Imagine that for the last few weeks, you’ve felt uneasy. Perhaps it’s your child, your spouse, or another member of your nearest and dearest that is acting in a way that makes you suspicious. 

Yet, when you ask questions, they refuse to share any details with you. This is where a spying app could come in useful. Spying is a bit of a strong word to use since our goal is to monitor targets for good reasons. If you could read their messages on Instagram or Facebook, you might get a better idea of what’s going on. 

For instance, in the scenario just mentioned, your target could be getting cyberbullied about their body. And as hurtful as it is, cyberbullying is fairly low on the list of online threats someone could be facing. There are scammers, stalkers, and all sorts of criminals out on the internet who could message anyone at any time.

That’s why it’s so important to know about the best spying apps for Android.

 

The Top Picks for Spying Apps for Android Devices

I have reviewed a lot of monitoring apps so far. For each of these apps, I focused on some crucial factors such as the ability to monitor messages, chats, and content.

This article focuses on Apps for Android devices specifically. Android phones and tablets are more open compared to iPhones, so Android monitoring apps actually have a few more features not found in iPhone apps.

Short on time? here are our top picks:

1. mSpy – Completely undetectable and gives you full access
2. Umobix – 100% discrete and designed for modern parents

 

Here are my top picks for the best spying apps for Android

 

mSpy is the best option for a spying app and we have talked about that a lot throughout our blog. mSpy has a lot of features that are perfect for spying on a target.

Like most other spying apps, mSpy has to be installed with the phone in hand. But don’t worry, it hides itself afterward. Even a really tech-savvy target won’t be able to find it.

There aren’t any extra-special features in mSpy. It can log the metadata and even record calls made by phone or another app. It can record the exact content of messages on Apps like Messenger, WhatsApp, Instagram, Snapchat, Viber, Tinder, and so on.

So, if anyone sends your target saucy messages or videos, you will know. You can then take action by blocking that person or having a conversation with them.

mSpy also has location and geofencing features. You can keep close track of your target’s location when they are out and about. Geofencing alerts you if they leave a predefined safe area. For example, if they leave the house or work when they are not supposed to, you will know.

mSpy has both a keylogger and a screen recorder. Both are fully functional on Android phones and don’t require any rooting. There are some advanced features that do need rooting, such as remote control and remote shutdowns.

MSpy’s pricing is on the lower end. Just one month of premium costs $48.99 discounted. If you purchase the 12-month package, then you will be charged only $11.66 a month.

 

Try mSpy For Free

Or read our complete Mspy review

 

“Cellphone Tracker for Modern Parents”. That’s how uMobix markets its services. In reality, it can much more than just tracking cellphones, or tracking children – you can track your employees, your spouse, and anyone else you choose to. You can monitor the calls that come in and go out, the messages, social media platforms including messengers, and even photos and videos!

Needless to say, uMobix rocks a GPS tracking feature in real-time which ultimately results in the “cellphone tracking” part. 

The only drawback of this spying app is that it’s not one of the really free spying apps. It does offer a demo for prospective buyers. But in the long run, you’ll need to make the purchase to unlock the full itinerary of services. 

If you do decide to get it, our recommendation is to go with the 1-year package because it’s the most economical. For shorter tenures, you’ll be paying way more than you should. 

uMobix app comes for both Android and iOS devices. You can check the compatibility of your device by entering the model directly on the website. Some features, however, are not present for both users. 

For example, the keylogger feature that tracks every key entered is only available for Android. Interestingly, Android is the superior app in terms of features because many of the unique ones have been disabled on the iOS app. 

 

Try Umobix For Free

Or read our complete Umobix review

 

Xnspy’s Android app is one of the best when it comes to cost-effectiveness. It has all the necessary features for monitoring.

For monitoring, it has more than a dozen apps on the list: WhatsApp, Messenger, Snapchat, Tinder, Instagram, Viber, Signal, Telegram, Discord, and so on. As usual, a screen recorder is used so even encryption or deletion-based security measures are useless.

Other recording and tracking features include phone and text logs. You will be able to see both incoming and outgoing calls and texts. This information will be accompanied by contact, date, and time.

Xnspy also tracks and analyses location. You could, for instance, track exactly where your target goes every day and how long they spend there. The addresses and dates visited would be listed. 

Some additional features are really useful for quick interventions. You can make ‘spycalls’, which let you listen in to your target’s surroundings. If you want to put a stop to anything they are doing on their phones immediately, you can simply lock down the phone temporarily remotely.

Finally, Xnspy has a data wipe feature. If your target loses their phone and you don’t want a stranger picking it up, simply wipe all the data.

Xnspy’s pricing is very generous. The basic version costs only $4.99 with a 40% discount, while the Premium edition with all features costs $7.49 with the same discount.

 

Try XNspy For Free

Or read our complete XNspy review

 

Flexispy is the ultimate spying app, designed for everyone. It’s not just for you watching their target, but also for people watching their partners and businesses watching their employees. After all, a little bit of paranoia can be healthy.

