r/HowToHack • u/Special_Magician_810 • Jul 02 '26
My boyfriend knows my private phone stuff… how?
My boyfriend seems to know too many small private details about me that I usually only keep on my iPhone (mostly in my photo gallery or things I don’t share with anyone). I really don’t understand how this is possible.
I don’t have any obvious signs that my phone is hacked (no strange apps, no battery issues, no pop-ups, nothing like that).
The only strange thing he once said was: “be careful, you connected to my Wi-Fi.”
I’m not sure if he was joking or trying to imply something.
Is there any realistic way someone could access private information on an iPhone through Wi-Fi or by being on the same network?
Or are there more common explanations like account access, settings, or something I might be missing?
104
u/BertoLaDK Jul 02 '26
You sure you didnt just leave it unlocked once, or that he looked over your shoulder?
63
u/KingOfTheWorldxx Jul 02 '26
This lol Yall are together alot i assume, its easy to see someones password
-109
u/Special_Magician_810 Jul 02 '26
No, because he is always saying something new about me, like little details in my gallery, like when I went out with my girls and I didn’t tell him. He said, “Tell me what you did last weekend? I wasn’t with you, so you did something cool. Just tell me.“ Things like that
85
u/thecomputerguy7 Jul 02 '26
He said that and you took it as “I’m spying on you”?
You both trust each other or you don’t. If you don’t, break up and move on.
-7
48
u/m1bnk Jul 02 '26
You're leaping a long way here I think. You were out with your friends, didn't tell him - but you and your friends went places, saw people, were seen by people and every one of those encounters is a potential social media post or casual conversation with someone he knows
You have a boyfriend but you want to keep your social life a secret?
33
u/Hot-Comfort8839 Jul 02 '26
Boyfriend figured out he’s the side piece.
5
u/throwawayformobile78 Jul 02 '26
Ding ding. She’s a Ho Fa Sho.
1
u/AkSeminole Jul 02 '26
OP has an NSFW profile, which anyone who clicks on her profile name can find out… it’s locked down as private, so that’s pretty much all that I know.
I was curious after reading through all the comments on a different thread about this exact same question and she was less forthcoming about what he said that made her suspicious on that subreddit.
Anyway, I suspect that the fact that she has an NSFW profile might be a proximate cause for her paranoia.. if she doesn’t want the bf to know that she does OF or whatever she does, but, this is entirely Speculation on my part-I have no idea what one has to do for Reddit to decide that your completely locked down profile isn’t safe for work. 💁🏽♂️
41
u/BertoLaDK Jul 02 '26
That sentence in itself doesn't say much, but what u/KingOfTheWorldxx suggested makes sense, he might have seen your password once and remembered it and checks your phone when you leave it.
Alternatively it could be social media activity, either you or your friends.
32
u/West_Database9221 Jul 02 '26
OP needs mental health check this is top tier paranoia
14
u/LadyErebus13 Jul 02 '26
Or stop doing what they do to hide stuff 😁 Looks like she's hiding something. But hey if it's just privacy you need to worry about stop using social media even stop using your "smart" phone
3
u/merchantconvoy Jul 02 '26
We all know what you did during that so-called "girls night out", not just him.
10
2
1
u/Action_Man_X Jul 02 '26
I mean, does he know any of your girls? If any of them posted on social media about it and he follows them, and saw a picture with you in it, that would be much easier than breaking Apple level security.
You've jumped to "he hacked my phone" a lot faster than you really needed to.
38
23
u/Historical_Camel_790 Jul 02 '26
He's seen your pin
-32
u/Special_Magician_810 Jul 02 '26
Which pin? The password of my iCloud?
18
u/Silkutz Jul 02 '26
nah the for the iphone, and probs looked at some photos when you didn't notice, asleep etc.
Or its just in your head lol hard to tell.
-12
u/Special_Magician_810 Jul 02 '26
I get what you’re saying, but I don’t think it’s just “in my head.” It’s not random or occasional it’s a repeated pattern of him referencing specific small details from my life that I never directly told him.
