An Android phone records where you go, which apps you open, how long you use them, and what you search. Most of that data is stored by default. Changing a few settings shifts the balance from "the phone collects everything" to "the phone collects what it needs."
Below are ten changes, ordered from quickest to most involved. Each one takes between thirty seconds and five minutes.
1. Review app permissions, one category at a time
Open Settings → Privacy → Permission manager. Android groups permissions by type: location, camera, microphone, contacts, calendar, and so on. Tap each category to see which apps have access and at what level. For any app you do not use regularly, revoke the permission. The app will ask again if it genuinely needs it, and you can decide then.
Recent Android versions (14 and later) include a permission auto-reset feature: if you do not open an app for a few months, Android automatically revokes its runtime permissions. You can check this is on at Settings → Privacy → Permission manager → Auto-reset permissions.
2. Set location access to "only while using"
Location is the permission scammers and data brokers value most. By default, many apps ask for "all the time" access. Go to Settings → Location → App location permissions and switch every app that does not need background tracking to Allow only while using the app. The apps that genuinely need background location are navigation, ride-hailing, and tracking apps — everything else should work fine without it.
Android 14+ also lets you grant approximate location instead of precise location for apps that only need a general area, such as weather apps. Use this toggle where possible.
3. Turn off ad personalization
Settings → Privacy → Ads → Delete advertising ID — this is a single toggle that stops Google from building an advertising profile from your app usage. You will still see adverts, but they will be based on the app you are in rather than your browsing and usage history.
4. Open the Privacy Dashboard
Android 12+ has a Privacy Dashboard at Settings → Privacy → Privacy Dashboard. It shows a timeline of how many times each app accessed location, camera, and microphone in the last 24 hours. If an app you barely use shows up multiple times, it is worth investigating what that app is doing and revoking the permission.
5. Set Google account data to auto-delete
Your Google account stores search history, location data, and YouTube activity by default. Open Settings → Google → Manage your Google Account → Data and privacy → Web & App Activity. You can pause it entirely or set it to auto-delete after 3, 18, or 36 months. The same page has Location History and YouTube History with the same auto-delete options. Our Google account privacy checkup walks through the full list.
6. Use the photo picker instead of full library access
Android 13 introduced a system photo picker that lets you grant a specific image or two to an app without giving it read access to your entire photo library. When an app asks for storage permission, choose Select photos instead of Allow all. This is one of the most underused privacy improvements on recent Android versions.
7. Lock down your lock screen
Settings → Security → Screen lock. A strong PIN (six or more digits) is more secure than a pattern. Set the phone to lock after 15–30 seconds, and enable the lock screen setting to Hide sensitive notification content so that private messages are not visible when the phone is sitting on a table.
8. Disable near-field sharing when not in use
Android's Nearby Share (now called Quick Share on some devices) makes it easy to send files to nearby devices, but a phone with it enabled emits a Bluetooth beacon others can detect. Switch it off when you are not using it. You can also set it to Hidden mode so your device is not visible to others unless you open the sharing panel.
9. Review connected apps and sign-out
Over time, apps, games, and services accumulate access to your Google account. Open Settings → Google → Manage your Google Account → Security → Third-party apps with account access. Review the list and remove anything you no longer use. Each one can potentially read your profile data and email, so a clean list here is worth maintaining.
10. Check Find My Device and decide
Settings → Google → Find My Device. This feature can locate, ring, or erase a lost phone. It is genuinely useful and the data it collects is limited to the device's location. The trade-off is that it relies on Google's location services. If you are comfortable with that, leave it on — losing a phone is common, and this is the best way to recover it. If you would rather not share location with Google this way, switch it off and accept that a lost phone cannot be recovered.
The permission manager shows every app that has access to each category, all in one place.
A note on manufacturer differences
Android is not one phone. Samsung, Google Pixel, Motorola, and others each add their own settings menus. On a Samsung phone, some of these settings live under Settings → Security and privacy instead of the standard label. The categories are the same, so searching for "permissions," "privacy," or "location" in Settings will find the relevant menus regardless of the phone. The Google Android help center covers the base layout if you need a reference.
Quick answers
Do I need to do all ten? The first five cover the most ground for the least effort. The remaining five tighten things further.
Does turning off ad personalization stop all ads? No. It stops Google from building a profile from your activity. You will still see generic ads.
Are biometrics less secure than a PIN? No. Biometrics (fingerprint, face) sit on top of the PIN and are treated as a convenience layer, not a replacement.
Will these changes break apps? Rarely, and only for apps that genuinely need background location or storage access. If an app stops working, you can always re-grant the specific permission.
Written by Hassan Arshad, founder of UsefulOrbit. Last updated August 31, 2026. Sources: Google Android Help, FTC Consumer Advice, Google Account Help.