to provide complete remote control of the target device, including taking screenshots, recording videos, and more.
iKeyMonitor is relatively simple to use, providing a user profile and control panel of the targeted iPhone. The tool is also great at dodging malware scanners and antivirus programs since it installs itself as a system app.
Unfortunately, some of the more advanced capabilities are behind a paywall, so depending on your needs, the free version may not be sufficient.
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7. Spyic — Leading iOS Spy App for Monitoring Children’s Phone Use
Spyic is one of the best iOS spy apps for parental monitoring. It allows you to block unwanted messages, sites, and more with a single button. It tracks SMS messages, GPS locations, and even social media.
One of its best features is that it can also track deleted phone calls and messages. With that said, Spyic also lets you monitor whatever social media platform you want, including Telegram, Facebook, WhatsApp, and more.
Plus, you don’t need to root or jailbreak the phone to monitor it.
To sweeten the deal further, you also get access to a keylogger that easily lets you track your kids’ keystrokes, and you can also remotely access their camera or microphone to monitor their conversations and track their browser history to ensure they’re not looking at anything inappropriate.
As expected, Spyic also allows you to monitor your children’s multimedia files to ensure they’re not keeping anything from you. All in all, few tools do iPhone spying for parental purposes as soundly as Spyic.
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8. Mobile Tracker — Popular Free iOS Spy Apps
Mobile Tracker’s free version is one of the best free spy apps for iPhone. It allows you to track all cell phone activities on the target device easily. You can look at multimedia files, messages, GPS locations, and more.
If you’re looking to take your experience to the next level, then Mobile Tracker’s flexible pricing plan will allow you to customize your pricing to get only the features you need.
However, the free version is nothing to scoff at either, as it will enable you to take screenshots every 2 hours and monitor up to 5 calls daily, although you can only monitor one device.
On top of all this, you can take remote control of the device — allowing you to lock it, use the camera, or record sound remotely. Plus, you can also monitor various multimedia files, including photos, images, and audio recordings.
Mobile Tracker Free is phenomenal for parents; not only can you monitor the above, but you can also restrict phone use by blocking out all applications.
Furthermore, it’ll alert you immediately whenever something is added to the spied iPhone’s calendar.
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9. Hoverwatch — Hidden iPhone Spy App
Hoverwatch is one of the best hidden spy apps for iPhone. It’s geared toward both employers and parents, and it comes with GPS location tracking, call audio, and social media monitoring.
There’s also a free edition, which isn’t bad compared to the best free spy apps for iPhone. The tool automatically detects SIM card changes and works on PCs and phones. It works on Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows devices.
Plus, you can also remotely view all activity occurring on the spied device and even track to-do lists. With that said, it’s unsurprising that this monitoring app has found its way into businesses.
Besides all the above, it can also monitor most apps used for hidden communications, like Kik, Viber, and Snapchat, letting you keep track of communications that are usually kept hidden or automatically deleted.
Of course, you can also SMS messages and calls — even if they’re deleted from the call history.
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10. Spyera — Leading iOS Spy App for Monitoring
Spyera is one of the best iOS spy apps for general spying activities, and most of its features don’t require you to commit to complicated rooting procedures.
It provides text message tracking, social media monitoring, app usage tracking, and more sophisticated features like call recording.
You can also remotely turn WiFi or internet connectivity on or off on the spied device, letting you monitor the time your kids or employees spend online. It notifies you immediately if the device’s SIM card has been changed.
The tool also allows you to have remote control and shut down or restart the phone, and of course, it’s also entirely hidden and anonymous. You can even track if any USB or wireless connections were attained with the device.
All in all, Spyera is an excellent tool that comes with advanced capabilities, a reasonably priced premium plan, and a quality user interface. However, the beginner experience could stand to be a bit simpler.
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11. Mobilespy.at – Best Spy App for Multiple Devices
Mobilespy.at provides an excellent multi-phone dashboard. It allows you to monitor up to 2000 devices, making it ideal for a business setting.