Flexispy’s spying software is available for Android devices. It is a proper multi-platform app that can be used on iPhones, Tablets, and PCs as well. 

The Flexispy app takes a few seconds to install. You will have to borrow your target’s phone to download and install it. After the initial setup and signing-in, it will be perfectly hidden. The app won’t show up on the list of apps or anything. Instead, you can control the app from your phones or PCs.

So, for Android, Flexispy has a huge list of features. It can track every method of communication on the phone. A phone call? Flexispy will record the time, duration, and identity of the caller. If necessary, you can disconnect the call yourself, or listen in to a call in real-time.

What about text messages? SMS messages can be recorded, as well as texts in other apps. The most popular messaging apps include Facebook Messenger, Snapchat, Instagram, Skype, LINE, Viber,  Telegram, and so on.

Even a lot of more niche apps and apps that are not just for messaging, like Hike, Kik, and Tinder. The messages are recorded by taking a screenshot of the screen and reading from there. So even if the app claims to encrypt and secure messages, or delete them after reading, it won’t help.

Speaking of Screen Recording, Flexispy records the screen every time it changes. So, you don’t just get to see messages, but also any other kind of app. Things like web browsing, videos, streaming, etc are all revealed.

There are also lots of tools to monitor and restrict general internet usage. This includes web browsing, where you could add web filtering and detect specific key terms. 

All the features of Flexispy are available on Android. Some of them might require Rooting the phone, which you could do yourself if you are tech-savvy. Alternatively, you could order a phone preinstalled with Rooting and Flexispy.

The lite version of Flexispy costs $29.95 a month. The Premium and Extreme versions can cost as low as $12.41 a month and $29.10 a month respectively if you purchase the yearly package.

 

Try Flexispy

Or read our complete Flexispy review

 

Qustodio is one of the most popular monitoring apps in the world. It is used by over 4 million users, the majority of whom are Android users.

Qustodio can monitor browsing history and some social media sites like Facebook. It can block websites or apps as needed. The Smart Web Filter means you don’t have to block every single site manually. Qustodio will automatically filter out specific types of websites, such as adult sites.

You can also set up screen time limits with Qustodio. This is particularly useful for kids who spend far too much time on their phones.

Other features in this app include location tracking, phone call monitoring and SMS logging. Phone calls can also be remotely blocked.

All of these monitoring and blocking features are controlled by a dashboard. Qustodio’s dashboard is cloud-based, so you can launch it and check it at any time.

Qustodio is one of the most sophisticated and well-designed spying apps. And it is not even that expensive! All the features are available for one price. 

For $4.58 a month, you can monitor five devices – enough for a whole family. A larger family could purchase a bigger package like $8.08 for 10 devices or $11.50 for 15 devices.

 

Try Bark For Free!

Or read our complete Qustodio review

 

iKeyMonitor is one of the few spying apps for Android that are free to use. Most of the other options on this list require payment even for a basic plan. iKeyMonitor might be the app of choice for families on a budget.

The free version of this app only works on Android. It logs call history and text messages. It includes real-time location tracking and geo-fencing. However, it cannot spy on messages sent via app, record browser history, or filter websites.

For those features, you must purchase the premium version at $16.66+ a month. The premium version is available for both Android and iOS and adds a whole host of features. 

The features include keylogging and screen recording, browsing history, monitoring social media and texting apps, spycalling, remote control of the camera and speakers, and more. Plus, on Android, there is an additional feature for recording the audio of a phone call.

 

Try Bark For Free!

Or read our complete iKeyMonitor review

 

Android Spying Apps Features

All Android spying apps need to have some common features. We checked each app for these features and how comprehensive they were before recommending it. 

These features are:

• Phone call and text monitoring details. Even better if it can fully record and intercept calls.

• Social Media and messaging app monitoring

• Location tracking and geofencing

• Web filtering and app blocking

• An online dashboard and analytics for the parent.

Why Use A Spying App For Android?

You want to know what your target is doing online, otherwise you wouldn’t be on this page. 

There are also lots of other potential issues. If you’re looking to monitor your kids, it could be because they can access mature and adult content extremely easily. They can waste lots of time simply browsing the internet. They could share too much personal information in public places. 

They could be victims or perpetrators of cyberbullying. They could be negatively affected by sites such as Instagram or Snapchat, where other people post idealized selfies and photos. Trying to live up to so-called ‘Instagram models’ can seriously affect a child’s self-esteem and lead to depression.

You might be looking to catch a cheating spouse. If that’s the case, then these spying apps will help you to confirm or deny your suspicions. 

In all these cases, there is a straightforward way to minimize your suspicions: use a spying app. You can stay on top of their online activities. Using these apps, you can place restrictions and limit how much mobile and internet usage affects them.

Conclusion

Android phones are the most popular type of phone today. If your target uses one of them, then you should check out the list. In the age of the internet, there are lots of threats to target online.

Using a spying app will allow you to keep your target safe and give you peace of mind. These apps are easy to install and are hidden, so you can watch from afar at all times and safeguard them.