Android
Intruder selfie on Android: catch whoever opens your phone
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Stock Android will not tell you who unlocked your phone. There is no unlock log, no failed-attempt photo, and nothing in Settings that records it. WYTMP adds that layer: a silent front-camera photo, the time, and the GPS location of every attempt.
What gets captured
- The face — front camera, no flash, no sound, nothing on screen.
- The time — so you know whether it happened while you were out.
- The place — GPS coordinates attached to the capture.
- A 10-second video on Pro, which shows movement and surroundings a still cannot.
Android can do things iPhone cannot
This is the part worth knowing if you own both. iOS does not let a third-party app act on the device remotely, so on iPhone the web dashboard is limited to sounding the alarm and requesting a location. On Android, the same dashboard can also:
- Lock the phone remotely
- Trigger a photo capture on demand, rather than waiting for an unlock attempt
- Show a fake shutdown screen, so a thief believes the phone is off while it keeps reporting
- Wipe the device as a last resort
None of that is a marketing choice — it is simply what each platform permits.
Setting it up so it actually survives
Installing is the easy part. The step people skip is battery optimisation. Modern Android aggressively suspends background apps to save power, and a suspended app cannot photograph anyone. When WYTMP asks to be exempted, allow it.
On Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo, Realme and OnePlus devices, go further: enable Autostart for the app and lock it in the recent-apps screen. These skins are known for killing services that the stock OS would leave running, and this is the single most common reason an intruder-detection app "does nothing" on those phones.
Beyond the lock screen
Not every snooper enters a PIN, and not every thief unlocks anything. The DTMP alarm reacts to the phone being picked up, moved or unplugged from its charger — so a phone lifted off a desk sets off a siren and a capture without anyone touching the keypad. Pro adds alerts when the SIM is swapped or the phone is powered on, which are usually the first signals after a theft.
The same app is on the App Store as CrookCatcher - WTMP Anti Theft, so a household with both Android phones and iPhones can keep every device under one account and review captures from the same dashboard.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Android have a built-in intruder selfie?
Not as a standard feature. A few manufacturer skins have shipped something similar over the years, but stock Android has no setting that photographs someone after a failed unlock, and it keeps no log of who opened the phone. An app has to provide it.
How does WYTMP take the photo without the intruder noticing?
It uses the front camera with no flash, no shutter sound and nothing drawn on screen. The capture is saved with the timestamp and GPS location and you get a push notification and an email.
What permissions does it need, and why?
Camera, so it can take the photo. Location, so the capture has coordinates rather than just a time. Notifications, so the alert reaches you. On newer Android versions you will also be asked to exempt it from battery optimisation — if you skip that, the system can stop the app in the background and captures will be missed.
Can it do more on Android than on iPhone?
Yes. iOS blocks a third-party app from acting on the device remotely, so on iPhone the dashboard can sound the alarm and request a location. On Android the same dashboard can also lock the phone, trigger a photo capture on demand, show a fake shutdown screen, and wipe the device. Those are Android-only because the platform permits them and iOS does not.
Does it keep working if the app is closed?
Yes, it runs as a background service. Some manufacturers — Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo and OnePlus in particular — are aggressive about killing background apps, so on those phones you should also enable autostart and lock the app in the recents screen, or the service can be stopped.
Is it free?
Yes. The intruder selfie, GPS logging and the DTMP alarm are free on Google Play. Pro adds the 10-second intruder video, SIM-change and power-on alerts, the decoy home screen and optional cloud backup, and starts with a 7-day free trial.
Catch them in the act — free
Silent intruder selfie, GPS location, and instant alerts. Set up in under a minute.