In today’s times, spy apps are a popular method for tracking someone’s cell phone activities. Because of the variety of spy apps available, many have flocked to it to monitor their children and employees. Moreover, since each one of us carries a cell phone with us at all times, spy apps can virtually provide information on our everyday activity—when we eat, when we go to sleep when we are talking to someone, etc.

Spy apps have diverse applications. Parents use them to watch over their kids, organizations use them to monitor their employees, and likewise, it’s also used to spy on partners. Because of the market for spy apps, many apps have emerged that provide a variety of features. These apps can be installed on a mobile phone to monitor them remotely.

For this our review of the top 3 spy apps for Android, we compared features, compatibility, and performance of all the popular mobile spyware. And what we discovered is that an app may provide many features, but how well do they work is another thing. But that’s just one of the many things we learned. So, here are our top 3 spy apps for Android.

Xnspy

Without a doubt, Xnspy is one of the best performing spy apps currently available in the market. For one, it has exclusive Android features. A user can monitor various activities (call logs, emails, browsing history, etc.) on the cell phone. Moreover, it is compatible with the latest Android OS. So users can use it on various Android devices, including mobile phones and tablets.

The monitored phone data retrieved from a device is uploaded to Xnspy’s server, accessible to users via their personal accounts. A user can log into their account periodically to view any newly uploaded backup. For every new backup, users get a notification. Comparing Xnspy’s performance with other apps, it becomes evident why Xnspy takes the top spot. Installing the app does not affect the performance of the device. Battery drain is the main issue with spy apps as they are constantly uploading data from the monitored device. The app runs in the background, it gathers data and sends it to Xnspy servers. But with Xnspy, users can turn on the preference for uploading data when the phone is charging and connected to a Wi-Fi network. However, there is one drawback with this; the user does not receive instant alerts and notifications.

Although the app is compatible with both Android and iOS devices, it offers a greater number of features for an Android device. For an Android phone, the app is compatible with OS 4.x, 5.x, 6.x, 7.x, 8.x, and 9.x.

Features

Call logs and contacts

With the app, users can view the list of incoming, outgoing, and missed calls. In addition to this, users can view contacts, including their names and numbers. Contacts saved in emails are also accessible to the user.

Text messages and IM applications

From the web-based account, users can read incoming and outgoing text messages. Moreover, you can also view messages sent via popular IM applications. These include Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Skype, LINE, Kik, Viber, Instagram Direct Messages, and Tinder. A beta keylogger is also available, which allows users to track keystrokes within a number of instant messaging apps. If you find something fishy on Facebook, for instance, echospy.com offers you a guide on how to hack it and extract more information.

Internet activity

You can also monitor incoming and outgoing emails, in addition to the browsing history and bookmarked web pages. Along with a browed site’s URL, users can view the number of times a website is visited with time and date records.

Multimedia Files

Multimedia files such as photos and videos saved on the device are available to the user. Even after the files have been deleted from the phone, you can view them via your Xnspy account. Moreover, the files can be downloaded to your computer your phone.

Location tracking and geo-fencing

Xnspy allows its users to track the current and previous location of the device. You can view the location on the map, the street address, latitudinal, and longitudinal coordinates. In addition to this, users can mark safe and unsafe locations, thereby creating geo-fences. In the case the device enters or leaves a restricted area, an alert is sent to the user account.

Remote functionality

Users can control the monitored device remotely. This includes options for blocking apps, deleting phone data, taking remote screenshots, and locking the device. Xnspy allows the user to monitor application activity on the device, that is the time spent on individual apps.

Ambient listening and call recording

Ambient, or environment, listening is a feature that not all apps offer. You can listen to the phone’s environment when it is not in use. You can also record calls by sending commands from your Xnspy account.

Watchlist

Watchlist is a feature that sends alerts to the user when it detects certain words, contacts, and locations (that a device checks into). You could add multiple words, contacts, and locations to the Watchlist. The entire purpose of this is to save your time by keeping you in the loop for the important stuff only.

Analytics

The Analytics feature is unique to Xnspy. Users can obtain insights regarding the top 10 websites visited, top 5 caller durations, and top 5 callers. In addition to this, users can view a weekly activity punch card which displays the busiest calling hours of the week.

Subscription plans

Currently, Xnspy offers Basic and Premium Edition. The Basic Edition offers fewer features than the Premium Edition. Hence, the Basic Edition is priced lower. The subscription plans are billed monthly, quarterly, or annually depending on the user requirements.

Monthly

• Basic: $29.99/month
• Premium: $35.99/month

Quarterly

• Basic: $13.99/month, billed $41.99 quarterly
• Premium: $19.99/month, billed $59.99 quarterly

Annually

• Basic: $4.99/month, billed $59.99 annually
• Premium: $7.49/month, billed $89.99 annually

Spyzie

Spyzie is another popular spy app that offers various features for monitoring a cell phone remotely. The app is targeted at parents to aid them in tracking their children’s online activity. You can view the activity on the device through a web-based user account.