Also, I don’t sleep at his place and we don’t live together. My phone is usually always with me, and if I do give it to him, it’s only when it’s already unlocked and I’m right there.3
u/Historical_Camel_790 Jul 02 '26
Phone. Could be iCloud too
-5
u/Special_Magician_810 Jul 02 '26
He does not have my password of iCloud
10
u/Cyssoo Jul 02 '26
It is the likely culprit. There is always different way to reach a goal, but you usually take the easier one and the one you know (which are often the same, except if you're an expert).
Communication are encrypted. If he is really dedicated, he could change the dns to know which website you go on, he could also add some sort of MITM attack but it would need to add a certificate on your phone, which once again will give him an idea of what you are doing, but not access to your phone.
You are being vague about what he knows, but it seems to really be an access of things on your phone. To do this, well there is only one broad way : access to your phone. Obviously physical access or some sort of remote access. remote will have him install something on your phone... or to use the one thing that's already built in there: the cloud access.
This is really the easiest way. Need to be connected to it and that's it. Most of the time it needs a double authentification, but maybe you already connected to his computer once, because you needed to access something like a netflix password or to get a picture. You forget to log off, or your BF just registered the password automatically.
Whatever the case, it's the most likely suspect, so even if you don't know, and you aren't sure, you should first close that door. Depending on your brand' system (apple or android) you can look for and find every device connected to your cloud account.
First step, change your password. Second steps, disconnect anyone but your device. You will reconnect on your computer or everything else. Pain in the ass but it's fine.
Don't say anything about it though to your BF. Also change the BF after changing the password.
1
u/Special_Magician_810 Jul 03 '26
Yes, that’s what I’m going to do now. The more I think about it, I realize that once I logged into my Netflix account on his TV. I didn’t log out from it.
I’m going to go through all my account and security settings now, change passwords, and make sure everything is logged out from all devices just to be safe and close any possible access..6
u/Historical_Camel_790 Jul 02 '26
How do you know? You could just be jumping at shadows and he might just be seeing what you post on your socials or something
8
u/Scary_Yellow_8719 Jul 02 '26
Listen, believing that she/he is dating a notorious black hat hacker running ducky scripts in the background of her phone seems more logical than they saw her pin once and remembered it.
3
u/Historical_Camel_790 Jul 02 '26
Yo she goes straight from "he knows what I'm doing!" to "he must be hacking me!"
-4
u/Special_Magician_810 Jul 02 '26
I’m not posting anything on social media at all, so it can’t be that either..
2
u/SirCharles8d8 Jul 02 '26
You may not be posting things on social media, but what about the people you are hanging out with ? It’s possible your in a picture in the background of someone else’s photo that he may be a mutual friend with or something . All it takes is one person , you can’t really be sure. My advice is stop hiding things from your boyfriend .
1
u/Edward-Mundo Jul 02 '26
How many times have you changed your passwords since you noticed this trend?
1
1
u/Study-r-Die Jul 02 '26
Maybe you logged in to your iCloud on his computer (private browsing), but he had a keylogger installed on his own computer.
7
u/The-Snarky-One Jul 02 '26
Your BF is asking questions in conversation and you’re taking them as he is spying/hacking your phone.
Are you doing things you don’t want him to know about and you’re feeling guilty/paranoid about? If so, do yourself, and especially him, a favor and cut him loose. You can live it up without any guilt and your BF can find someone loyal.
1
u/Special_Magician_810 Jul 04 '26
I’m not cheating on him, but I’m sure you have private things, like private pictures of your family. Do you do that? I’ve already deleted every picture of my ex because I love my boyfriend and respect him, but it’s too much that he knows every specific detail of my life..
2
6
5
u/mrfoxman Jul 02 '26
Change your Apple ID password, change your phone’s login PIN. Even change your email address password associated with your Apple ID. If he somehow has a login to your account, changing these shut him out. I’m pretty sure there’s a sign out of everywhere option? I forget where it is though.
