If your husband (or boyfriend) does these 16 things, he's probably texting another woman

Is your man micro-cheating?

A woman and a man sit on a bed, both in casual clothing. The woman is looking away with her hand in her hair, while the man is focused on his smartphone. The room features white bedding and a bedside lamp.

If he’s texting another woman, it doesn’t necessarily mean that he’s already cheating. However, you have every right to worry when a man hides things from you, and hiding his phone is definitely alarming.

Before you accuse him of having an affair, you will need proof that he’s talking to other women behind your back. Snooping around his phone is not a great idea because it’s going to backfire if you are wrong.

Instead, look out for these 16 signs that your man is sending messages he shouldn’t. While none of the signs on their own are enough to show that your man is texting some other woman, the cumulative evidence raises the distinct possibility that he is.

1. He is constantly on his phone.

A woman sits pensively on a couch, looking away to her left, while a man sits beside her, engrossed in his phone. The setting appears to be a living room with a light color scheme and natural lighting coming through a window.

Is your man constantly on his phone recently? Maybe he’s always texting with someone, even while he’s with you. You always see him using his phone, but when you text him, it takes him a long time to respond. So, who has him glued to his phone if it’s not you?

He probably has his phone set on silent, but you constantly see him typing and scrolling. Sure, all of us use our phones pretty often, but if your man has started using it much more than he used to, something is different, and it might be a new woman in his life.

Does he have a better explanation? Or does he just get defensive when you ask him who he’s texting with? More on that later.

2. He constantly carries his phone with him.

A person in a grey t-shirt is using a smartphone with both hands. In the background, there is a roll of toilet paper mounted on the wall. The setting appears to be a bathroom.

Your man doesn’t let his phone out of his sight. He carries it with him wherever he goes, even when he’s in the bathroom. His phone is safely tucked away in his pocket instead of sitting on the table when you’re together.

He also frequently checks his phone for new messages. When there is a new message, he leaves the room to respond. Again, many of us carry our phones with us, but your man seems to take this a step further. He is glued to his phone and it’s very apparent that he does not want to leave it sitting around for you to find.

3. He hides his phone before sleeping.

A man in a suit sits on a bed in a dimly lit room, illuminated by a combination of blue and pink lights. He is looking down at his smartphone, giving an impression of deep focus or contemplation. A floor lamp glows softly in the background.

Maybe you thought about snooping around on his phone while he was asleep, but his phone is nowhere to be found. He could be hiding his phone in his pocket, in the closet, or even under his pillow. Why would he do this unless he’s afraid you’ll snoop around and find something that you’re not going to like?

Sure, sometimes a person might leave their phone in their pocket before going to sleep. But if he hides his phone before bed, he’s probably texting another woman.

You can always ask him to set the alarm on his phone and see how he reacts…

4. He doesn’t let you touch his phone.

A woman with long brown hair and a man with short brown hair sit at an outdoor wooden table. The woman is looking at the man with a slight smile, while the man is focused on his phone. They are both wearing dark-colored tops. More tables are visible in the background.

Your man puts the extra effort into making sure that you don’t have access to his phone. When you ask to use it, he doesn’t let you, he comes up with some lame excuse or he freaks out about it. What is on his phone that he doesn’t want you to see?

Maybe he’ll talk about how you need to respect his privacy, but is that really necessary when you simply asked to use his phone to order lunch or check the weather because your phone battery is dead?

If he doesn’t let you near his phone, there’s something on it that he doesn’t want you to see, and it likely involves another woman.

5. He locks his phone and won’t tell you the password.

A man with dark hair and a beard sits on the edge of a bed looking at his smartphone. Behind him, a woman with long dark hair in a red top and jeans sits on the bed, looking concerned with her hands on her head. The room is dimly lit.

Sure, many of us lock our phones, but we occasionally let other people know how to unlock it. Maybe not everyone, but surely we don’t freak out if a loved one wants access. If your partner doesn’t want to let you know the password for his phone, what is he hiding from you?

Maybe he even uses the fingerprint option for unlocking his phone to make sure that you can’t access it. You could try to let him know your password and then ask for his. If he freaks out about it, you have every right to be worried.

6. He changes his phone password.

A woman with curly hair looks suspiciously at a man next to her, both holding smartphones. The man, wearing a sweater over his shoulders, appears focused on his phone, unaware of the woman's expression.

Maybe you used to know the password for unlocking his phone, but he recently changed it and made it more difficult to figure out. This is a huge warning sign if he also gets defensive when you ask him for access to his phone. What does he suddenly have to hide?

If he used to leave his phone lying around but now carries it wherever he goes and hides it from you, there’s likely something on that phone that you need to know.

Maybe he also changed his password on his computer or social media account. The point is, if you had access to his phone before, but now he won’t let you near it, it’s possible that another woman’s walked into his life recently.

7. He tilts the phone when you come close.

A woman and man sitting on a bench. The woman looks at the man's phone with a curious expression. Both are wearing blue tops, and they are surrounded by lush green foliage.

Maybe he is texting someone when he’s with you, and when you come near him he tilts the phone so that you can’t see the screen. Many of us do this instinctively, but if you’ve noticed other signs too, this could also indicate that he’s texting another woman.

If it was just instinctive, ask him who he was texting and see what he says. If he’s hiding something, he’ll get defensive, but more on that later.

For now, all you need to know is that a man who has nothing to hide won’t tilt his phone away every time you come close to him. And he definitely won’t act weird when you ask who he’s texting.

8. He deletes all his messages.

A man in a gray suit sits on a desk in a modern office space holding a smartphone. He is looking to the side with a thoughtful expression. The background features brick walls and large windows.

