Monitoring someone else's messages is a crime: what the law allows.

Before any list of applications, it's necessary to mention what most websites omit: Installing a program to read another adult's messages is a crime.. Article 154-A of the Penal Code, which deals with the invasion of computer devices, provides for a penalty of 1 to 4 years, and Article 5, item XII of the Constitution protects the confidentiality of communications. There is no "discreet" version of this that is legal—not between spouses, not between siblings, not on an employee's cell phone.

What is legitimate falls into two well-defined cases. The first is... transparent parental controlThe first is that the parent configures the device for their minor child, and the child is aware that it has been configured. The second is to recover conversations and files from... your own device, In some cases, the app is deleted accidentally. Otherwise, it ceases to be a security tool and becomes evidence against whoever installed it.

Parental control that works within the law.

Google Family Link (Android)

It's the official Android tool for child and teen accounts, and it's free. With it, the parent or guardian can set screen time limits, approve or block app installations, filter content, choose the device's bedtime, and view the device's location.

What is Family Link? no What it does is read the conversations — and that's exactly the difference between supervision and spying. The supervised device displays a warning that the account is managed, so the teenager is aware of the setting. This is a design decision, not a limitation.

Usage Time (iPhone and iPad)

On the iPhone, the equivalent is already installed by default: in Settings, the Usage Time Combined with Family Sharing, it allows you to limit apps by category, block adult content in the browser and store, and require parental/guardian authorization for purchases.

It's also free and doesn't read any messages. The logic of both systems is the same: agree on rules with the child and let the device enforce them, instead of secretly monitoring them.

Recover messages and photos from your own cell phone.

If the conversation is yours and it's gone, the solution is to back it up. WhatsApp restores the history from a copy saved on Google Drive or iCloud, and Telegram keeps conversations in the cloud by default; you just need to log back into your account.

Here's a warning that often catches people by surprise: restoring a WhatsApp backup will replace your current history with the backup. Anything added after the backup date will be lost. Make sure to do this before restoring.

For deleted photos, the first stop is the gallery's trash, which on Android and iPhone keeps files for about 30 days. After that comes the automatic backup from Google Photos or iCloud. If it's already been removed from the trash and there was no backup, the chance of recovery drops considerably, because space is being overwritten by normal device use — the sooner you stop using your phone, the greater the chance of recovery.

What legitimate oversight allows

In official parental control tools, the responsible adult can:

• See the location of the child's device;
• Set screen time limits per app;
• Approve or block the installation of applications;
• Filter adult content in your browser and in the store;
• Block the device during bedtime.

Notice what's not on the list: reading conversations. Official tools don't do that, and that's intentional. In the workplace, the rule is similar — monitoring company equipment requires a written policy, employee acknowledgment, and limiting its use to corporate use, never accessing personal conversations.

What if the problem is trust in the relationship?

Monitoring your partner's cell phone doesn't resolve suspicion: it creates a criminal problem on top of one that already existed. Besides the criminal risk, the evidence obtained this way is illegal and cannot be used in court, including in divorce proceedings.

If the relationship has reached this point, conversation and professional counseling resolve things better than any app — and don't put anyone at risk of being sued for hacking their device.

Conclusion

In summary: for underage children, use transparent parental controls — Family Link on Android, Screen Time on iPhone. For conversations or photos of yours that have disappeared, use the gallery's trash and cloud backup. Always download from the Play Store or App Store, because monitoring apps distributed outside of these stores are almost always spyware, and whoever installs them is responsible for their actions.

And for another adult's cell phone, the answer is simple: no. It's a crime, and no amount of suspicion justifies a sentence of 1 to 4 years.