How to Find Hidden Cameras Using Mobile Phones

Whether you are in a hotel room or a changing room, someone might be using hidden cameras to keep an eye on you. It’s a clear privacy violation that you can not overlook.

Luckily, the smartphone in your pocket comes in handy to find those hidden cameras and prevent any possible mishaps. From using the built-in camera and flashlight on your phone to using applications, you can easily uncover them.

If you are curious about finding hidden cameras using mobile phones, this article is for you. In the end, you will also learn the manual techniques you can use for inspecting hidden cameras.

Suspected Areas for Hidden Cameras

Before you search for hidden cameras in your room, it would be helpful to know which areas to check. Depending upon the density of objects in the room, there are multiple places where the camera could be hidden.

For instance, if you are in a bedroom, the camera might be placed so that the bed is straight in sight. You need to inspect the cameras in all possible areas from where the bedroom is clearly visible. Here, we have prepared a checklist of suspected places for hidden cameras.

Air purifier	Book racks	Clocks
Flower vase	Light bulbs	Table lamps
Cupboards	Fans	Smoke alarm
Power sockets	Fan speed controller	Pens
Stuffed toys	Mirrors	Goggles
Door knobs	Wall Decors	Curtains rod
Bath showers	Phone chargers	Router

How to Find Hidden Cameras Using Mobile Phones?

Now that you know the possible areas for a spy to hide the cameras, it’s time to find them. Mobile phones can be a handy tool for finding hidden cameras. The built-in Camera app on your phone works like a charm most of the time. Otherwise, you can use a few third-party applications.

Using Camera App

Most of the surveillance cameras out there today use infrared technology. It can be easily detected using the built-in camera on your Android or iPhone. When infrared light enters your phone’s camera, you will see a purple light glowing on your phone’s screen.

1. Power off all the lights in your room. Also, drop curtains.
2. Now open the Camera application on your phone and begin the scan of your room. You can either use a rear camera or a front camera for scanning.
3. Slowly move your phone toward the suspected areas mentioned in the previous section.
4. Thoroughly inspect if you see a purple light flashing on your screen. This is what it looks like on your screen when the phone camera detects the infrared light.
   
5. If you find a purple light blinking on your screen, you can be sure there is a hidden camera in your room.

Using Flashlight on Your Phone

Next, you can use the flashlight on your mobile phone to detect the hidden cameras. The surveillance cameras have an outer surface of the glass. So, when you show the flashlight toward the camera, it will reflect a part of a light, and you can identify if there’s a hidden camera.

1. Make your room dark by turning off all the lights and dropping curtains. There should not be any active light source in the room.
2. Then turn on the flashlight on your phone.
3. Thoroughly scan the room from various angles.
4. If there is any reflecting surface, you will see twinkling light hitting your eyes.
5. Go near the reflecting surface and inspect if it is a camera or other objects.

Using Third-Party Apps

There are also many third-party apps available on Play Store and App Store that lets you scan the hidden cameras in your room. These apps make the combined use of radio frequency, reflection detection, and infrared light scanner to help detect hidden cameras. Use the terms like “Hidden camera detector” to search the application store and install the app.

Manual Inspection of Hidden Cameras

Your mobile phone may not always be able to detect hidden cameras. It is because all the cameras do not emit infrared light and have a reflecting property. So, it would be helpful if you do a manual inspection to find the hidden cameras. Here, we are discussing some methods you can use to find a hidden camera without using your mobile phone.

Check Mirrors in the Room

If you are in a changing room or washroom, chances are there that the mirror in the room is a two-way mirror or has a hidden camera under it. The mirror with a hidden camera under it is a bit different from the standard mirror. You can slightly apply pressure to the mirror to inspect if it’s the case. If the mirror slightly bends or flexes, a hidden camera might be under it.

Likewise, inspect the gap between your finger and the image formed on the mirror. If you see there’s no gap between them, it is possibly a two-way mirror, and someone might be watching you from behind the mirror.

Inspect the Wirings

You can inspect the wiring in the room as well. It can help find if there is a hidden wired camera in your room. Please check all the suspected areas discussed above. If there is something unusual, like a pair of wires passing through a wall, check from where the wires originate and search for hidden cameras. Also, see if there is anything placed in a weird position. It may be modified to record activities in your room.

Shield the Suspicious Objects

If you feel like you are being watched, you can shield any suspicious objects around you. For instance, you might feel the eyes of a teddy bear watching you; take a towel and hide its eyes. Or, there might be a pair of goggles on the table right in front of your bed. Cover it up. See if there is any object in the room that you find purposeless or placed in an odd position. Please keep it away or wrap it up.

Use an RF Signal Scanner

RF Signal scanner is a device that helps scan the radiation from electromagnetic devices. It can also be used to detect if your room has a hidden camera. It will start to beep as soon as you enter the area with radio frequency signals. But make sure you power off electromagnetic devices like your mobile phones, radios, and TV in the room. Otherwise, the RF detector will keep beeping, misinterpreting those devices as a camera.