How to Protect Your Privacy on Android in 4 Stages

If you want to protect your privacy on Android but have never opened the privacy menus, this guide is for you. It walks through the settings that control what apps see, what Google keeps about you, and what happens if your phone goes missing. Set aside about 20 minutes. Menu names below come from Google's current Android Help pages, so a Samsung, Motorola or other phone may word a few labels a little differently, but the same switches are there.

Before you start on your Android privacy checkup

• Check your Android version under Settings, then About phone. Several features below need Android 12 or later, and a few need Android 14.
• Know your Google Account password, since the account steps ask you to sign in again.
• Install any pending system and app updates first. The FTC lists keeping software updated as one of its four basic steps for protecting a phone.
• Keep the phone unlocked and nearby while you work through the list.

Stage 1: Lock down the phone itself

1. Set a strong screen lock. Open Settings, then Security (or Security & privacy), then Screen lock. The FTC's phone security advice recommends at least a 6 digit passcode. Fingerprint or face unlock can sit on top of it for convenience.
2. Turn on Find Hub (formerly Find My Device). Go to Settings, then Security, then Find Hub, and confirm Allow device to be located is on. According to Google's Find Hub help page, location must also be on for this to work. If your phone is ever lost, Find Hub lets you lock or erase it remotely, which keeps strangers out of your photos, messages and accounts.
3. Decide on offline finding. In Settings, then Google, then All Services, then Find Hub, the Find your offline devices option controls whether your phone can be found through other nearby Android devices. Choices range from Off to With network everywhere. Pick the level you are comfortable with.

Stage 2: Review what each app can access

This stage does the most for your privacy, because most data leaks on a phone come from apps holding permissions they do not need.

1. Open the Permission manager. Go to Settings, then Security & privacy, then Privacy, then Permission manager. You will see a list of permission types such as Location, Camera, Microphone, Contacts and Phone.
2. Work through Location, Camera and Microphone first. Tap each one and check the apps listed. Google's app permissions help page describes four options: All the time (location only), Allow only while using the app, Ask every time, and Don't allow. For most apps, "only while using the app" or "Ask every time" is plenty.
3. Prune the rest. Go through Contacts, Phone, SMS, Files and Nearby devices. A flashlight or wallpaper app has no reason to read your contacts. Set anything that seems odd to Don't allow.
4. Use approximate location where it fits. On Android 12 and later, when an app asks for your location you can choose Approximate instead of Precise. Weather and news apps rarely need your exact street.
5. Let unused apps lose their permissions. Open Settings, then Apps, pick an app you rarely use, and under Unused app settings turn on Pause app activity if unused. Android will then remove its permissions after a long stretch without use.

Stage 3: Watch the camera, microphone and location

1. Learn the green dot. On Android 12 and up, a green indicator appears at the top right of the screen whenever an app is using the camera or microphone. Swipe down and tap it to see which app it is, and tap again to change that app's permission.
2. Add the kill switches to Quick Settings. Swipe down twice, tap Edit (or Add) at the bottom, and drag in the camera access and microphone access tiles. One tap then blocks every app at once. You can also flip them in Settings, then Security & privacy, then Privacy, then Privacy controls.
3. Check the privacy dashboard. In Settings, then Security and Privacy (or Privacy), open Privacy dashboard. It shows which apps used location, camera and microphone over the last 7 days on Android 13 (24 hours on Android 12). Anything surprising is a good candidate for Stage 2.
4. Trim location scanning. Open Settings, then Location, then Location Services. Here you can turn off Wi-Fi scanning and Bluetooth scanning, which let apps and services look for nearby networks and devices even when Wi-Fi or Bluetooth is off. Under Location Accuracy, you can also decide whether Improve Location Accuracy stays on. Google's location settings help page lists the paths for older versions too.

Stage 4: Limit ad tracking and Google activity

1. Delete your advertising ID. Go to Settings, then Privacy, then Ads, and tap Delete Advertising ID, then confirm. Apps use this ID to build an ad profile across services. If you only want a fresh start, choose Reset Advertising ID instead. On older versions, look for Opt out of Ads Personalization under Settings, Privacy, Advanced, Ads.
2. Review Web & App Activity. Open the Google Account Activity controls page at myaccount.google.com/activitycontrols. Here you can turn Web & App Activity off, or keep it on and clear the boxes for Chrome history and for voice and audio activity.
3. Set auto delete. From the same page, set your activity to delete automatically after a set period so old searches and app history do not pile up.
4. Keep Play Protect on. Open the Play Store, tap your profile icon, then Play Protect, then the gear icon, and confirm Scan apps with Play Protect is on. Google says it is on by default and scans your device periodically for harmful apps.

If you want to tighten the account side further, our guide on how to secure your Google account covers passkeys, 2 step verification and recovery options.

When a setting is missing or will not change

• You cannot find a menu. Use the search bar at the top of Settings and type the setting name, such as "Permission manager" or "Advertising ID". Phone makers often move items under a different heading.
• Privacy dashboard or the green dot is absent. These arrived in Android 12. If your phone runs Android 11 or older and gets no more updates, the per app permission screens still work, but think about a newer phone for the long run.
• An app breaks after you remove a permission. Some apps need one permission to do their main job, such as a maps app and location. Give back only that permission, set to "only while using the app".
• A permission keeps turning back on, or an app you never installed shows up. That can be a sign of something worse than nosy apps. Read our walkthroughs on how to know if your phone is hacked and how to remove a virus from Android.
• Work or school phones. If an organization manages your device, some switches may be locked. Ask its IT team.

Phone settings are only half the picture, so it is worth reading our broader guide on how to protect your privacy online as well. Browse more security help in our Tech section. Then put a reminder in your calendar to open the privacy dashboard once a month, since new apps quietly ask for new permissions all the time.