How To See If Someone Tried To Unlock Your Iphone

Having a lock on your Android phone's screen is a basic yet vital way to keep it protected. But even with a PIN or passcode lock on your phone, someone might still try to break into it.

If you're concerned that someone is trying to snoop on your phone, or want to have photo evidence in the case of theft, we have the solution.

Each of the below Android apps lets you use your device's front-facing camera to take a picture of someone when they try to unlock your phone. We'll show you how to use them so you can catch snoopers in the act.

Notes on Lock Screen Picture-Taking Apps

Before you install one of these Android apps to catch potential phone thieves, you should know a couple of points common to all of them.

First, these apps can't monitor attempts to unlock your device with a fingerprint or face unlock. The Android system does not allow apps to see if a biometric unlock attempt was successful or not. Thus, these apps only work for catching incorrect PINs, passwords, or patterns. We've compared the Android lock screen security options if you're not sure what to use.

Be aware that Android only counts an unlock attempt as incorrect if you enter four or more digits, characters, or pattern dots. Thus, these apps will ignore short mistakes.

Additionally, these apps all require you to set them as device administrators. This is a special Android permission that gives them several powers, including the ability to monitor lock screen attempts. When you enable this, Android will show a message that doing so allows the app to erase your device after too many wrong attempts. However, this is a generic warning and none of the apps below will ever erase your device.

Each app will prompt you to set it as a device admin when you start using it. If you want to toggle this on your own, head to Settings > Security > Device admin apps and enable or disable your chosen app.

Finally, you must remove the device admin permission from an app before you can uninstall it. Visit the menu mentioned above to do this, or look for the Uninstall prompt in each app that will do it for you.

Depending on your Android version, if you try to uninstall an Android app that's a device admin, it could fail. In modern versions of Android, you'll instead see a prompt to deactivate the admin permissions and uninstall all at once.

1. Lockwatch

Lockwatch is a great overall app for taking pictures of people trying to unlock your phone. It's a straightforward solution that's easy to use: just enable it and you'll get an email when someone tries to break into your phone.

To start using Lockwatch, open the app and enable the Send alert email slider. The app will prompt you to set it as a device administrator, as mentioned above. Make sure you have a current email address in the Emails should be sent to field.

After that, hit Number of unlock attempts and choose between one, two, or three incorrect attempts required before the email sends. It's not a bad idea to set this to two so you don't get false positive emails when you mistype your own password. However, to cut down on false positives, Lockwatch will not send an email if you enter the correct password within 10 seconds of an error.

When Lockwatch catches someone entering the wrong PIN, the email message will include the photo it took, the GPS location of your phone, and a map of the area. You can hopefully use this to track down your Android device, or at least figure out who's trying to peek.

Lockwatch keeps its Premium features on a different tab. Paying the one-time fee for Premium lets you get alerts if the SIM card changes, as well as if someone powers off your phone without unlocking it. You can also get three photos instead of one, plus a sound clip, in the email.

Download: Lockwatch (Free, premium version available)

2. Third Eye

Third Eye performs a similar function to Lockwatch, but it delivers the pictures of the intruder on your phone instead of via email. After installing it, you'll need to activate it as a device administrator and provide other permissions so it can function properly.

From there, you'll find a straightforward main menu. Make sure Intruder detection is enabled and the app will take a picture when someone tries to break in. You can set the Number of unlock attempts from one to five. Unlike Lockwatch, Third Eye will take a picture even if you enter the correct passcode within a few seconds.

This app also provides a bit of extra information. The Last Unlock Time field lets you know when your phone was last used, and the Unlock log provides a timeline of when your phone was unlocked and how long you used it after unlocking. Swipe to the Photo Log tab to see pictures of people who attempted to break in.

Expand the three-dot Menu button at the top-right and choose Settings to tweak a few options. You can change where the app stores the photos and block them from appearing in your Gallery. The settings also let you toggle Third Eye's notifications. By default, it tells you when your phone was last unlocked every time you open it, which can become annoying.

While Lockwatch has no ads, Third Eye is loaded with them. You'll have to put up with frequent full-screen ads inside the app, which are obnoxious. The only in-app purchase the app offers is to remove the ads; you don't unlock any additional features by paying.

If you don't like getting intruder pictures via email and would rather have them on your device, Third Eye is a decent option. It's suitable for people who want to catch friends snooping, but having pictures on your phone won't help you catch a thief who takes your phone. Lockwatch also provides you with more information to help track down a stolen phone, like your device's location.

Download: Third Eye (Free)

3. CrookCatcher

Another solid choice for catching phone snoopers, CrookCatcher uses an attractive dark theme with green accents. Like the other apps, its guided setup walks you through setting the app as a device administrator and granting the necessary permissions.

Once you're through that, you'll find a simple three-tab interface. The Home tab lets you deactivate the service and read a bit more about it. On the right, you'll see the Photos tab that collects pictures of intruders. Each picture comes with a map with your device's location. Tap the i symbol to see exact coordinates and an estimated address, which you can then open in Google Maps.

Use the Settings tab on the left to adjust options. You can set the Failed unlock threshold anywhere from one to five. Unlike Lockwatch, CrookCatcher will activate even if you enter the right passcode a few seconds after a mistake. Below this, you can choose how many photos to take, as well as enable email and device notifications.

On this page, features that require the Premium upgrade are clearly marked. This is a one-time purchase that unlocks more options, like recording sound, playing an alarm, displaying a message, taking more photos, and disguising the app in your app drawer.

It also removes the annoying full-screen ads, which are a pain when configuring the app.

Overall, CrookCatcher is a decent free option that's a lot better if you upgrade. The option to have both email and device alerts is nice, and it provides more info than Third Eye. Consider it if you find the others underwhelming.

Download: CrookCatcher (Free, premium version available)

Someone Tried to Unlock Your Phone? Discover the Culprit

We've looked at a few solid apps that each let you take a picture when someone enters the wrong password on your Android phone. They each have slightly different features and use cases.

Lockwatch is a great free option that doesn't have any annoying ads. Third Eye won't do much in the case of theft, but will catch prying friends. And CrookCatcher lets you see the photos both in-app and by email, making it a good all-around choice.

Whichever you choose, upgrading to the premium version is only a few dollars, which is worth the cost if it helps you recover a stolen phone. And don't forget that taking a photo of someone who tries to unlock your phone is only one way to protect yourself against phone theft.

The 7 Best Android Anti-Theft Apps to Protect Your Phone

If your Android phone gets stolen, you'll need a way to get it back. Here are the best Android anti-theft apps.