‘That is a trend’: Woman watches YouTube on her iPhone. Then she realizes a man hacked her camera and is watching her

A woman is issuing a PSA to others after she says her iPhone camera was remotely hacked by a mysterious man while she was watching YouTube. 

TikTok creator Tayler (@taylerg_2) posted the video, which starts with a trigger warning and PSA alert. “I’m going to make this video because this happened to me,” she says.

Tayler explains that she was watching a YouTube video before bed. “I listen to healing frequencies or sound baths,” she says. “So I was laying there watching my YouTube video and I had actually dozed off and I had twitched and woke myself up.”

After lying there for a few seconds, she heard a strange sound.

“I suddenly heard a microphone like someone hacked into my phone,” she says. “I hear typing and I hear breathing and I hear a man. I’m looking at my phone and I’m watching it and the green light that shows your camera is being used is on. The video is still playing; it’s not an advertisement.”

Did Her iPhone Get Hacked While She Watched YouTube?

According to Tayler, the man says a couple of words that she can’t understand. “The hair stands up on the back of my neck,” she says. “I’m terrified. And I think back to the girl that was saying the same thing happened to her except she could see the man.”

She continues, “And then just this morning my friend found a video and another woman said it happened to her. She was watching YouTube as well.”

Tayler notes that her phone was lit up, but the other women said theirs were dim when the incidents happened. Either way, she says, “Get camera covers. It is very real.”

Just How Common Is This Terrifying Trend?

In the comments section of the video, viewers thanked Tayler for her PSA and expressed anxiety about just how easy it seems for cell phones to be hacked in the modern era.

“Think of how many children are watching YouTube and YouTube kids,” wrote one viewer. “This is horrifying.”

“Any time I change, I hide my phone under my pillow. I knew I wasn’t insane,” a second person said. 

“About to get me a flip phone,” a third person said.

Another person wrote, “For anyone panicked by this: Do not worry. You aren’t being hacked. If this ever happens, just swipe down to open your Control Center. iOS has a built-in safety feature at the very top that tells you the EXACT app using your mic or camera. 99% of the time, it’s just an accidental background call or an active TikTok/YouTube livestream playing audio over your video.”

@taylerg_2

The most terrifying thing happened—ladies get a camera cover, make sure your important info is protected, be safe?‍?

♬ original sound – taylerg_2

The Facts About Compromised iOS Devices

According to Norton, it is possible—although rare—for an iPhone to get hacked, and that’s because no device is completely hack-proof. However, there are signs you can look for to determine if you are one of the unlucky victims of remote takeover. Signs include the phone being unusually slow or hot, finding yourself locked out of iCloud, and seeing an unfamiliar app appear.

People also often report that they received a notification from Apple or another privacy app regarding the security breach. If this does happen to you, immediately run a malware program, delete any unfamiliar apps or devices, alert your financial institution, and, of course, change all of your passwords. 

In this Reddit thread posted to r/computerforensics last year, a person asked how often experts actually see this happen. “I get cases from time to time regarding suspicions of a hacked iPhone,” the person wrote. “Every single time, there’s nothing on the device. Instead, it’s an iCloud issue where someone else has access to their data through another authenticated device.”

The Mary Sue contacted Tayler and Apple via email for comment.

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