This sneaky Android spyware needs a password to uninstall. Here’s how to remove it without one

Summary

Consumer-grade phone surveillance apps aren’t only intended to stay stealthy; some of these apps are also making it increasingly difficult to remove them. TechCrunch has identified a stealthy phone monitoring app for Android that requires a password to uninstall, effectively blocking Android device owners from being able to remove the app. The spyware app, which we’re not naming so as to not give it any publicity, relies on whoever is planting the app to enable a built-in feature in Android that allows apps to “overlay” content on top of all other apps. Once granted this permission, the spyware app uses this overlay access to forcibly display a password prompt whenever the user tries to uninstall or deactivate the app through Android’s settings. Worse, the password to uninstall this spyware is set by whoever planted it. Image Credits:TechCrunch There is a solution. TechCrunch’s own testing found that rebooting an affected Android device into “safe mode” temporarily prevents third-party apps from loading, including the spyware, allowing affected individuals to remove the app without the password prompt appearing. This consumer-grade spyware app is part of a growing ecosystem of phone monitoring offerings, which promote and sell their apps under the guise of allowing parents to monitor their children’s phone activities or companies to track their employees. But these apps also go by the term “stalkerware” (or “spouseware”), as many also explicitly promote their apps as a way to snoop on their spouse or romantic partner without their consent, which is illegal. These spyware apps are typically downloaded from outside of the official Android app store and planted by a person with physical access to a person’s phone, usually with knowledge of their passcode. Once installed, these apps deliberately hide their app icons from the victims’ home screen to stay stealthy, all while continually uploading the person’s phone contents — including their text messages, photos, and rea...