How to Determine if Your Girlfriend Is Being Unfaithful on WhatsApp

Using your own WhatsApp account, start paying attention to your girlfriend's Status updates. WhatsApp Statuses consist of text, photo, video, and GIF updates that automatically disappear after 24 hours. To see her Status, tap the Status tab at the bottom of WhatsApp and select her name. Is she posting quotes, memes, text, or song lyrics that suggest she's dealing with something you're unaware of? If her Statuses seem off, ask her about them.

Request to view her phone. The most effective way to find evidence is to ask her to show you her WhatsApp chats. If your girlfriend is cheating on WhatsApp and hasn't deleted any incriminating messages, you may discover the proof you need by reading her conversations.

• If she refuses to let you see her chats, it doesn’t necessarily mean she’s unfaithful—she might simply want her privacy, which is valid.
• It’s normal for people to have close friendships outside of their relationships. If she’s talking to someone you don’t know and says they’re just a friend, she might be telling the truth.
• Avoid sneaking a look at her messages without permission. If she’s not cheating and you breach her privacy, it could harm your relationship irreparably.

If you don’t have much time to use her phone, you can read her chats on the web. Even if you only have a few minutes with her phone, you can log into her WhatsApp account on your computer and read her messages without needing her phone. Be aware that she will receive a notification every time you log into her WhatsApp on the web, so proceed cautiously if you're accessing her account behind her back. Here's how to do it:

• Go to https://web.whatsapp.com on a web browser.
• Open WhatsApp on her phone.
• Tap the menu icon (Android only) and select Settings.
• Tap Linked Devices.
• When the camera screen appears, align the QR code with the camera’s viewfinder to log into her account.

Any contacts she has on her Android or iPhone with WhatsApp will show up in her WhatsApp contact list. However, she might modify the contact names in WhatsApp, making them different from what appears in her phone’s contact list. If you notice any suspicious entries in WhatsApp, such as symbols or emojis instead of names, tap on a conversation with that contact, click the name at the top of the chat, and note the phone number. Compare this number with the one in her phone’s contact list to uncover the real identity of that person.

Check for gaps in the chats. If your girlfriend is attempting to hide something, she might be deleting messages from her conversations. If you find any missing parts in the conversations, it's likely that either she or the person she’s chatting with has erased those messages.

Watch out for disappearing messages. If your girlfriend has something to conceal, she (or the person she’s chatting with) might be using disappearing messages—these messages delete themselves after a set time, leaving no trace. To check if disappearing messages are enabled for a chat:

• Open the chat.
• Tap the name of the person at the top of the conversation.
• Scroll down and look for the "Disappearing Messages" section. If it says "Off", then disappearing messages are not active.
• If it shows a duration like 24 hours or 7 days, any messages exchanged will automatically vanish after that period.

Look for a backup. If you suspect she's deleting messages, you may be able to recover the deleted ones, but this will only work if she has backed up her chats before deleting the messages. To check for a backup:

• Tap Settings at the bottom of WhatsApp (you may need to tap the menu icon first).
• Tap Chats.
• Tap Chat Backup.
• If there is a backup, you can restore deleted messages as long as they were removed after the backup date.

Uninstall WhatsApp from her phone. If there is a backup, you will need to delete WhatsApp and reinstall it to restore her messages. Be careful though, as your girlfriend will notice if WhatsApp has been reinstalled, especially if she doesn’t know you’ve been using her phone!

Reinstall WhatsApp. You can download it from the App Store (iPhone/iPad) or the Play Store (Android).

Open WhatsApp and restore from the backup. When you open the app, you’ll need to enter her phone number to verify it. Follow the on-screen prompts to confirm the verification code, and then select the backup when asked to restore it.

Review her messages once more. When messages are restored from the most recent backup, any messages deleted after the backup will also be retrieved.

If she has received photos on WhatsApp, they are most likely still on her device. WhatsApp typically saves photos and videos to the phone automatically, unless this setting was disabled. Here's where to check:

• If she uses an iPhone, open the Photos app, tap Albums, and select the album named WhatsApp.
• If it's an Android device, open the File Manager (often named My Files or Files) and navigate to Internal Storage/WhatsApp/Media/folder. If the phone has an SD card, replace "Internal Storage" with SD Card or External SD Card.
• For some Android versions, media files might be located in Internal Storage/Android/Media/com.whatsapp/WhatsApp/Media.

If your girlfriend constantly keeps her phone out of sight, she may be hiding something. It’s common for people to be attached to their phones (even bringing them to the bathroom), but most people eventually put them down. If she used to leave her phone on the table, counter, or nightstand but now only keeps it in her pocket or under her pillow, she may be afraid you'll look through her messages or call logs.

• If she's being secretive about who she’s talking to or what she's doing, ask her. If she’s open and willing to talk, that’s a good sign. But if she avoids the subject or seems untruthful, it could be a warning.
• Remember, she could just be having private chats with friends or family. If she thinks you might snoop, she may feel the need to keep those conversations more guarded.

She's concealing her phone screen. Does your girlfriend angle her phone away from you when she's using it in your presence? Or does she keep it face down to hide any incoming notifications? She might simply be engaging in a private moment, like checking something personal online or chatting with a friend. However, it could also indicate that she's concealing something from you.

• If she’s frequently texting or chatting during your quality time together, you might gently ask her to be more present in the moment. She may not realize that her actions seem secretive.
• Reader Poll: We surveyed 628 Mytour readers in relationships, and 54% of them confessed they’d feel suspicious and confront their girlfriend if she suddenly started hiding her phone. [Take Poll]

She recently changed her phone password. While having a password on her phone doesn’t necessarily mean she’s hiding something—in fact, not having one would be a poor security measure—if she recently updated the password she once shared with you and refuses to tell you the new one, it could be a sign she’s keeping some conversations hidden from view.

Even if your girlfriend isn’t cheating, it may be time to consider counseling. A relationship without trust can’t thrive. If you're facing insecurity or trust issues, therapy—whether individual or couples counseling—could help you work through them and decide whether you can move forward together.

• Refrain from using spy apps on your girlfriend's phone. Not only is this unethical, but it’s also illegal in many places.
• If you suspect your girlfriend of cheating, it’s a clear indication that trust is lacking. This might be a moment to reevaluate your relationship.
• If your girlfriend is cheating, don't retaliate or seek revenge. Instead, focus on taking care of yourself and healing from the situation.