The dashboard is simple and intuitive, allowing you to seamlessly switch between the multi-device view and any single connected device. It monitors a variety of social media, ranging from Facebook and Instagram to the likes of VK and Tumblr.
Any messages sent are instantly saved and can be retrieved at will. You also get real-time access to all photos, contacts, calls, videos, and messages. They’re even archived in case they get deleted.
Mobilespy.at gives you access to GPS tracking and a WiFi tracker that gives you information on all nearby WiFi networks and their locations. It also allows you to see whether the device is online or offline.
One of the more unique features is that you can monitor notifications. This means all messages on the spied phone will also pop up on yours.
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How do iPhone Spy Apps Work?
The answer to this question varies from app to app. However, the best spy apps for iPhone will install themselves as a system file or won’t require installation at all.
Spyware applications that establish themselves as a system file work by disguising themselves as a part of the iPhone’s operating system and transmitting information directly to you. This is why many of them require a jailbroken phone.
Most apps that don’t require installation work through iCloud and are only capable of transmitting online-related information. These apps take the lead from iCloud synchronization rather than directly from the target’s phone.
Why Use an iPhone Spy App?
There are ample reasons people opt for an iPhone spy app. Here are some of the most common ones:
Monitoring Children
Children have access to a wide variety of inappropriate content through the internet. Whether this be conducting inappropriate behavior through social media, messaging apps, or simply looking up content not fit for their age.
Parent-oriented iPhone spy apps allow you to monitor and stop this. They also provide GPS tracking and geofencing, which can be a great boon if your child gets lost, kidnapped, or merely loses their phone.
Finally, you can monitor the amount of time your children spend on online activities, as some of these apps allow you to lock their phone or simply lock the internet browser.
Looking At Employee Activities
iPhone spying apps will allow you to monitor what your employees do using company devices or simply on the company WiFi. Trading secrets with competitors or merely browsing unproductive or inappropriate sites.
iPhone spying apps let you control this by blocking out inappropriate websites and allowing you to monitor messaging so that your confidential data is never shared without your knowledge.
Theft is also a significant issue with expensive mobile devices such as iPhones. With GPS tracking capabilities and alerts, you’ll know if an employee tries to change their SIM card.
Spying On Cheating Lovers
Cheating happens, and regardless of whether it’s ethical, sometimes people need that knowledge to help them sleep soundly at night. iPhone spying apps let you monitor your lover’s social media activities and spot if they’re receiving or sending inappropriate messages.
This can help you feel safe about your relationship or help rebuild trust in a relationship where an event like this has already occurred.
With that said, it’s important to note that in most countries, monitoring a device without consent and knowledge of the end user is illegal — unless it’s to protect your underage child.
Even so, this remains one of the most common reasons for opting for this technology.
Ensuring The Safety Of Your Own Phone
iPhone spying apps are outfitted with GPS tracking features and alert you if your SIM card changes. This means that if your phone gets lost, you can simply track it down to its location to retrieve it.
If your phone gets stolen, you can show the GPS data to the police and get immediately alerted if the thief tries to change the ID card. You can also lock the phone out from being used by using some of the best iPhone spy apps on the market today.
This stops them from using the phone or stealing data from it.
Can You Spy on an iPhone With Just the Number?
Yes, and no. It’s possible to gain basic information on the phone’s location and essential information about the user, such as the name and address.
However, more in-depth spying, such as monitoring their internet activity or SMS messages, is impossible with just a number.
Can You Spy on an iPhone Without iCloud Password?
Yes! While most tools like Cocospy that can spy on an iPhone require installing the tool on the phone, it’s still possible to spy without the iCloud password.
Specific tools like XNSpy will have certain features that stop working but will remain functional for the most part. This is because these tools download themselves directly onto the phone and only rely on iCloud for real-time synchronization.
Are There Any Undetectable iPhone Spy Apps?