To install the app, you need to gain physical access to the device. Moreover, you don’t have to root an Android device to avail features. The app provides detailed information to the user regarding the activity on the device. However, compared with other apps, Spyzie does not offer a lot of features. Despite this, the app is reliable and does not affect the performance of the device. In addition to this, the user interface of the app is easy to navigate. Users can view individual features on the left side of the screen.

The app is compatible with both iPhone and Android devices. Spyzie is compatible with Android OS 4.0 and higher.

Features

Call logs and contacts

Users can view call history on the monitored device. The information displayed with regards to call logs include contact names, phone numbers, time, call duration, and whether the call was incoming, outgoing, missed, or rejected. You can also view the contacts saved on the device. This includes the name, number, and email address of a contact.

Text Messages and IM applications

In addition to viewing text messages sent via SMS, users can view messages sent via IM apps. These include WhatsApp, Instagram Direct Messages, Facebook Messenger, and others. You can also view photos shared via IM apps and view messages along with the time and date.

Location

Like most apps, Spyzie also allows its users to track location and view location history. You can also place geofences and be notified when the device crosses a restricted boundary.

Email, browser history, and bookmarks

Using this feature, Spyzie users can keep track of the websites visited along with the date and time. Likewise, users can also view the list of bookmarked sites as well as incoming and outgoing emails. The URL and the title of the website are available for viewing on the user account.

Screenshots

You can take screenshots remotely without the user knowing about it. Along with the screenshot, users can view the time and date associated with those screenshots to determine the activity on the monitored device. Users can also download the screenshots.

Photos

Users can monitor and download photos saved on the device. The photos saved in apps and the gallery are accessible.

Keylogger

The keylogger allows the user to record keystrokes on the monitored device.

Subscription plans

The app offers three subscription plans for Android devices. These are billed monthly, quarterly, and annually:

Basic Version

• 1 Month: $29.99/month
• 3 Months: $13.33/month, billed $39.99 quarterly
• 1 Year: $7.50/month, billed $89.99 monthly

Pro Version

• 1 Month: $39.99/month
• 3 months: $20/month, billed $59.99 quarterly
• 1 Year: $8.99/month, billed $99.99 annually

Ultimate Version

• 1 Month: $49.99/month
• 3 months: $23.33/month, billed $69.99 quarterly
• 1 Year: $10.00/month, billed $119.99 annually

Spyera

Spyera takes the third spot on our list of top spy apps for Android. Spyera offers a user-friendly control panel that allows the user to monitor a cell phone remotely. The app targets parents and employers to monitor activity on smartphones. Overall, the app offers a decent number of features. Performance-wise, the app is good; however, the site does not provide much information regarding the installation of the app.

Like most top spy apps, the app can work in hidden and visible mode. The app does not affect the performance and also does not quickly drain a phone’s battery. In addition to the features that the app offers, users can download reports regarding the data collected on the device.

The app is compatible with iPhone and Android phones. It is compatible with all Android devices, including those running Android 9. However, to avail some features, rooting is required.

Features

Call history and address book

Users of the app can view call history and contacts saved on the device. You can also view the time, duration, and the number associated with a call. In addition to this, you can view the details of a contact, including names, phone numbers, and emails.

Record phone surroundings and calls

The microphone on the device can be used to listen to conversations and the surroundings of the phone. The recorded sounds are saved in a hidden audio file and uploaded to the account. Users of the app can listen to the audio file from the account. Moreover, users can record phone calls. Additionally, users can listen to live phone calls on the device. However, to listen to live calls and to record phone surroundings, you need to root the Android device.

Text messages

You can view the incoming and outgoing messages on the phone, in addition to accessing contact names, time, and date associated with a message.

Keylogger

The keylogger, available in most spy apps, logs keystrokes on the device. This feature allows users to monitor passwords, messages, and notes typed on the device.

Emails and web history

To spy on emails using Spyera, you need to root the device. This feature allows you to access incoming and outgoing email messages. In addition to this, users can also track the browsing history and bookmarked web pages on the browser.

GPS Location tracking

This feature allows the user to view the location of the device on a map, in addition to the coordinates.

Multimedia Files

Multimedia files such as photos and audio can be accessed by the user through the app. The pictures are available on the account. The audio files and voice memos are also available to the user.

Remote functionality

Users of the app can view application activity, such as the list of installed apps and their usage on the device. Also, users can remotely uninstall Spyera and update the app as well. You can also check battery levels to ensure that the device is on. Users also receive notification in the case a specified number calls the device.

Subscription plans

For an Android smartphone, Spyera offers only one subscription plan that is billed quarterly, bi-annually, and annually. The prices are listed as follows:

• 3 months: $189
• 6 months: $289
• 12 months: $389

Verdict

Compared with Xnspy, the subscription plans offered by Spyzie and Spyera are expensive. In addition to this, these two apps also offer limited features for Android phones. To install the advances features on Spyera, you also have to root the Android device.