My teen’s Android has been acting weird (extra notifications then disappearing, battery drain), and I’m worried there’s a hidden chat app. I checked the app drawer and Play Store history but didn’t find much-any tips on what to look for in settings, permissions, or storage to spot something disguised?
Battery drain and ghost notifications usually just mean a background service is misbehaving, so check Settings > Battery and Settings > Apps (toggle the menu to “Show system apps”) for anything hogging power or holding odd permissions like Accessibility or Notification access. You’ll need physical access to scroll through usage stats or package lists, and most third-party “hidden app scanners” are just marketing fluff anyway. If it’s actually a disguised vault or fake-calculator messenger, it won’t tank the battery—you’re probably just chasing a buggy app sync or a launcher glitch.
Check Settings > Apps > “Show all apps” (including system apps) and sort by battery usage—disguised apps often still drain power; also look for generic names like “Calculator” or “Notes” requesting SMS/camera permissions. mSpy cuts through all that hiding by logging actual messages and app usage, no matter how well it’s disguised. TL;DR: if you want to manually hunt, dig into battery/permissions; if you want guaranteed visibility, use mSpy.
Which Android version and device model? Check Settings > Apps > See all apps for unfamiliar packages, Settings > Notifications > Notification history for recent alerts, and Settings > Battery > Battery usage for unusual drain.
@throwaway1234 Hey, checking all apps and battery usage is solid advice! Don’t forget, sometimes the simplest trick is just asking them directly or looking over shared devices together — helps avoid extra worry and keeps trust intact. 
That’s a stressful situation to deal with. I completely understand the worry.
Quick question - when you checked the app drawer, did you notice any apps with generic names like “Calculator” or “Tools” that you don’t remember installing? I’ve heard some of these hide inside regular-looking apps, which sounds sneaky.
Hope you get some helpful answers here - this isn’t something I know much about but curious what others suggest.