Can You Use a Code to Check if Phone is Hacked or Tapped? Updated 2024

I’ve been asked this question repeatedly over the last few years – is there a code to check if phone is hacked or tapped by someone? Wouldn’t it be great if this was true and it really worked?

So I decided to run some tests and see for myself if this could work.

Now I have to be honest here – I had looked into this briefly a while ago with mixed results using a couple of numbers.

The bigger problem as I see it is not so much the codes working or not – it is the fact that these codes are a very limited way to check if your phone is hacked. This is especially true if you have been hacked by phone spy apps.

On this website, I have a whole section about Online Security covering all aspects of how to know if your phone has really been hacked and spyware detection, and of course how to remove a hacker from your phone.

With so much experience in these topics, I am naturally a skeptic of something as simple as using a code to find out if a phone is hacked. But I put this aside and continued with the test. Later on, I will discuss the bigger issue of how effective these codes are.

Testing The USSD Phone Codes

The codes most sites refer to are USSD Codes – Unstructured Supplementary Service Data codes also referred to as “Quick Codes”. Put simply, these USSD numbers allow the mobile phone or device user to access some hidden features.

They allow you to see certain data and information from your carrier and to access hidden information on your phone or device itself.

The first thing was to try and find some codes used to check if a phone has been compromised or tapped in some way. The problem is that these aren’t that widely known and they differ from types of phone, device, and individual carriers.

Another problem was using code numbers that could in some way help to find a hack. Using a code to see your remaining balance doesn’t really help!

Once I had a set of codes to test I tried them on two of my test phones – a Samsung Galaxy A20 and an iPhone 5S. Obviously, this is a limited test but I still wanted to see how these might perform in the real world.

How to Use the Code to Check If Phone is Hacked

You simply type these code numbers into your phone dial/keypad exactly as shown and hit the call button. They usually start and end with a * or a # with numbers in the middle. They are designed so that you are not likely to hit them by mistake.

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Numbers to Dial to See if Phone is Hacked

These numbers are the same for use on iPhones and Android phones. I have tested both and revealed the results below.

Test Results – Using the Smartphone Code Number to Check for Mobile Phone Hacking

These commonly quoted codes to check if your phone has been tapped or hacked are found easily online – and repeated by multiple websites.

So I tested the following codes and logged my results – whether they worked or not.

Call Redirection Code *#62#

If someone has hacked your phone they could be redirecting your calls and messages to another phone. This does actually happen! The idea behind using this code is to check for any redirection on your phone.

You simply enter the code in your keypad and hit call. If you are clear you will see no number. If your phone is being redirected you will see a 10-digit phone number – this is where your calls are being redirected to.

*#62*      Did not work
*#62#     Worked on Android and iPhone

The second number worked for me so this is a useful code to check for phone hacks at least in a limited way. Be aware that this code will not disclose a spy app on your device. Mobile phone spy apps do not use any redirections to gather the user’s data.

Call Diversion Code *#21#

Hackers have been known to divert calls to another device. This code allows you to quickly check if your mobile phone calls are being diverted. Although it sounds similar to a redirected call they are different.

Diverted calls will not show on your phone records or bill. They are initiated before the call is connected and the call then gets diverted. This means that if your calls are being diverted you’ll not have any idea this is happening. Use this code to check for any diversion.

*#21*       Did not work
*#21#      Worked on Android and iPhone

Again this code is a good first step when investigating if you have been hacked in some way. If you see your calls are being diverted you definitely have a problem. But then again if your calls are being diverted you’ll notice that you aren’t getting any phone calls. Kinda obvious!

Call Forwarding *#67# 

This is similar to the above codes in operation. Call forwarding can be set on your phone manually. You can have all calls forwarded to any number you choose. This code checks for any forwarding numbers on your phone.

*#67#      Worked on Android and iPhone
*#61#      Worked on Android and iPhone

Again, the code worked as expected but you will notice if you aren’t receiving calls anyway.

All three of these displayed the same MMI code report stating if any forwarding, redirection, or diversion is taking place. It is a useful report but only as a first step.

Code to Undo all Redirection Numbers ##002#

If you tried the numbers above and have any redirections or call forwarding you can quickly remove them using this code.

##002#    Worked on Android and iPhone

This is quite useful and it works well.

Using The Utility Netmonitor Code To Check Redirection

These are touted as the best codes to use to check if your phone is hacked or tapped in some way without your knowledge. The ultimate phone hack check codes! Using these is supposed to open up a secondary menu that can identify where your phone device signal is being routed.

The idea is that you can use this information to see if your data is being compromised through any suspicious relay tools – not regular network cell relay towers. To me, this idea is totally whack for any normal user.

You are supposed to be able to access the UTMS Cell Environment and then see the UMTS RR data. From here you can identify a specific Cell ID. Then you open the MM Information, find the Serving PLMN and copy the local area code.

