Top 3 Android Phone Apps for Spying on Text Messages and Call History

I’ve had my new HTC Hero for about a month and I absolutely love android, and in the next few years almost everyone’s cell phone will be a “smartphone” – and android is set to take the lead over the iPhone with the number of android devices coming this year. With the app market transforming our phones into little computers, spy software has gotten more powerful, easier to install, and cheaper. And unlike the Windows Mobile and palm smartphones of previous years, todays smartphones are actually cool and fashionable for the average person. It has never been easier to pick up a Nexus One or Motorola Droid for your partner as a gift and turn it into a stealthy spy phone in just a few minutes.

I searched for all spying apps I could find that met 3 important requirements: hidden from both the app list and task managers, able to access the spy data online, and records at least text messages and phone call history.

SMS Box

SMS Box will forward and archive all your phone calls and text messages to a web database where it can be accessed. I tested this app out and it appeared to work as it says. A free version of this app is available, but it does not include the stealth feature. The paid version of this app does not show up in the app list and sells currently for 19.90 euros ($27.13).

Pros

  • Free version available
  • Easily installable from the app market

Cons

  • Limited features
  • App must be purchased on additional phones you want to monitor
  • No tech support if you have issues

SMS Box Web Screenshot

Mobile Spy

The first spy software to come out of the iPhone is Mobile Spy, and it now works on android phones along with a ton of other smartphones. Besides text message and call logging, mobile spy also records photos and videos taken with the phone, appointments, emails, and even logs GPS locations so you can track just exactly where that phone has been traveling to. Information is accessed remotely online and you can check out a demo of the interface on their website. A big advantage to mobile spy is that it also works on the iPhone, windows smartphones, and many other types of phones including blackberrys.

Pros

  • Works on many other types of phones
  • Alerts to new phone contacts is a cool feature
  • GPS, email, photo, and video logging steps up your spying power
  • Yearly purchase includes Sniper Spy for free, a computer monitoring software we rave about constantly
  • Phone support

Cons

  • Product is subscription based
  • No refunds unless you have technical difficulties that they are unable to help you with
  • Limited to 3 phones you may monitor, per subscription

MobiStealth

Update: We have recently reviewed MobiStealth and detailed exactly how to install it.

MobiStealth recently emerged as a solid competitor to Mobile Spy and shares many of the same features, but it has some more advanced features and comes in 3 different flavors of Lite, Pro, and Pro-X. The lite version is priced the same as Mobile Spy and has the same features except for photo/video logging. The Pro version is where it gets interesting – send a secret invisible text message to tell the phone to start recording the surrounding audio or retrieve the current GPS location, and the Pro-X version will record and upload phone call conversations for later listening.

Pros 

  • The most features in a single spy app
  • No limit to the number of phones you can monitor
  • Better online spy interface than SMS Box or Mobile Spy

Cons

  • Product is subscription based
  • Lite version has less features than Mobile Spy at the same price
Buy MobiStealth Spy Software for Android Phone

Conclusion

After trying and reviewing all 3 spy apps on my phone I found each one to have it’s advantages. If you just want to spy on text messages and call history quickly and on the cheap, SMS Box via the app market is your best bet only costing $30 bucks. If you need additional spying features such as GPS to know where the phone is traveling and photo/video/email logging to monitor for anything suspicious, Mobile Spy is a better choice. Finally, if you need more advanced features like the ability to record phone conversations and remote text message control over the phone then MobiStealth is the superior choice.

45 Responses to “Top 3 Android Phone Apps for Spying on Text Messages and Call History”

  1. valerie says:

    i love my husband but we currently dont live togther and hes been so distant i know for a fact he’s cheating i caught him on his yahoo account didnt say anthing because i still wanted to see what he was emailing….. but before i knew it he changed his account information. Could u help at all???? i dont have access to his computor or his phone is that a problem ?

  2. Marwa says:

    Hi
    My husband has secret phone and I dont have access to it, only i know his number, is there anyway that I get his call log from his secrete phone, pls help me and which software, and I have 3 kids only I want to save my marriage, and always he cheat.
    thanks

  3. mamiloca says:

    Hi Shauns Mommy, I saw your messages and just knowing that this guy is only your fiance, you have a child, and hes ALREADY cheating on you??? Dont waste youre money or time spying on him!! Get rid of that bastard trash now BEFORE you marry him and find someone who is worthy of you. Put it in your prayers and give it to God….I promise you will get something much better!!

  4. marc says:

    is it also possible to spy on text send via whatsapp or is it just for sms?

  5. broken heart says:

    hi,

    I found your article really interesting although i would have preferred never to have the need to learn about it as my interest comes about becuase of my husband having cheated.
    My question to you if I may: he has an iphone and an ipad and i would like to monitor his chat as that is how he communicates. Is that at all possible in stealth mode too? I really appreciate your help, and thanks for your time

  6. Susan says:

    Can I use any of these on a
    Windows Htc 7 phone?

  7. Hi, i would like to ask how to purchase the mobile spy? and is it workn if i want to spy my fiance’s cell phone as we live apart? How to put software on his phone then? Tq

  8. Hi i need to know how i spy on my fiance’s both phones & his activities on those both phones. How to do that? Pls i need to know coz he been cheating on me. tq

  9. upset guy says:

    Mobistealth is not stealthy either… it shows up as a program called Phone Secure in the downloaded applications in settings > applications > downloaded & running! So if the end user knows they did not install the app, they will uninstall it.

    • Yeah this is mentioned in my article. All apps show up in that list – that is why it’s named Phone Secure, which the name does not indicate they are being spyed on. It’s not possible to hide from this menu due to android limitations i’m told, otherwise they obviously would hide it.

  10. Tawiah Evans says:

    i want to see the number

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