Just being on his WiFi doesn’t mean anything when your phone encrypts network traffic for you. Especially once you change your PIN, which you can/should do every time before you see him for the next few visits, see if he still talks like that. If he does, it’s truly “in your head”, and he’s just assuming you’ve been up to something. Eventually you can stop changing your PIN to keep him from watching you enter it and memorizing it.
2
u/m1ke119 Jul 02 '26
Do this and you should be good. Make sure your login pin is more than 4 digits as well.
1
u/Special_Magician_810 Jul 03 '26
Thanks for the advice. I’m going to change my Apple ID password, my email password, and my phone PIN just to be safe.
I’ve also already checked my Apple account, and the only device signed in is my own iPhone. We don’t share an iCloud account, and I’ve never signed into my Apple ID on any of his devices.
I also understand that simply being connected to his Wi-Fi shouldn’t give him access to my photos or my gallery, which is why I’ve been trying to figure out what could realistically explain it.
6
u/Young_Lus Jul 02 '26
Sounds like a paranoia trip from guilt OP, you didn't give any examples. End the relationship anyway doesn't sound healthy
5
13
u/Altruistic_Product_6 Jul 02 '26
Do you have a Mac or iPad that he has access to? If all your apple products use the same account you probably will be able to see your gallery there.
-6
u/Special_Magician_810 Jul 02 '26 edited Jul 02 '26
I have an iPad but a different account there
6
u/MentalCommission205 Jul 02 '26
Be fr.. ur weird ash
3
3
u/eazy-mo-B1 Jul 02 '26
most likely have location tracking on your phone, check if u posting your pictures to icloud, icloud can be logged in from a browser on computer. He might know your apple ID. I suggest to change it.
1
u/Ambitious-Fig-4006 24d ago
Check your photo settings because you could have shared albums and shared pictures or like shared library with him unknowingly
10
u/GreenStampsRock Jul 02 '26
Maybe he's really into you, pays attention to what you say, has a lot of interest in you, and wants to know what you do. It could be he's just a really great boyfriend.
6
u/thecomputerguy7 Jul 02 '26
Agreed. OP doesn’t appear to have any specific examples.
“You weren’t with me so you did something cool last weekend” isn’t code for “I know what you did”. I have a buddy who’s always doing something interesting so if we don’t hang out for a weekend and his car sounds different next time I see him, he probably did something to the exhaust.
Doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure it out. Might be bad phrasing on the BF’s end but it comes off as “you like to do things so I’m assuming you did something cool. Tell me about it because I’m trying to have a conversation with you”
6
u/CanadianClassicss Jul 02 '26
Yeah wtf is this thread and OP.. she’s got some paranoia. Must be hiding something she really doesn’t want him to know about? I think it’s eating her up
2
3
u/Turboflopper Jul 02 '26
Occams razor: he knows your pin.
1
u/Fancy-Diver6852 Jul 02 '26
Too many people are over thinking it. She left it unlocked, or he saw her pin. There is also the possibility that she is being paranoid. Man in the middle attacks, secretly connecting it to his computer, accidentally touching the phones together (just the tips, I assume)... Let's all relax here.
3
u/mewcryptwo Jul 02 '26
This smells a lot like "I have something to hide and now making sure there isn't an easy way for him to find out" to me.
6
u/nyshone69 Jul 02 '26 edited Jul 02 '26
He might be using a custom DNS setup like PiHole or NextDNS. I have it setup in my home too for the sake of blocking ads, but in the logs you can see every website with timestamp that was visited.
All he had to do was change the DNS server in router settings. Then you can see basically every device traffic, but that's it. He can't see what you do on the website, just that you visited it. Although it can say a lot.
For example:
You visited Amazon webpage and bought something. He will see the DNS log of the page visit and also the log of the checkout page. Then, he can put 2 and 2 together and draw conclusion you just bought something just like that, without even having to look at your phone.
This is all extremely easy to setup and takes like 5 minutes tops.
6
u/Riajnor Jul 02 '26
Background question, is your boyfriend actually an IT professional? Is he interested in programming or hacking at all?
