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These 6 Android Settings Could Be Putting Your Privacy in Danger
Your smartphone knows more about you than you know about yourself. Okay, that might be hyperbole, but it's still so important to manage the settings that track both your online and offline activity. Here are six Android settings that could put your privacy at risk and what you can do to keep your personal data safe.
Ad Privacy Settings
I recently searched for pre-workouts for the gym in Chrome, and the next thing I noticed was that all the other apps I use were flooded with pre-workout ads. Whether it was social media apps like Instagram or platforms like YouTube, every app I opened was showing me ads for different pre-workouts. I'm pretty sure this has happened to you as well—search for one thing on the internet, and you'll start seeing ads related to it on all the other apps you use.
This mainly happens because of your advertising ID, which is a unique identifier used by smartphones for advertising purposes. All the searches you perform on your smartphone are linked to your advertising ID, which is then used to help other apps, such as Instagram, show relevant ads. In my case, my search for pre-workout supplements on the internet was linked to my advertising ID. So, when apps like Instagram and YouTube requested ads, the advertising ID indicated that I was recently interested in pre-workouts, and as a result, they started showing me pre-workout ads.
While such targeted ads might help you find a product of your choice, they often become a major annoyance. Seeing these ads gives me the feeling that the term "privacy" is missing from my smartphone's dictionary and that every action I perform on it is being tracked by someone. If you feel the same way, you can delete your advertising ID to get rid of targeted ads.
The process for doing this is similar across most smartphones, though the labels may differ depending on the brand. I'll show you how to delete the advertising ID on a Pixel smartphone.
Open the Settings app and navigate to Security & Privacy > Privacy Controls > Ads > Delete Advertising ID. Then, tap the "Delete Advertising ID" button.
After deleting the advertising ID, you won't stop seeing ads entirely. Ads will still appear, but they will no longer be related to your recent searches.
Usage and Diagnostic Data Settings
On your Android smartphone, you'll find a toggle named "Usage and Diagnostics." This toggle is enabled by default on most Android devices and constantly sends performance and usage information from your phone to Google. Everything from your smartphone's battery performance and software stability to how often you use certain apps—all this information is sent to Google if the Usage and Diagnostics toggle is turned on.
While this information helps Google improve the overall Android ecosystem, I highly recommend disabling this setting because you never know which shared data might compromise your privacy. The process to disable the Usage and Diagnostics toggle may vary across different Android smartphones, but the general rule of thumb is to open the Settings app, select Security and Privacy > More Security & Privacy > Usage & Diagnostics, and then turn off the "Usage & Diagnostics" toggle.
Check the Permission Manager
The last thing you would want from your smartphone is for it to help installed apps keep track of everything you do in your real life. For instance, if you have granted apps like Facebook permission to access your microphone at all times, they might listen to everything you say around your smartphone, even when the app is not in use. Similarly, some apps may always have access to your camera, location, contacts, and more.
I understand that certain apps require access to specific settings to function properly. For instance, the weather app needs access to your location at all times to provide accurate weather information for your area. However, a finance app having constant access to your location doesn't make much sense. That's why it's important to monitor and control which apps have access to which settings on your device.
To check this, open the Settings app and go to Security & Privacy > Privacy Controls > Permission Manager. Then, tap each listed option one by one, such as Camera, Contacts, Location, and more. For instance, if you tap the "Camera" option, make sure that only the app that truly needs camera access at all times has permission. If you find an app that shouldn't always have access to your camera, tap it and choose "Allow Only While Using the App."
Stop Installation of Unknown Apps
One of the main advantages of Android over iOS is that it allows you to install apps from third-party websites. This means that, unlike iOS, which only lets you download apps from the App Store, Android allows you to sideload apps from other sources in addition to the Play Store.
When you try to install an app on your Android smartphone that was downloaded from a source other than the Play Store, you receive a pop-up asking for permission to install unknown apps. Once you grant this permission, the app you used to download—Google Chrome, for example—gains ongoing permission to install unknown apps.
While you will always see an installation pop-up whenever Chrome tries to install an app, let's be fair—how often do you actually read what that pop-up says? Most of us simply hit the OK button to get rid of it instantly, especially when we are in the middle of important work on our Android smartphone. This may eventually lead to the installation of an unknown, unwanted app on your Android device.
The best thing I would recommend in this situation is to make sure that none of the apps always have permission to install unknown apps. Whenever an app wants to install an unknown app, you should manually enable the toggle to allow installation of unknown apps so you can have better control over what gets installed on your device.
To check this permission, open the Settings app and navigate to Apps > Special App Access > Install Unknown Apps. Tap each listed app one by one, and make sure the "Allow From This Source" toggle is disabled for all of them. While writing this guide, I noticed that the toggle was enabled for Telegram on my Pixel 10. I really don't know how or when I granted Telegram permission to install unknown apps—but yes, the toggle is now disabled.
Make Passwords Invisible
Passwords exist for a reason. If you are adding a password to a particular app or platform, it means you definitely do not want anyone other than yourself to have access to it. Unfortunately, there is a toggle on your Android smartphone that briefly displays each character of your password as you type.
While this feature is intended to help you ensure that you have tapped the correct characters, it can also expose your password. For instance, if someone is standing very close to you and glancing at your smartphone screen from the side, they might be able to see your password as each character briefly appears when you type it.
That's why it's better to keep the toggle disabled. To do this, go to Settings > Security & Privacy > Privacy Controls, and turn off the "Show Passwords" toggle.
Don't Give Admin Access to Unwanted Apps
Certain apps installed on your device may have administrator privileges. For example, if I grant admin access to the Repair Mode app on my Pixel smartphone, the app will be able to erase all data and monitor screen unlock attempts. However, if a malicious app gains this access, it can seriously compromise your privacy and even lead to your device being hacked.
That's why you should regularly monitor which apps have admin access on your smartphone. To check this, open the Settings app > Security & Privacy > More Security & Privacy > Device Admin. Turn off the toggle next to any app you don't want to have admin access.
Manage Google Account Settings
Once you've configured the above settings on your smartphone, I recommend making some changes to your Google Account settings as well to better manage your privacy.
To do this, visit the official Google Account page and navigate to "Data & Privacy." Select "Web & App Activity," then uncheck the "Include Voice and Audio Activity" box. In the new window that appears, choose "Stop Saving."
Next, select "Manage All Web & App Activity," and choose "Auto-Delete." Select the duration after which you want Google to automatically delete your web and app activity. I recommend selecting 3 months from the drop-down menu. Then, tap Next > Got it.
These are some of the Android settings that could be putting your privacy in danger. In addition to managing these settings, I also recommend practicing some other general habits like regularly updating your phone, avoiding public Wi-Fi, using a strong password or biometrics, and installing apps only from trusted platforms to keep your data secure.