Let’s say that you manage to get your hands on his phone. If he is constantly texting someone, but there are only a few messages visible on his phone, then he must be deleting them. He may tell you that he deletes all his messages, but that is highly suspicious behavior.

Alternatively, maybe you’ll notice that some of the messages are missing from a particular conversation.

He probably also clears his call log and deletes photos from his phone.

9. He goes to another room to use his phone.

A man with short brown hair, wearing a white t-shirt, stands in a kitchen holding a smartphone. He looks thoughtfully to the side. The kitchen has white cabinets, shelves, and a cup of coffee on the countertop.

Does your man always leave the room when his phone rings whether it’s a call or a message notification? Maybe he rarely uses his phone in front of you, but he is still somehow constantly on his phone. How come?

He probably also takes his phone with him to the bathroom. Sure, a lot of people do leave a room when they need to make a call, but for texting? Not so much. If you never see the guy’s phone and he’s still always using it, he’s probably texting another woman.

10. He is defensive when you ask him about it.

A man and woman sit at a wooden table with coffee cups and phones. The man, wearing a plaid shirt, gestures while talking. The woman, in a gray sweater, listens with a thoughtful expression, her head resting on her hand. The setting appears to be a casual café.

So, you know that he’s texting a lot, but when you ask him about it, he gets defensive. He insists that he’s texting family members or friends, or he avoids talking about it altogether. Maybe he tries to change the topic or accuses you of being jealous. He could also get angry, which is highly suspicious.

A guy who has nothing to hide would assure you that he hasn’t been texting other women. When he gets angry instead, he’s trying to deflect the conversation to avoid being caught.

11. He is anxious when he’s away from his phone.

A middle-aged couple is sitting closely together on a couch, appearing content and relaxed. The man, with gray hair and a beard, is wearing a teal sweater over a blue shirt. The blonde woman is leaning on his shoulder, smiling gently in a light-colored top.

Maybe he doesn’t use his phone when he’s with you or doesn’t use it that often, but he gets nervous when he’s away from it. For instance, if he notices it lying around, he’ll quickly grab it and put it in his pocket. He’ll also be anxious as if he is waiting for a response.

If he leaves the room after acting nervous without his phone, he will probably check his messages as soon as he’s away from you. All of this indicates that he’s texting another woman, and likely waiting for her response.

12. He has another phone.

A surprised man with a beard and mustache holds two smartphones to his ears. He wears a white shirt and a red tie, standing outdoors with a blurred cityscape in the background.

Does your man have a spare phone that you didn’t know about until recently? Even if you knew about the two phones, why does he need them? Unless he has one phone for work and one for private life, it’s possible that he has one for each woman in his life.

If you didn’t know about the spare phone, don’t be so sure about it if he tells you that it’s for work. If he doesn’t let you come close to his spare phone, he is likely using it for conversations with another woman.

13. He stares at his phone like he’s waiting for a message.

A man and woman sit at a table in a restaurant. The man is engrossed in his phone, while the woman, with her head resting on her hand, looks at him with a mix of frustration and disappointment. Plates of food and a bottle of wine are on the table.

Does he longingly look at his phone like he’s waiting for a message from someone special? If he frequently checks his messages, he is probably waiting for a response. Maybe he also frequently stares at his phone or leaves it near him and frequently looks at it to check if it rang.

Maybe he also quickly responds to messages as soon as he gets them while it takes him ages to respond to you when you text him. All of these things are signs he’s texting another woman, but they don’t necessarily mean that he’s cheating on you.

14. He is smiling when he’s texting.

A woman looks at a man with a concerned expression as he smiles while using his smartphone. They are seated at an outdoor table with food and drinks. There is a red flower on the table in the foreground.

Maybe you caught your man smiling at his phone. You know that smile that people have when they get a message from someone they like? If your man is smiling while texting someone and he says that it’s work-related, he is definitely lying to you.

Try to see the name that pops up on his screen when he smiles. Granted, maybe one of his friends made a joke, but if he doesn’t want to let you see the name on the screen, it’s probably another woman. As a matter of fact, it’s a woman he likes, even if he’s not yet cheating with her.

15. He has pictures of other women on his phone.

A man with a beard is lying in bed, holding a smartphone and looking away with a concerned expression. A woman with long dark hair and wearing a pink top sits beside him, looking at him with a serious expression. They're covered with a light pink blanket.

A lot of people send photos in messages these days, especially when they’re flirting. It’s likely that he sent pictures to another woman and that she sent some back. These might be naughty photos, but they could be normal pictures or sexy selfies.

Maybe he has some pictures with female friends or relatives, but if you don’t recognize the woman in the photos, or these are sexy pictures, then he’s clearly texting another woman on the sly.

As already mentioned, you can look at Google Photos on his phone to check for recently deleted pictures since he is not likely to keep these pics on his phone for long.

16. He has dating apps on his phone.

A woman with blonde hair, wearing a gray sweater, looks over at a man with brown hair, wearing a blue sweater. Both are sitting on a couch, each holding a smartphone. The woman appears puzzled or concerned as she glances toward the man, who is focused on his phone.

If he is texting another woman, he is likely using one of the many well-known dating apps such as Tinder. You could ask a friend who uses dating apps to check them for his profile and send you the screenshots.

There are also some websites that offer to detect dating profiles when you type in certain information such as a name or email.

You should also be aware of the fact that some dating apps offer a special feature to change the dating app icon to look like an icon of a game or a fitness app. These are usually affair dating sites meant for married people who are looking to cheat.

Using any dating site is a sign that he’s cheating, even if he claims that he never uses them and has just kept them on his phone because he forgot about them.