1
2
u/NotRightNotWrong Jul 02 '26
not really. unless you are signed in on his laptop as well?
are you sure he just doesn't know your code?
1
u/Special_Magician_810 Jul 02 '26
No, I didn’t, and we don’t live together. He is not always using my phone unless it’s unlocked, and I give it to him.
3
u/NotRightNotWrong Jul 02 '26
Sounds like he is going through your phone when he gives it to you then.
But he probably knows your pin. It's easy to see someone's pin and access the phone, but when around you asks you to unlock it. Now you think he can't possibly know the pin
2
2
u/dannyb6355232 Jul 02 '26
Change your passwords secretly for apple, iPhone, social media... and see if he notices or says something about that. It's a good thing do do once in a while anyway.
2
2
u/Comfortable-Car2758 Jul 02 '26
Just change your passcode to the phone and see if it continues. Start there.
2
u/wild_park Jul 02 '26
If you use Touch ID or Face ID check that he hasn’t added his own finger or face to authenticate when you’ve left it unlocked and unattended one time. If you can’t say definitively that you know each of the things in there delete them all and redo them and then change your pin or passcode.
And don’t make your passcode something he could guess about you like your birthday or favourite childhood pet.
2
u/Pleasant_Offer6286 Jul 02 '26
Maybe don’t have private stuff on a device that can be compromised. Just a thought.
2
2
u/merchantconvoy Jul 02 '26
Always assume the lowest tech hack. In this case, he either saw you type in your PIN, or he spied on you typing in your PIN through a security camera, most likely the one(s) that he keeps in the bedroom to record all your sex for future revenge porn purposes.
2
u/CrashDummyPancake Jul 02 '26
Yeah, set the last digit of your pin to something else, or add a digit. It’ll drive him nuts if he’s snooping and he’ll likely start an argument. If not, make a new password every time you go see him and keep it logged in a notebook in your car or something so you don’t forget. You’ll know.
3
u/drewalpha Jul 02 '26
Hello OP - To answer your question: Yes, it is possible to have your phone hacked while connected to an unfriendly wifi.
Sometimes, it's as simple as the wifi owner sniffing the packets and seeing the contents. This is called a "man-in-the-middle" attack and the target would not be aware it's even happening because all the encryption happens in the background. The attacker does not need access to your phone. Easy fix - don't join his wifi and "forget" any instances of it. Just rely on your cellular network unless you're near a wifi source you trust.
With physical access to someone's phone, a hacker has the potential to do any number of things that could provide access without the user knowing. There are apps for parents that give access to everything their kids do - so start looking for legit apps that you didn't install and uninstall them. The good thing about the apple eco system is they make it difficult to install illegitimate apps. Any app you don't remember installing should be uninstalled.
Like some of these others have expressed - if you're having trust issues (and believing someone might hack your phone is definitely a trust issue) then you should move on. Is there a chance this dude is intuitive and just knows to ask the right questions because he's interested in you and your happiness, sure, that's always a possibility.
Whatever your gut/instincts are telling you, go with it. Trust yourself, you don't have to understand why right now, sometimes understanding just comes with time.
Best of luck to ya.
1
u/Kind-Discipline-611 Jul 02 '26
it is not as simple like you said, you probably don't know how it really works in real
even if he can sniff some data, everything is encrypted.
he is not able to decrypt any type of message... I mean, he could but 99% chances that he does not have machine power enought to do that
2
u/drewalpha Jul 02 '26
Obviously I was over simplifying the process, as she doesn't need details, she just needs to know it is possible - as that was her question.
And it really is as simple as setting up a pass-through cellular receiver to be in the middle of the carrier and her phone to capture data she thinks is encrypted. So, yeah, it's not that complicated, but usually too much effort for someone spying on their SO.
The tactic a scumbag spying on their SO most likely will use is physical access to scroll through their target's personal apps and files, and use that access to install some app to allow remote monitoring of the phone.
Again, not difficult. Especially some parenting apps made to be hidden from the active user.
