Is My Ex Reading My Messages? Check Linked Devices on WhatsApp, Google Messages and Messenger
Reviewed by Jacob Reed, founder of Verity ·
Short answer
Each app keeps a list of the computers and tablets signed in to your account. WhatsApp: Settings (or the three-dot menu on Android), then Linked devices. Google Messages: your profile picture or the menu, then Device pairing. Messenger: Accounts Center, then Password and security, then Where you're logged in. Screenshot the list, sign out anything you don't recognise, then change the password and turn on two-step verification.
The other person seems to know things you only said in a message. Often the answer is not spyware but something simpler: a laptop, tablet or browser that was signed in to your account while you lived together, and still is. Linked devices keep receiving new messages until someone signs them out.
How do you check which devices can see your messages?
1.Save a record of what you find
Before signing anything out, take a screenshot of each app's device list with the date showing. A device you don't recognise, or one in the other person's home, may matter to your lawyer later.
2.WhatsApp: Linked devices
On Android tap the three dots (More options), then Linked devices. On iPhone go to Settings, then Linked devices. Tap any computer or tablet you don't recognise and choose Log out.
3.Google Messages: Device pairing
Open Google Messages, tap your profile picture or the menu, then Device pairing. Remove a single computer, or unpair all computers at once.
4.Messenger and Facebook: Where you're logged in
Open Accounts Center (in Facebook or Messenger settings, or accountscenter.facebook.com), then Password and security, then Where you're logged in. Pick your account, select the devices to log out, and confirm.
5.Lock the door behind you
Change the account password and turn on two-step verification. In WhatsApp that is Settings, Account, Two-step verification; for Messenger it is in the same Password and security section.
Why does an old laptop still get my new messages?
WhatsApp, Google Messages and Messenger all let you read and send messages from a computer. Once a computer is linked it keeps syncing; nothing ends the link when a relationship ends. WhatsApp allows up to four linked devices on one account, and they stay connected while your phone is in use. Google says a paired computer is unpaired on its own only after the account goes unused for a few weeks. The same thing happens with iMessage on an old iPhone, iPad or Mac; see can someone read my texts from an old phone still logged into iCloud.
What else should you check?
Instagram is in the same Accounts Center as Facebook and Messenger, so one visit covers all three. Also check whether the other person knows your phone's passcode, whether your email password was ever shared, and whether a browser on a shared computer is still signed in to your email. Email is often how account passwords get reset.
Should you sign them out right away?
Usually yes, but first save the device list, and think about your safety. If the other person is controlling or violent, they may notice that they lost access, and that can raise the risk. A domestic violence advocate can help you plan the timing: the National Domestic Violence Hotline is 1-800-799-7233, or text START to 88788. If you are in danger right now, call 911.
Signing a device out does not delete any messages, so it does not change your evidence. Don't delete conversations while a case is expected; see deleting texts during a custody case.
Is it legal for them to read your messages this way?
Staying signed in to someone else's account to read their messages can break state and federal privacy laws, and courts often refuse evidence gathered that way. It also works in reverse: don't use a device that is still signed in to the other person's account. Our guide on whether it is legal to read a co-parent's texts explains the line. Tell your lawyer what you found and let them decide what to do with it.
How can Verity help?
Once your accounts are your own again, you may still need the conversation itself for court. Verity reads exports from WhatsApp, Google Messages and Messenger and turns them into a numbered list of every message in date order. The file is read in your browser and is not uploaded. It is supporting documentation, not a legal finding.
This is general information, not legal advice. Menu names change between app versions, so yours may differ slightly. Verity is not a law firm.
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