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Why Monitor Text Messages?
Parents mostly tend to try seeing their child’s text messages for various reasons, like ensuring they are safe and not engaging in any inappropriate conversations. Given the rising concerns around online abuse in the form of cyberbullying, grooming, predation, and whatnot, parents cannot help but seek ways to monitor their text messages.
With the messages in front of them, they can better detect any instances of abuse and follow it with an appropriate action. However, abuse is not the sole concern. Some children willingly participate in explicit and inappropriate conversations, which parents also want to know about.
Regardless of their motivation being supervision, protective instincts, or security, text monitoring apps are used by most to get the insights they need. However, it's crucial to always balance this with respect for privacy and to adhere to legal and ethical guidelines when monitoring text messages.
How to Monitor Text Messages: 6 Proven Ways
You may be wondering what are the best ways to track someone’s messages.
An app to track text messages is the obvious answer—we’ll cover that and other lesser-known methods below.
1. Use XNSPY SMS Tracker (Android and iOS)
XNSPY is a reliable cell phone SMS tracker app. As far as its compatibility is concerned, XNSPY is supported and works seamlessly on most Android and iOS devices. By installing it on the target phone, you can get access to almost all the data and actions taken by the user.
Besides text monitoring, it offers social media access, location tracking, call and internet logging, keylogging, and screen recording.
XNSPY’s dashboard then provides a user-friendly way to view messages remotely and see the above-mentioned data.
From the list of options on the left side of the dashboard, text monitoring is present in the Phone Logs tab. The text message logs let you find and read all the sent and received messages on the target phone.
XNSPY’s text monitoring app allows you to view messages in Chat View and List View. In the chat view, the conversation thread for a particular contact appears in one window to display their entire chat history.
While, in the list view, the messages appear as they are send or received on the target phone. You can even search the message list for particular contact names or numbers using the provided filters.
All the messages in both views are listed with relevant date and time stamps.
The Smartest Way to Track Texts
Outperform other methods - XNSPY gives you full control over text monitoring.
2. Google Backup (Android)
Text monitoring someone’s messages on an Android phone can be done by accessing its associated Google Backup. Every Android phone runs with a particular Google ID, which means all the phone’s messages, calls, and app data are automatically stored in its linked cloud service, Google Drive.
To do so, you have to first ensure the target device is set to back up data by going to Settings > Google > Backup. Then, toggle on “Back up to Google Drive,” ensuring that SMS messages are included in the backup.
Once the backup is active, use the credentials to sign in to the target's Google account on another device—access Google Drive, where the backup data is stored. From the options, look for backups and click on the icon. You will be able to view all backed-up messages from there.
Note that this method relies on periodic backup and may not provide real-time text monitoring. Also, accessing someone’s private data without their knowledge may be illegal and an invasion of privacy.
3. Use the Android Messages Web Version (Android)
Monitoring someone's text messages through Android Messages’ web version requires access to their Android device and permission to link it with a browser. First, ensure Messages by Google is the default messaging app on the target Android device. Then, open the web version of Messages on a computer by visiting messages.google.com/web
Open the Messages app on the target Android device, tap the three-dot menu, and select "Device Pairing." Scan the QR code displayed on the browser with the phone, and the messages will sync to the web version. This enables real-time tracking of all incoming and outgoing text messages.
However, the connection between the web version and the phone depends on the phone's active internet connection. Also, note unauthorized access to someone’s messages is not legal.
4. iCloud Backup (iOS)
Tracking someone’s messages on their iPhone is possible if you have access to the iCloud backup. The process involves getting access to the iCloud account and device settings. First, you have to ensure that the target device has iCloud backups enabled. The device must also be connected to Wi-Fi for automatic backups.
Here are the steps:
Navigate to Settings > [User's Name] > iCloud > iCloud Backup, and toggle it on.
Once the iCloud backup is set up, sign in to the target's iCloud account using the correct Apple ID and password from a separate device. After logging in, navigate to the iCloud backup section and view the messages.
Note that this method may only be used to see text messages that were present during the most recent backup, as iCloud does not provide real-time monitoring.
5. Use Apple's Family Sharing (iOS)
Apple’s Family Sharing feature allows users to share purchases, subscriptions, and more. However, it can also be used to view text messages and other user activities on an iPhone. You must set up Family Sharing from Settings and log in with your Apple ID and password.
To do this, navigate to the settings on your iPhone or iOS device. Open Apple ID settings, and you’ll find a Family Sharing tab. From here, select ‘Set Up Your Family’. This will enable parental controls on your device and assign you as the parent.
From here, you will be prompted to enter your family member's Apple ID email address. Once done, you can view all messages on your children’s iPhones.
6. Set Up Message Forwarding (Android and iOS)
Another way to check SMS on Android and iOS phones is to set up message forwarding.
For Android phones, you have to download the SMS Forwarding mobile app from the Google Play store and install it on the target phone. Setting up the SMS Forwarding app is relatively easy and only takes minutes. Once installed, the text tracking app will send every SMS sent or received from the target phone to your number.
On an iPhone, you have to enable Text Message Forwarding, which allows messages received on one device to be forwarded to another Apple device.
To set this up, click Settings > Messages > Text Message Forwarding on the target iPhone. You will need to sign in with the same Apple ID on the second device, such as another iPhone, iPad, or Mac, where you want to receive the forwarded texts.
Once configured, all SMS and iMessages sent and received on the target device will also appear on the linked device.
Is There a Way to Monitor My Child's Text Messages Without Installing a Text Message Tracker?
No, you need to install software to monitor SMS on your device, whether it's an Android or an iPhone.
One way to do it without installing the software is to get physical access to your child’s phone and check their text messages. However, they may be reluctant to hand over the phone or their cell phone may be password- or ID-protected, which makes monitoring text even more difficult.
Therefore, it is always more helpful to remotely monitor the child's text messages through a text message tracker. You only need to access the target phone once to install the app. Once installed, the app discreetly gathers all SMS and other phone data and uploads it to a secure dashboard. For example, XNSPY can serve as a purposeful text monitoring app.
Can My Text Messages Be Monitored Without Access to My Phone?
Yes, your text messages can be monitored without direct access to your phone if someone has access to your cloud backups, linked accounts, or message-forwarding features.