How to tell if someone went through your iPhone

iPhone keeps no log of who opened what. These are the traces you can check, what each one proves and what to do next.

You put your phone down in one spot and find it in another. A photo you do not remember viewing is open. Most of the time you cannot be sure, so it helps to know which traces are worth looking at.

Traces that mean something

A Face ID appearance you did not add. Apple’s safety guide suggests resetting Face ID if you think someone added an alternate appearance. You cannot list appearances in detail, so resetting is the clean answer.

Devices on your account. Open Settings and tap your name. Review the list and remove anything unfamiliar.

Sharing you did not set up. Safety Check, under Privacy & Security, shows who you are sharing with and which apps have access.

Configuration profiles. Go to Settings, then General, then VPN & Device Management. Apple says if you see no profiles, then none are installed. On a work or school phone, ask the administrator before removing anything.

Weak signs

• An open app you did not leave open
• A moved phone or changed volume
• A battery drop
• A recent search in an app

These can have ordinary causes. Use them as a nudge to check the list above.

If you do find something

Apple warns that changes may be noticed by the other person, and that you may want to record what you found first. Take a photo of the screen with another device if this could matter later. If you feel unsafe, speak to an advocate first; the US National Domestic Violence Hotline is at 800-799-7233.

Otherwise, change your passcode, your Apple Account password and any app passwords you think were seen. Then read what to do when your partner went through your phone.

What this cannot catch

Someone with your passcode, for a few minutes, may leave no trace at all. So plan as if they can get in again: keep private material behind a secret they do not know, whether that is a custom Notes password, a locked PDF or a vault.