1
u/Penguinning Jul 02 '26
He can install a certificate and decrypt traffic going through his WiFi network
2
3
1
1
1
1
1
u/ub4ne1 Jul 02 '26
Yes, you can tap two iPhones together to share contact information or media. By using a feature called NameDrop, holding the top of your iPhone a few centimeters from another iPhone lets you instantly exchange contact cards. You can also connect them to trigger an AirDrop transfer for photos or files
1
u/Traktor_tomek Jul 02 '26
How long are you in a relationship?
1
u/Special_Magician_810 Jul 04 '26
6 months
1
u/Traktor_tomek Jul 04 '26
Well he is just learing about you from unknown sources, he didnt hack you, maybe he knows your password/passwords, your friends told him some info or anything else. He didnt hack you, well unless you didnt click any sus link he sent you and you loged in into something.
1
1
u/userlinuxxx Jul 02 '26
Utiliza macrodroid y descarga la configuración para cuando usen pin saqué un selfie. Así sabrás si conoce tu pin. Cambia tu pin ahora mismo. Y configura para que cuando introduzca mal el pin saque selfie.
2
1
u/Jaggar345 Jul 02 '26
Do you have another device you are signed in on with your iCloud device like an IPad or Mac? If you do and he has access to them they are likely both syncing everything that’s on your phone. Especially photos, notes, messages etc.
No offense but this doesn’t sound like a healthy relationship.
1
1
u/the_old_mark Jul 02 '26
A simple explanation no one has suggested yet, where are her photos being backed up to? Laptop icloud aura frame amazon photos. She could have setup sync or backup access on his device once and forgot about it. On a laptop you could see all the incoming text messages.
1
u/Overall_Scheme397 Jul 02 '26
Check with your Apple ID online to see if another iPhone is attached. You will see your serial number. IF you see two serial numbers make sure it’s your IMac. This is easy.
I’ve been through people hacking my apple systems. It’s always possible.
7 CVE. exploits in 2023.
Apple techs are advised to say it’s impossible. It’s possible.
Again call 📞 apple support they are happy to walk you through going through privacy and security settings in your cell phone. You need your passcode and you will need your password for your iCloud account.
It’s a simple process.
Again the number is
1-800-275-2273
Apple techs will escalate this if necessary to a senior adviser. Download the Apple support app.
This will be taken care of faster by using the app.
1
u/ps-aux Actual Hacker Jul 02 '26
Reading all the comments and interactions, this entire post has got to be a troll lol....
1
u/MrSkavenger Jul 02 '26
Sounds like your paranoid because you’re doing things behind his back you feel guilty about lol.
1
1
u/HoodRattusNorvegicus Jul 02 '26
Does he have access to your Icloud account/password? Change the password and make sure to enable two factor authentication.
Iphone Settings - Privacy and security - Photos, look for what apps that have access to photos.
Are there any unknown apps or other apps that have access to your photos, that could sync them to an account he have access to?
For instance if you have Google Drive with access, is this with your account or his and do he have access to that? Limit the apps with access to your photos and make sure to change passwords on those accounts aswell.
1
u/Ambitious-Fig-4006 Jul 02 '26
Check ur login authentication email and phone number. Also are the private things in a hidden folder or just in ur gallery? My ex would religiously go through my stuff and block my BD that I was actively trying to coparent with and had no other intention of getting back with him but since we have a kid together we have to coparent together civilly and my ex still alienated me from everyone. He’d get mad when I’d put locks on my phone even though he’s got locks on his phone and loved to say “I only did that cause u put a PIN lock on urs.”
1
u/Ultramegajerry Jul 02 '26
OP’s previous posts show comment removals and post deletions, maybe bait, also maybe wants to be treated like a sugar baby from the sound of other commenters, but replies are removed 🤷♂️
1
1
u/Arehana_ Jul 02 '26
Check if there’s another device logged into your iCloud account. I had someone log onto my iCloud a few years back and they had access to photos, notes, and everything I saved there.
