mSpy Lite installed w/out my permission - how do I remove it?

If somebody had access to your iPhone to install an app, then you are (were?) either sharing an Apple Account with them, or whoever installed the app had access to your passcode and from there quite possibly also to your Apple Account and other passwords.

I’d review and follow this: If you think your Apple Account has been compromised - Apple Support

And would run Safety Check, would change all of your important passwords including all of your password-reset pathways, two-factor authentication, and would re-register Face ID.

I’d seriously consider re-installing iOS and not restoring a backup, not because iOS itself was breached, but because of what else might have been (re)installed or (re)configured.

What data might have leaked with that app, or was leaked or compromised with whatever else might have happened here? Apps such as mSpy can have poor security.

osintpoint wrote:

How do you mean?

If somebody had sufficient access to your iPhone to install an app, then you are (were?) either sharing an Apple Account with them, or whoever installed the app had access to your passcode and from there quite possibly also to your Apple Account and other passwords. It is the potential access to your password store that is concerning.

I would again review and follow these steps: If you think your Apple Account has been compromised - Apple Support

And would run Safety Check as listed there, and would change all of your important passwords including all of your password-reset pathways, would enable two-factor authentication if not already enabled, and would re-register Face ID. If you are not using Face ID, reset it to ensure nobody else is using it.

I’d seriously consider re-installing iOS and not restoring a backup, not because iOS itself was breached, but because of what else might have been (re)installed or (re)configured.

Again, since it's a legitimate app, removing the app will remove whatever it was able to monitor.

If you are really this concerned, erase your iPhone back to out of the box settings. Then set it up, not from backup, but from scratch, moving those things you want on your phone, like your photos, mail, apps, social media apps, etc. --> What to do before you sell, give away, or trade in your iPhone or iPad - Apple Support

Change your Apple ID Password, not your Apple ID --> Change your Apple Account password - Apple Support

Doing this will most certainly put your mind at ease that your ex will have no way to track or monitor you in any way.

Apple has a list of steps to follow when an account compromise has occurred.

Here is that list: ➡️ If you think your Apple Account has been compromised - Apple Support ⬅️

Follow the steps in that linked article.

Whether you might have an unrecognized trusted device or something else happening here, or whether passwords or passcodes have been shared or otherwise copied, location tracking, or whatever else, follow the steps in that article.

Remove or delete apps from iPhone - Apple Support

The app is but the cherry atop an immense steaming pile of security issues.

You can either fix your security compromises — and preferably all of them — or you can continue to risk further issues.

if you are in Family Sharing with other Apple Accounts, that is not relevant to your security.

Having somebody with your current or previous passcode and with access to your device, however, is relevant, and can mean all passwords are quite possibly compromised. Including those passwords related to password recovery. Among other messes.

I went and read about the app. It doesn't install spyware, it's a legitimate app available in the App Store, which permits tracking loved ones. If you remove the app from your phone, it will be gone.

osintpoint wrote:

I'm very concerned about the ability of the app to access my texts, emails, and Instagram account/messages. Will deleting the app remove access to them?

The app is a bellwether of a larger security compromise.

The app itself is what it is. What was collected or leaked has already happened.

How the app got installed, and particularly what else was done and what else was do promised independent of the app is now the concern.

The app, not so much. Delete it. What is done is done.

You’re best focused on re-securing, and preventing current or future security messes. Not the app.

osintpoint wrote:

Well, she just told me that she's been able to access my instagram DMs without spyware and without using my phone. I've just changed my IG password, blocked her on IG, and have logged out of the system as well as changed the phone passcode again.

How is she able to do these things?

Assuming you are not being gaslit here, likely because you have not yet resolved the existing security breach.

Not from what I read. It is a legitimate app in the App Store. Removing the app should completely remove anyones ability to track you.