(6 Ways) How to Stop Your Employer from Tracking Your Phone

Are you worried that your employer may be tracking your phone? Some companies will actively track their employees' devices in an attempt to protect company secrets or just to make sure they are not using company devices inappropriately. Still, it can be distressing to find out your employer is tracking your device.

Here, we share with you 6 useful ways you can use to stop your employer from tracking your phone.

How Employers Can Track Your Phone

In some workplaces, employees are required to install monitoring software on their personal devices in order to keep an eye on their online activities. This software can track various aspects of their behavior, including:

• Keystrokes, mouse movements, and websites visited while using the device.
• Screenshots of the employee's screen to ensure they are working during work hours and using the correct tools.
• Webcam monitoring software that can track eye movement, facial expression, and body language to observe the employee and their home environment.

How to Stop Your Employer from Tracking Your Phone

If you are worried that your employer is tracking your activities, the following are just some of the things you can do:

Enable Airplane Mode and Disable GPS Location Settings

Enabling airplane mode on your phone can block connections with cellular and Wi-Fi networks, thus preventing tracking. However, it's important to check if your GPS or location features are still turned on after enabling airplane mode, as these can still reveal your location.

Note that turning on airplane mode will also disable your phone's call and mobile data functions, making it inconvenient for everyday use. While it's a quick fix for preventing tracking, it's not a sustainable solution in the long term.

Switch to a Different Browser

Google Chrome is a popular web browser, but many users are unaware that it tracks their online activities. If you want to disable tracking on Chrome, there are several steps you can take to do so.

Alternatively, you can switch to a different browser that tracks you less or not at all. These browsers may not offer personalized search results, but they can provide greater privacy and peace of mind.

Delete Spyware Apps from Your Device

To eliminate spyware from your device, follow these steps:

• Look for the spyware programs in the App list on Android or iOS device and select the one you want to remove.
• Click on the "Remove" button to uninstall the program.
• Once the uninstall process is complete, restart your device to ensure that the changes take effect.
• Consider downloading an antivirus app to perform a full system scan and identify any remaining threats. Take appropriate action to remove them.

Remove MDM Profile from Your Device

Your employer can also track your iPhone with Mobile Device Management (MDM) software, which can be used to update software and device settings, check device compliance with corporate regulations, and even remotely wipe or lock the device.

If your iPhone is managed by MDM software, you can use a program called Unlockit iPhone to remove the MDM restrictions even if you don't have the password used to manage the profile.

Here's how you can use UnlockIt for this purpose:

Step 1: Install Unlockit iPhone on your computer and then open it.

Step 2: Click on the "Bypass MDM Lock" option in the main window.

Step 3: Use a USB cable to connect the iPhone to the computer. You may need to tap "Trust" to allow the program to detect the device.

Step 4: Click on "Start" and Unlockit iPhone will begin removing the MDM profile on the device.

Download Antispyware Applications

To prevent workplace tracking on your mobile device, you can download an anti-spyware app. One example is the Certo Mobile Security app for Android, which helps users detect and remove spyware and monitoring software from their devices. The app can also identify unprotected system settings.

For iOS users, anti-spyware apps are available but cannot directly scan the device due to Apple's restrictions. Instead, apps like Certo AntiSpy can be used to scan iOS devices through a computer and identify monitoring applications.

Use Your Work Device Only for Work-Related Tasks

To ensure that your online activity is not monitored by workplace applications such as Slack, Google Workspace, or Microsoft 365, it's recommended to use these applications only on your work device and for work-related tasks. This way, you can minimize the risk of any personal information or activity being tracked. It's also essential to review your employer's privacy policies and understand what kind of data they collect from their employees.

Conclusion

Your employer may use software to monitor your activity whether you're working remotely or in an office. Avoid accessing prohibited websites on your work phone or network, and consider removing spyware programs from your devices to protect your privacy.