Is Your Monitor Mirrored? Check With These Steps

Smartphone mirroring is a process that allows the content of one device to be broadcasted and displayed onto another device's screen. This can be done through a variety of methods such as using AirPlay for iOS devices or Miracast for Windows PCs. While this feature is useful for legitimate purposes, it can also be exploited by threat actors for malicious reasons. For example, a hacker may mirror a user's smartphone screen to gather information, gain financially, track their location, steal their identity, or blackmail them. Therefore, it is important to be aware of the signs of smartphone mirroring and take preventive measures to protect your data and privacy.

Characteristics of a Monitor Being Mirrored

Short battery life

To check if your phone is being mirrored, you can follow these steps:

On iPhone X or later, or iPad with iPadOS 13 or later:

• Swipe down from the upper-right corner of the screen to open the Control Center.
• Tap "Screen Mirroring".
• If there is no check mark next to any listed devices, your screen is not being mirrored.

On iPhone 8 or earlier, or iOS 11 or earlier:

• Swipe up from the bottom edge of the screen to open the Control Center.
• Tap "Screen Mirroring".
• If there is no check mark next to any listed devices, your screen is not being mirrored.

Additionally, you may see a blue bubble behind the time on your iPhone when screen mirroring is active.

Now, here are some detailed tips to help with short battery life:

Identify the Culprits

Firstly, identify what is causing your battery to drain faster. The screen is often the biggest battery-draining factor, especially with larger, brighter, and higher-resolution displays. Streaming apps, gaming, and social media usage also contribute significantly. Other factors include poor signal reception, older batteries, extreme temperatures, and software issues.

Adjust Screen Settings

As the screen is a major battery drain, reducing screen brightness, enabling adaptive brightness, and lowering the screen timeout duration can help extend battery life. Additionally, reducing screen refresh rates and avoiding live wallpapers can also conserve battery power.

App Management

Uninstall or restrict the background usage of apps that drain excessive power. This can be done through the Battery settings on Android or iOS, which provide breakdowns of battery usage by apps. On Samsung Galaxy S7, the "App power saving" settings can restrict apps from running in the background if not used for five days.

Network and Connectivity Settings

Turn off unused connections like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, and mobile data when not in use. On Android, turning off 5G and opting for 4G LTE can also help. Additionally, turning off automatic updates for apps and disabling auto-join settings for Wi-Fi networks can conserve power.

Power Saving Modes

Utilize power-saving modes offered by your device. For example, Samsung phones have "Power Saving Mode" and "Ultra Power Saving Mode" to restrict background data, location services, and vibrations, or switch to a greyscale display.

Keep Your Device Cool

Avoid exposing your device to extreme temperatures, especially cold environments, as this affects battery performance. Keep your phone at room temperature, and avoid direct heat exposure, as it accelerates battery degradation.

Software Updates

Ensure your device is running the latest software, as updates often include battery life improvements and bug fixes.

Portable Chargers

Consider investing in a portable charger or power bank to extend your device's battery life when on the go.

Factory Reset

If all else fails, perform a factory reset on your device. This can help eliminate software issues causing excessive battery drain. However, ensure you back up important data before proceeding.

By implementing these strategies, you can effectively address short battery life issues and improve your device's overall battery performance.

Increased phone data usage

Lower-quality spyware tools will try to send as much data about your device back to their home base as possible, which can use large amounts of data. However, some spyware is more selective about the information it sends, making detection more difficult.

To check your cellular data usage on an Android 10 device, open the Android Settings app, tap "Mobile Network" in the "Network & Internet" section, then tap "App Data Usage" on the Mobile Network screen. Here, you can view your current app data usage and select other date ranges.

To check your data usage on an iPhone running iOS 17, open the iOS 17 Settings app, tap the "Cellular" menu option, then tap "Usage" on the Cellular menu. Here, you can view the data usage for the current month.

Call noises

If you suspect that your phone is being mirrored, it's important to take action. Your passwords, photos, text messages, and banking information could be exposed.