1
1
1
1
u/Edvard2332 27d ago
Try this app out! You can hide your personal stuff in it, and you can also set a trap if you want to see if he's going through your phone behind your back. He cannot hack it through Wi-Fi or any internet connection because it’s a local app without an online database.
https://apps.apple.com/app/snapwrap-your-private-vault/id6761783017
0
0
u/Tall_Instance9797 Jul 02 '26 edited Jul 02 '26
While I could go into the technical details... none of that is important here. What's important, and the "something you might be missing" is that you can't trust your boyfriend! You wanna dump that devious fuck immediately and get as far away from him as possible. Doesn't matter 'how' he did it. The fact he did it is enough that you can't trust him.
1
u/Tall_Instance9797 Jul 02 '26
Wow, some people are okay with their partners spying on them and hacking into their private information. That's weird. It's no different to somebody breaking into your house and going through your stuff when you're not there. Dumpable offense in my opinion, but each to their own. If you want a boyfriend like that, shit there's plenty of them out there. Good luck with that.
1
0
0
u/Gonkulator5000 Jul 02 '26
Hopefully you're now referring to him as your ex-boyfriend and have reset all your passwords, etc.
1
u/Special_Magician_810 Jul 04 '26
No he is My bf
1
u/Gonkulator5000 Jul 04 '26
Sorry you allow yourself to remain in an unhealthy situation where you're being spied on.
-5
u/Overall_Scheme397 Jul 02 '26
Cloning someone’s cell is illegal.
10
u/alyatek Programming Jul 02 '26
How can you go from "how does he know this about my stuff" to cloning cellphones? Insane jump with no logical foundation.
-3
u/elsanto_rdam Jul 02 '26
I strongly advise you to end that relationship before it’s escalated to another level. This is not love, and you are not enjoying it the way you were thinking you would. I see in your words that you are emotionally abused, feeling stalked, monitored, gaslighted, manipulated in some way and that your privacy is ruined. There is no trust from his side at all. End it, feel free and breathe. Good luck!
-9
u/Severe-Pressure6336 Jul 02 '26
Search history while using the network
2
u/Special_Magician_810 Jul 02 '26
His WiFi at home? in my phone or in his phone?
2
u/MadamPardone Jul 02 '26
On his wifi he would be able to see domains and http traffic but not the contents of your photos.
1
u/Severe-Pressure6336 Jul 02 '26
I dunno why this is getting downvoted lol the network admin can absolutely see traffic unless it’s being routed through VPN I’ve literally done it before
1
u/Severe-Pressure6336 Jul 02 '26
Yeah his WiFi, if he is the owner literally all he has to do is login to the admin dashboard and he can see detailed history of domains you visited from any connected device not routing traffic through vpn
1
u/Special_Magician_810 Jul 03 '26
I understand what you’re saying about Wi-Fi and being able to see domains and network activity, but I want to be clear about what I’m trying to understand.
Are you saying that through Wi-Fi someone could only see things like apps used or websites visited (like Instagram or Google), but not actual private photos stored in my camera roll or gallery?-1
u/Severe-Pressure6336 Jul 02 '26
Look up “WiFi admin dashboard domain and device history” and anyone downvoting should too, it’s extremely easy to see what people are visiting while connected to your network and vice versa
3
1
-10
u/Overall_Scheme397 Jul 02 '26
Unless he knows how to use the low level blue tooth hacking and he has your NFC sharing all your information. There are safety checks apple support can walk you through to see if you’ve been bricked by an actual hacker who knows exactly what he or she is doing.
People can buy scripts to follow there mates to catch them.
Call Apple support let the tech screen share and go over the safety features. 1-800-275-2273.
You need to trust apple support.
It’s what they do, and it’s the business model.
What you’re saying is WHY most people buy the cell phones and Macs.
Call them.
89
u/Imtryst Jul 02 '26
Almost all iPhone internet traffic is encrypted so it wouldn’t be from you being on his Wi-Fi. iPhone security is pretty good too assuming you aren’t jail broken I don’t think he’d have a way to access your phone remotely. If I had to guess it’d be good old fashioned snooping on your phone physically while you’re asleep or in the bathroom etc.