Woman shares phone setting dubbed 'affair mode' her cheating partner used to hide messages in plain sight
Infidelity is both easier and harder than ever in different ways, as while there's more surveillance in the modern world than ever before, technology also allows people to hide their tracks and keep their cheating habits away from their partner.
It's something that many people have unfortunately had to deal with in the modern dating landscape, and it's often far more complicated than simply spotting Tinder or a similar app on your partner's phone.
It's never going to be pleasant to spot the habits of a significant other who is cheating on you, but it can save you heartbreak in the future and help you move on with your life.
That's exactly what happened to Los Angeles native Kerry, who revealed to the Daily Mail the settings her partner had activated to take advantage of 'affair mode' on his phone.
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In her particular case, he had enabled disappearing messages on WhatsApp, which deletes previously sent and received texts after a set period of time, effectively removing any trace or evidence that cheating had ever taken place.
You can set these messages to be deleted automatically within 24 hours, 7 days, or 90 days, giving the cheater a range of options based on their sense of privacy — although most will likely opt for the former.
It means that you have to catch them messaging the person they're cheating on you with almost as its happening, which can be incredibly difficult. Having the setting enabled doesn't automatically mean that your partner is unfaithful, of course, but it could help lead you down a path towards confirmation.
Another trick that Kerry unfortunately discovered was through Google Docs, as she found a shared document her partner had with her high school best friend where they had arranged their plans and shared feelings.
"It had everything," she revealed. "Messages, plans, what they were going to do together, pics. I sat there scrolling [...] It was all planned out, right in front of me. How could I be so dumb?"
It's easy to get fooled by these things if you're not looking for them though, and cheaters will make it deliberately difficult for their partner to find any evidence even when they might be suspicious.
These aren't the only two components of what people often refer to as a phone's 'affair mode', as you might also want to be on the watch for fake calculator apps masquerading as a portal for infidelity, or any other apps that are hidden or password protected on your partner's device.