• If you hear static noise, an echo, rattling, or other unexpected noises while on phone calls, someone could be spying on you.
• Unusual sounds during calls, such as clicking sounds, static, or faint voices, could indicate that someone is eavesdropping. However, this could also be due to a poor signal, so it is more suspicious if it happens frequently.
• If you hear weird sounds when you place a call, listen carefully for odd background noises. This could be a sign that someone is eavesdropping with a monitoring tool.

If you suspect that your phone is being mirrored, you should also look out for other signs, such as decreased battery performance, unusual phone activity, trouble shutting down, and increased data usage.

To stop phone mirroring on an iPhone or Android phone, you can take the following steps:

• Turn off screen mirroring or screencasting in your device settings.
• Disconnect from the internet and turn off Bluetooth.
• Delete any suspicious or unknown apps.
• Change your passwords and set up two-factor authentication.
• Perform a factory reset on your device.

Random screen lights

If your phone screen is lighting up randomly, there could be a few reasons why this is happening. Firstly, it's possible that you have a setting enabled that causes the screen to light up when you receive a notification. To fix this, try turning off notifications for specific apps or turning on 'do not disturb' mode. Alternatively, your phone may have a feature that lights up the screen when you pick it up, which could be the result of a proximity or light sensor. If this is the case, you may be able to disable this feature in your settings.

If the issue is that your phone screen is lighting up as if there is a new notification but there are no new notifications, this could be caused by an app that is sending push messages or notifications in the background. To fix this, try turning on all apps' notifications in your system settings and then turning off push notifications for each app individually. If you still receive notifications from a particular app, that app is likely the cause of the issue, and you may want to uninstall it.

Another potential cause of random screen lighting is a bug or glitch in the operating system or an app. In this case, you may be able to fix the issue by restarting your phone, updating your operating system, or updating or reinstalling the app in question. If the problem persists, you may need to factory reset your phone or contact customer support for further assistance.

Additionally, some phones have a feature called 'Moto Display' or a similar alternative that causes the screen to light up periodically to show the time, battery level, or other information. If you have this feature enabled, you can turn it off in the Moto App or the equivalent app for your phone model.

Finally, if your phone has an LED light that usually lights up for notifications, but the screen lights up instead, this could be due to a design choice by the manufacturer. While you may not be able to disable this feature completely, you can try forcing the screen to turn off while locked or when you're sleeping.

Slower performance

Mirroring monitors can cause slower performance, but the impact depends on several factors, including the hardware setup, network conditions, and the specific applications being used. Here are some key points to consider regarding slower performance when mirroring monitors:

Hardware and Display Configuration:

• The performance impact of monitor mirroring depends on the hardware setup. In some cases, mirroring may not cause any noticeable performance issues, especially if the hardware is powerful enough to handle the additional load.
• The display configuration also matters. If the mirrored monitors have different resolutions or refresh rates, it may lead to a performance impact. For example, if one monitor is set to a higher resolution or refresh rate than the other, the system may need to work harder to maintain a smooth experience on both displays.

Network Conditions:

• Network conditions can affect the performance of mirrored monitors, especially when using wireless connections. High network traffic, limited wireless range, or radio interference from other devices or networks can contribute to slower performance.
• To optimize network conditions, it is recommended to reduce the number of devices on the network, ensure that sending and receiving devices are within range of the wireless access point, and use a free wireless channel to avoid radio interference.

Applications and GPU Load:

• The applications being used can also influence performance when mirroring monitors. CPU-intensive applications or games that require high frame rates and low input lag may be more sensitive to the additional load of mirroring.
• Mirroring monitors essentially requires the GPU to render the same image on multiple displays. This can increase the load on the GPU, especially if the displays have different resolutions or refresh rates, potentially leading to slower performance or reduced frame rates in games.

Troubleshooting and Optimization:

• If you experience slower performance when mirroring monitors, there are several troubleshooting steps you can take. Ensure that your hardware meets the requirements for the displays and applications you are using. Update your operating system and graphics drivers to the latest versions.
• Consider using a wired Ethernet connection between the devices to reduce the load on the wireless network. Additionally, disabling or minimizing other CPU-intensive applications while mirroring can help improve performance.
• For gamers, it is worth noting that using a capture card or pass-through card can introduce latency and limit maximum FPS. However, a dedicated streaming setup or a high-end capture card may provide better performance with minimal impact on frame rates.

Frequently asked questions