Apps to beware of on your partner’s phone

You may think your spouse would never cheat on you. But with one in five Britons admitting to having had an affair, the odds are higher than you might like.

One sign your partner is straying is that they suddenly become overprotective of their phone. But while your average affair might be uncovered by sneaking a look at their texts, a tech-savvy cheat will likely have worked out how to hide their infidelity in plain sight.

Aside from the obvious – such as Tinder or websites designed for those looking to have an affair, such as Ashley Madison and Gleeden – there are also a variety of cleverly disguised apps likely to be used by cheating spouses to keep their messages secret.

Here, we uncover some of the most common...

WHATSAPP’S SECRET FUNCTION

You may think that messaging app WhatsApp is innocuous enough – you probably both use it for group chats with friends and to send each other pictures of the kids.

But with a secret ‘locked chats’ function, your partner could be keeping certain conversations hidden away. The feature allows users to protect certain messages with a password or face recognition, and keeps them separate from other innocent conversations.

Even WhatsApp itself acknowledged how useful this feature could be for cheaters, exclaiming in a blog post: “We think this feature will be great for ... those moments where someone else is holding your phone at the exact moment an extra-special chat arrives.”

To view the locked chats, scroll up on the homescreenand the folder will appear.

SECOND CALCULATOR IS A BAD SIGN

If you see more than one calculator app on your partner’s phone, look at it more closely.

There are several apps that disguise themselves as calculators, but actually offer a secret way to hide photos, videos and contacts.

One of the most popular is Calculator#, which displays a fake error message when someone tries to access it without the right credentials.

It also has a “panic button” that allows users to switch over to another app if a person glances over their shoulder.

And, Android users, Calculator Pro+ is another bit of software to watch out for.

LGBT dating app Grindr allows users to opt for a variety of “discreet” icon modes, too – one of which appears on a phone’s home screen as a blue and grey calculator icon.

IS A STOCK MARKET APP SUSPICIOUS?

Calculatirs aren’t the only ruse.

Vaulty, which disguises itself as a stock market app, is in fact a “photo vault” that can hide porn, nude selfies and more. It offers several icon options including a red, stock-market-style arrow.

But beware – if you try to crack its passcode and get it wrong, it will take a selfie and save it to its secret photo stream for your spouse to see the next time they log on.

BE WARY OF PRIVATE MESSAGING APPS

Signal is similar to WhatsApp – but more secure.

It uses fingerprint or password verification and features self-destructing or disappearing messages that can be set to delete from both parties’ devices after a time limit.

Telegram is another option.

There are plenty of legitimate reasons your partner might be using either app – especially if they work in a tech-savvy industry – but if they seem secretive about it, be wary.

SNAPCHAT IS FOR TEENS

Finding Snapchat on a middle-aged man’s phone is a billowing red flag, given that the vast majority stop using it once they’ve left school.

The app was built on swiftly disappearing photo messages, or ‘snaps’, and found popularity through amusing animal filters on users’ faces.

It’s historically been used for sending nudes and other inappropriate material without leaving a trace.

COMPUTER GAMES AREN’T JUST FOR FUN

Crazy as it sounds, thousands of infidelities have begun through games – anything from chess apps to the popular Words With Friends.

If it allows for messaging and your partner seems unreasonably attached, there could be more than friendly competition at stake.

COVER-UP WITH COVERME

While not advertised for cheating, second phone number app CoverMe sells itself on keeping secrets. It acts like a “burner phone”, allowing the user to send a text or make a call from a separate number to their own.

The app also locks by shaking your phone.