If your partner suddenly has THESE apps on their phone, they’re hiding something unsavoury from you. Here’s how to check… and how to catch them in the act
As a single woman who has spent the past decade wading through the swamp of modern dating, I thought I’d seen every cheating trick in the book.
After all, there’s nothing like a single woman to attract the attentions of a coupled-up man looking for some fun on the side.
But last night, when a married male friend slid into my Instagram DMs using a sneaky new method of communication, I realised just how creative cheaters are getting.
This now-former friend typed out a very crude message in the Notes app on his iPhone, screenshotted it and sent it to me as a disappearing photo message on Instagram, meaning the message vanished the second I opened it.
It reminded me of the time a friend shared the five-second trick she used to uncover her partner’s OnlyFans habit. She went to the site’s sign-up page, tried to create an account using his email and a message popped up saying an account was already linked to it.
While technology makes infidelity easier than ever to hide, if you know where to look, it can be surprisingly easy to catch someone out. So I’ve been investigating the sneaky digital tricks cheaters are using to get away with it. Wives, beware…
While technology makes infidelity easier than ever to hide, if you know where to look, it can be surprisingly easy to catch someone out
As a single woman who has spent the past decade wading through the swamp of modern dating, I thought I’d seen every cheating trick in the book, writes Jana Hocking
Notes app
With Apple’s shared Notes feature, which lets two people collaborate in real time, messages can be typed, deleted and rewritten almost instantly, leaving very little evidence behind
Yes, that boring old app where you’ve been keeping your shopping lists, WiFi passwords and holiday packing reminders. It’s now where some people are conducting entire affairs.
The trick works through Apple’s shared Notes feature, which lets two people collaborate on the same note in real time. Messages can be typed, deleted and rewritten almost instantly, leaving very little evidence behind.
And because it’s tucked away inside such a boring, everyday app, most partners would never even think to check it.
If the number of ‘shopping lists’ he’s writing when you look over his shoulder seems excessive, you should be suspicious.
Signal
Signal notifications can be hidden, the app can be locked with Face ID and users can communicate via usernames rather than visible phone numbers
The encrypted messaging app Signal is widely used by journalists and politicians thanks to its intense security features. Which is why it’s now become so appealing for discreet conversations.
He can explain it away by saying he needs it for work – and there’ll be no evidence to contradict him.
Messages can disappear automatically after a set amount of time. Notifications can be hidden. The app can be locked with Face ID. And users can communicate via usernames rather than visible phone numbers.
Telegram
Telegram includes a feature called ‘Secret Chat’, where messages self-destruct after being read. And thanks to its use of cloud storage, you can access it on multiple devices
Telegram’s popularity among ‘tech bros’ comes thanks to its advanced security features and its use of cloud storage, meaning you can access your messages on multiple devices.
Thing is, this makes the encrypted messaging app popular among cheaters too.
The app includes a feature literally called ‘Secret Chat’, where conversations can self-destruct after being read.
Calculator
Apps such as Calculator+ and Calculator Pro+ look completely normal, but type in the correct PIN and a secret storage folder opens. It’s mostly where cheaters keep saucy videos
It’s like something out of a Bond film. There are apps that look like calculators, but secretly function as hidden vaults for photos, videos, messages and private files.
It’s mostly where cheaters keep the saucy videos they send each other. Apps such as Calculator+ and Calculator Pro+ look completely normal, but type in the correct PIN and a secret storage folder opens.
Most phones have built-in calculator apps, so look out if he has multiple installed on his device. And remember, nobody seriously needs to be doing sums 15 times a day.
If you see him tapping through different folders on WhatsApp, or typing a passcode to access a certain chat, ask yourself why
Most of us use WhatsApp for group chats and messaging – which makes its more discreet features easy to overlook.
There are disappearing messages, where chats automatically erase themselves after a set amount of time. Entire conversations can quietly vanish without anybody needing to manually delete them. Then there’s the archive feature, which allows users to hide specific chats in a hidden folder, separate from their main inbox.
And perhaps the sneakiest feature of all is the hidden message preview. Notifications can be adjusted so a message arrives without revealing its contents on the lock screen. Meaning a suspicious late-night text simply appears as: ‘1 new message’.
Look out if some messages flash up their contents while others remain hidden. And if you see him tapping through different folders, or typing a passcode to access a certain chat, ask yourself why.
