Are phones secretly spying on you? Here's how smartphone apps and AI assistants track, listen, and impact your privacy.
You've probably had this happen: you talk about travelling to Dubai or buying new trainers, and moments later, you start seeing related ads on Instagram or Google. It feels suspicious, almost as if your phone is eavesdropping on you. But is it? Can your really spy on or secretly listen to you?
From voice assistants like Siri and Google Assistant to apps that require microphone access, it's easy to wonder how much privacy you still control in 2025.
Technically, your smartphone can listen to you. Modern phones come equipped with high-quality microphones and background permissions that enable apps to collect audio data. But the question is, do they actively do it?
No. There's no technical evidence that your phone listens to you, except for your phone's voice assistants.
So, while your phone may not "listen" in the traditional sense, it tracks nearly everything else, from your location and app usage to your online searches and even how long you spend on a social media post.
Many people believe their phones secretly record them because they notice personalised ads that seem too accurate. But advertising technology (AdTech) is far more advanced than most people realise.
Companies like Meta, Google, and TikTok don't need to eavesdrop. They gather massive amounts of data through cookies, device IDs, app permissions, and algorithms that study your digital behaviour.
For instance, if you search for flights, open a travel app, or engage with posts about holidays, the system connects those dots to deliver related ads. So when you later talk about "vacation plans" and see those same ads, it feels like your phone listened, but it's actually the algorithm at work.
Across Nigeria, many smartphone users believe their devices listen to them.
Arnold, a student, said: 'Your phone is always listening, not necessarily to you, but your surroundings... the microphones on your phone can pick up inaudible sound frequencies like from a TV, another phone or PC, even if they are not connected to the web... It's called 'ultrasonic cross-device tracking'.
For Tobechukwu, an X user: 'One of the greatest discoveries of my life just happened last week. Do you know that even with your phone locked, "they" are listening to everything being said around your phone?
My brother-in-law came around visiting and was talking about a restaurant we had never heard of. Only to open Google and find restaurant ads.
Their experiences reflect what many users feel: that technology today knows us a little too much.
I also recall when a friend asked me for advice on buying a laptop, and shortly after, she opened Instagram on her phone and started seeing ads for laptops. She went wild, surprised by how it happened.
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Cybersecurity professionals agree that smartphone privacy is at risk, not because our phones constantly record us, but because of the permissions we grant without reading.
In the HBO documentary Surveilled, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Ronan Farrow exposes how advanced spyware technology can secretly access data from ordinary smartphones.
Farrow explains that these programmes, often marketed as tools for tracking criminals or preventing terrorism, can also give governments and private companies access to personal photos, messages, and even live microphone feeds.
However, Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, explains that Instagram does not listen to you. In his words:
He also provided a few explanations on how it's possible to see ads on things you spoke about. According to him, the feeling that your phone is "listening" to your conversations often has more logical explanations.
Sometimes, you may have searched for a related product online or visited a website that shared your data with ad platforms. Other times, you see ads based on your friends' interests or what people with similar profiles are engaging with.
It's also possible you saw an ad earlier without realising it, which later influenced your conversation. And occasionally, it's just a coincidence, the algorithm guessed right by chance.
In simple terms, your phone isn't secretly recording every word you say. But it doesn't have to; it already knows enough through your digital footprint. Every click, search, and app you use adds to your online profile, which is then used for marketing, analytics, and AI training.
The real concern isn't hidden microphones, it's invisible data trails.
You may not be able to completely stop your phone from tracking you, but you can take steps to minimise its tracking. Control app permissions, be mindful of what you share online, and remember that privacy today is not about hiding, it's about managing your exposure.