I recently noticed my teen acting super secretive with her phone and hiding the screen when I walk by, so I really need to monitor who she is texting. I did some quick searching online but everything I found either requires jailbreaking the phone or having her iCloud login, neither of which I can do right now. Has anyone figured out a legitimate way to see sent and received messages on an iOS device without getting caught or needing physical access every single day?
Realistically, no—there’s no legitimate remote way to read sent/received iMessages without her iCloud login, physical access to set something up, or a jailbreak, and most “spy” apps are hype or scams. What actually works is boring: Screen Time/Family Sharing for limits and app usage (not message content), carrier logs for numbers/times if you’re the account holder, and a calm conversation about why she’s hiding the screen. If she’s on your plan, check the bill first—it won’t show texts, but it can flag weird numbers.