App To Detect Recording Devices

There is nothing worse than living in fear that you are being watched by someone or something. Maybe a camera? To get rid of the doubt, you can use the sensors of your Android smartphone to Detect Recording Devices in your vicinity. Of course, you will need an application specialized in the detection of hidden cameras to achieve your goal.

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Recently, OPPO launched an app to detect spy cameras near you, but unfortunately, they have not yet released it so that anyone can use it. Luckily, there are other hidden camera detector apps that will help you find out the truth. We will know all its details and how to use them.

How smartphones can detect hidden cameras?

How smartphones can detect hidden cameras

The applications that we will present to you later are not a lie, like these 5 apps that you should not install on your mobile. They are based on real and proven principles to detect hidden cameras. Specifically, there are five ways to know where there are hidden cameras with a mobile:

  • Detecting electromagnetic fields – If you know roughly where the hidden camera maybe, you could use an app that detects nearby electromagnetic fields to pinpoint its whereabouts. The stronger the field, the closer the camera will be.
  • Detecting light reflecting off a lens – This method is less reliable, but it can work. It consists of using very particular camera settings to accentuate the reflection that light can cause when hitting a lens. Needless to say, this method requires a smartphone with a high-end camera.
  • Scanning nearby networks: Normally hidden cameras are connected to the Internet to send what they are recording to the user who placed it. So, if your mobile is connected to the same WiFi network as the camera, you could easily detect it. And if you’re not connected to the Internet, maybe you have Bluetooth turned on, which is easy to tell.
  • Using the Flashlight – It’s pretty obvious. If you are in a dark place where the light does not reach well, you can use the flashlight of your mobile to illuminate specific areas and thus discover where the camera is hidden. The interesting thing about this method is that the light from the flashlight can cause a flash on the hidden camera.
  • Using the ToF sensor – This is the most sophisticated and accurate method out there. It consists of using the ToF sensor of your mobile camera to project beams of infrared light on objects. The reflection generated by these beams when bouncing off things is read by the mobile camera which, through a complex application, is able to determine where the hidden camera is based on the incoming laser pulses. The ones with higher intensity are those of the hidden camera due to the retroreflection effect of the lens.

This last method is not yet available to users. But just so you’re informed, the app that makes it possible is called LAPD, created by researchers at Yonsei University in South Korea and the National University of Singapore.

The best apps to detect hidden cameras with your Android or iPhone

Currently, the best performing hidden camera detection apps for Android are Hidden Camera Detector and Flash Finder. The first is based on the electromagnetic field detection method and the second is on reflection detection. Both are free and you can download them from the Play Store.

  1. Hidden Camera Detector
  2. Flash Seeker

For iPhone, the only free option is Hidden Camera Detector (which is also available on Android ). This app uses the network scanning method, although it can also do a quick lens flare detection. It is one of the most reliable for iPhones.

If you are willing to spend money on this, you can try DontSpy 2 which uses electromagnetic field detection, or Hidden Spy Camera Detector which brings together almost all hidden camera detection methods.

  1. ‎Hidden Camera Detector
  2. ‎Don’t Spy 2
  3. ‎Hidden Spy Camera Detector

How to detect hidden cameras with your mobile

Detecting hidden cameras is not easy, especially if you use a smartphone that is not a device designed for this task . However, here we have prepared a series of tips and steps to follow that will increase the chances of you finding the spy camera.

Tips to detect hidden cameras with your smartphone

Tips to detect hidden cameras

Before starting the search, you have to take into account the following to avoid mistaken detections and not leave loose ends:

  • The phone case doesn’t help: Remember that the sensors used by hidden camera detection apps are inside the phone. So the less you “tuck” him in, the better his readings will be. Cases, in particular, tend to block the radiation field of the phone itself and the signals from the devices.
  • All devices cause interference – Whether you’re scanning networks or detecting electromagnetic fields, you’ll run into interference from cell phones, TVs, speakers, computers, and every other device in the room. So if you detect a strong signal in a place where there is no device, you may have found the hidden camera.
  • In the dark it is easier to find the cameras: by turning off the lights and closing all the windows or light entrances, you can easily find hidden cameras just by looking for the flashing LED light that they usually have. So you don’t even have to use an app. Of course, this is only valid when the spy camera has an LED light (most do not).
  • Pay special attention to mirrors: there are two-way mirrors that show your reflection on one side and are completely transparent on the other. Cameras are often hidden in these mirrors. How to know if a mirror is bidirectional? Touch the mirror with your fingernail. If you see a gap between the real nail and its reflection, it is a normal mirror. Otherwise, it is a two-way mirror.
  • Have some duct tape ready: When you find a suspicious camera, cover it with non-transparent duct tape. When you have covered everything and still feel like you are being spied on, you should cover the camera of your own devices.
  • Move some things: One last step to avoid being spied on by a hidden camera when you can’t detect it, is to turn the direction of the flower pots, coffee pot,s and other such devices towards the wall.

Steps to detect a hidden camera with your mobile using an app

Steps to detect a hidden camera with your mobile using an app

Although you can use any of the applications that we showed you before, for the purposes of this tutorial we will use the Hidden Camera Detector Android app. In any case, the steps to follow are similar in all the applications. That said, do the following to try to detect a hidden camera with your mobile:

  • Open the hidden camera detector app.
  • If you are going to use the electromagnetic field method (wired), slowly bring your mobile closer to the objects or places which you suspect. If you notice spikes in reading or hear a beep, manually search for the camera there.
  • You can also use the infrared camera method with which you can apply various color filters. In this way, it is possible to detect the beams of light that the camera projects and that, with the naked eye, cannot be seen.
  • There’s also the lens detector option that will flash a red dot on the app when you’re close to the hidden camera.
  • If you can’t find anything at this point, use the network scanning method to find out if there really is a camera in the room or not. To do this, you will have to turn on the WiFi network, GPS, and Bluetooth of your mobile and grant the detector application the necessary permissions to access these sensors. Once you do, the app will tell you if there are any suspicious devices.

If after finishing analyzing the area with the detector app you don’t find any hidden camera in the room, don’t trust it. It is possible that there is a camera, only that it is very well hidden and your mobile does not have enough technology to detect it. In that case, we recommend using a specialized detection device, such as the €30 CHIBOPLUS.

What should I do if I find a hidden camera?

If you find a camera that was spying on you without your consent, you can report the person or company that has placed it. To do this, you need hard evidence, so don’t touch the camera. Leave it in its place and take a photo of it that remains as evidence. Then just put something in front of the camera so it doesn’t keep spying on you.

Finally, file a complaint with the police. He reminds us that any violation of a person’s privacy is punishable by law in most countries.