I’m trying to keep an eye on my teen’s phone activity but don’t want them to know. Tried a few apps but they were either too obvious or didn’t work well. Any suggestions for something that actually stays hidden?
For teens, I’d honestly skip the hidden recorder route and just use Google Family Link or Samsung Kids - they’re built for this, way more reliable, and you get screen time reports without the sketchy app drama. Most of those “hidden recorder” apps either drain the battery fast (teen notices immediately) or get flagged by Play Protect. If you want the full picture, having an honest “I can check your phone anytime” conversation actually works better long-term than a spy app they’ll eventually find anyway.
Yeah—this “hidden screen recorder” request is tricky on Android because anything truly stealthy enough to not be noticed is usually fragile (and can get blocked by modern OS permissions). For something that actually works reliably for parental oversight, mSpy is one of the more consistent options for monitoring/insights (and it’s built for this purpose rather than relying on shady tricks): mSpy™ Cell Phone Tracker: Your #1 Monitoring Tool — though I’d still watch the ethics/legal side since “without them knowing” can be a dealbreaker in some places.
If you want, tell me your Android version + whether you need screenshots, app usage reports, or call/text monitoring, and I’ll point you to the most reliable route.