Using the area code and the cell ID you can check the location on a Netmonitor website. If all is good this should be very close to where you are. If not you have a potential problem.

Seriously – I glazed over quickly! I doubt even an expert could use this information to come to any conclusion about being tapped. It will show no evidence whatsoever of any tapping done using commercial spy apps – the most common way for regular phone users to be hacked these days!

Worst of all – despite several websites repeating these codes – I couldn’t get any of them to work!

The Utility Code for Android:

*#*#4636#*#*                 Not working
*#*#197328640#*#*      Not working

The Utility Code for iPhone:

*3001#12345#*        Not working
*3001#12345#          Not working

I tried several variations of the utility netmonitor code multiple times – I searched for more information online – and still couldn’t get any to work.

I’d be interested to hear from anyone who has managed to get these codes working – or is this just another case of bad or old information being spread online?

Other Popular USSD Code Numbers I Found Online

I have listed some of these out of interest but they are not relevant to finding any evidence of a hack. They gave mixed results and many are pretty pointless as you can find most of the information in your phone settings and status.

*#06#   Display your IMEI code  – Worked on Android and iPhone
*#0*#    General test mode   – Worked on Android and iPhone
*646#    Check available minutes  – Not working
*225#    Check your Balance  – Not working
#31#       Hide number From Caller ID  – Not working
*43#       Activate Call Waiting  – Worked on Android
#43#      Deactivate Call Waiting  – Worked on Android

*5005*7672#              SMS message center  – Not working
*#*#232337#*#         Display Bluetooth address  – Not working
*#*#34971539#*#*   Display camera information  – Not working
*#*#1472365#*#*      GPS Test  – Not working

I found these codes just by searching online but they reveal the main problem. Most of the codes you find online are old and outdated. For example, most phone carriers have a dedicated number you can text or call to see your balance. They don’t rely on old USSD codes.

Code to Wipe Your Phone *2767*3855#

*2767*3855#    This code is supposed to completely wipe the phone or device and reinstall the firmware – Given the results from above I DID NOT test this – I don’t suggest you do either!

Conclusion – Can You Use a Code to Check If Your Phone is Tapped or Hacked?

So, when it comes to what to dial to see if your phone is hacked – what’s the story? I have already admitted that I started out being pretty skeptical about these codes – but I was shocked at how useless they really were!

Looking at what was actually working – you could check if there are any call redirects, any call forwarding, or any call diversions set up on your phone. This amounts to the same report and really doesn’t help much to determine if you have been hacked.

The others I could get to work were totally unrelated to hacking or tapping in any shape or form. I could display the phones IMEI code, activate and deactivate call waiting – all of which are available from the phone settings anyway!

If you have serious problems you should check out my Premium Security Guide. Developed after several years researching spy apps and hacking methods this guide has been helping people for years now. Find out the details below and take action today!

Why are the phone codes published online so unreliable?

So many didn’t work but that is hardly surprising. People have a tendency to just copy and repeat things published online without checking the facts for themselves.

The other big problem is that there is so much diversity in the smartphone market that set codes will not cover all types and models of phones and then add in the various network providers.

Regardless of them not working – my main point is that phone codes cannot help to check if your phone has been hacked, tapped, or monitored in some way. None of these can be regarded as phone tapping codes or phone hacking codes by any stretch of the imagination!

It sounds great at first – simply type in a code and you’ll know if someone has hacked your device! But the reality is that there is no easy way to find out if you have been compromised – you need to do some research.

Have a good read through the security section of my website and find some real actionable advice.

Common Questions:

Here I cover some of the most frequently asked questions I have received about phone codes and hacking detection. Get in touch if you have any you’d like to add.

Can you use a code to check if your phone is monitored?

Yes, the codes in this article will check if your phone is monitored. But just as in hack detection these codes have limited use and aren’t foolproof.

Is there a code to check if your Sim is hacked?

The USSD phone codes above all test the SIM card in use on the phone. So, you are checking if your Sim card is hacked. The SIM card in the phone gives the phone its unique number and all tests run on that number. See my main article for more details.

What code to check if Samsung phone is hacked?

Samsung phones run on the Android operating system so just use the Android phone codes to check for potential hacks.

Is there a code to unhack my phone?

No, there is no code you can use to unhack your cell phone. You could try the code to wipe your phone but this basically performs a factory reset on the phone and all your personal data will be lost. I would recommend doing a factory reset manually rather than using a USSD code.

Using USSD codes to check if your phone is hacked can be a useful first step, but it’s important to remember that these codes are limited and won’t reveal any evidence of a spy app.

The most useful code found was the one that can detect call redirects, diversions, and forwarding. However, many of the other popular codes online were outdated and not useful.

Thanks for reading.