Absolutely. mSpy, for example, is the best undetectable spy app for iPhone as it downloads itself as a system file and can even spy on iPhone without installing software.
While these apps are theoretically detectable with enough technical proficiency, 99.9% of users will be unable to find them.
With that said, some of the best antivirus tools can detect and remove spyware, but because these apps take up minimal resources, the end user won’t feel the need to install one as there will be no evidence of anything suspicious.
Plus, even with this software, many of the best spy apps go undetected.
Are iPhone Spy Apps Safe?
Unfortunately, as is common with most digital tools on the market today, there are ample subpar (and scams) in the iPhone spy app industry.
Some advertise features that simply don’t work or sell your user data to third parties for a profit. Thankfully, none of this will be a concern you’ll have with our top 10 picks.
Each one boasts phenomenal security and a solid reputation in the spy app and parental monitoring industries. If you have doubts, we recommend looking up customer reviews or opting for free trials and demos before committing.
Free iPhone Phone Spy Apps
Trustworthy free spy apps for iPhones are pretty few and far between. These apps present a great opportunity to dip your toes into that software.
It’s worth noting, however, that while these apps let you spy on iPhone for free, they’re generally less powerful than paid apps. The best free iPhone spy apps are:
With that said, although these are some good free iPhone spy app options, both come with paid versions. It’s worth being incredibly cautious over the many free spy apps on the market. These simply aren’t worth the risk. Here’s why: We’d highly recommend using any free trials, money-back guarantees, or demos on offer to test spy apps as opposed to risking free spy apps. While this depends on your jurisdiction, it’s generally only legal to install spy software on iPhone if it’s with the other person’s consent or if it’s you or your child’s phone. Installing spy software on an individual’s iPhone without permission is highly illegal and can incur significant fines or even jail time. For this example, we’ll be using XNspy, one of the best spy apps for iPhone, according to our testing. Note that you’ll need a jailbroken iPhone with the Cydia app installed. Make sure to register on the official XNspy website, and you’ll get an email with a link and a password code; these will be used later. With all that said, note that the setup is largely similar to all iPhone spy apps. Press the Cydia icon on your phone screen, then press “Sources” at the bottom of your screen. Following this, press “Edit” on the upper right and press “Add” on the upper left. In the following prompt, enter the address you got with your registration email. Wait for the download to complete, then press “Return to Cydia” at the bottom of the screen. In the list that pops up, press “MonitoringApp.” Then, press on the “System” folder and then the “Monitoring App” folder. On the upper right, press “Install,” then press “Confirm” on the upper right. Wait for the installation to complete, then press “Restart Springboard.” Finally, press the “SystemTask” app on your home screen. In the screen that pops up, enter the code emailed to you. Press “Activate,” then press “OK,” and enjoy spying on the iPhone by remotely logging into the control panel. With ample options on the market, finding the best iPhone spy app for you comes down to the features you want and the price you’re willing to pay. mSpy continues to rank highest on lists like these, but here are your leading options: The best spy app for iPhone in our testing has proven to be mSpy. While free spy apps for iPhone can be tempting due to their nonexistent price tag, it’s worth spending on high-quality software. mSpy proves to be the best spy app for iOS due to its breadth of features and the ability to spy on iPhones. The tool lets you control the target device remotely, leaves no traces, and is untrackable. If you’re looking for an app to help you spy on iPhone for any reason — you can’t go wrong with mSpy. To discover whether it’s your cup of tea, try it now completely risk-free with the solid 14-day money-back guarantee. mSpy - Best Phone Tracker This article was written for Business 2 Community by Connor Brooke.
Are iPhone Phone Spy Apps Legal?
How to Use a Phone Spy App for iPhone
Step 1 — Cydia Setup
Step 2 — Access Monitoring App
Step 3 — Installation
Step 4 — Begin Monitoring
FAQs
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Conclusion — What’s the Best Spy App for iPhone in 2023?
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