Practical Privacy Tips for Your Android Phone

Your Android phone likely includes records of everywhere you go alongside most, if not all, of your digital communication and internet search history. Although it’s impossible to have perfect privacy on any smartphone, there are plenty of settings you can adjust to minimize the amount of data that companies collect about you.

Being privacy aware on an operating system run by Google—a company that makes money in part by mining data about its users—might seem like a silly endeavor, but the Android OS provides you with tools to control some of your data. Although you’ll never be totally off the grid from your cell provider, and it’s nearly impossible to block everything that tracks you across every platform, it is possible to at least approach your smartphone’s privacy settings practically. Some of these settings come at the cost of convenience, so consider the trade-offs before you disable (or enable) the items we detail below. (These settings will vary depending on which version of Android you have and which phone you have.)

If you have a phone running Android 13, many of these suggestions are also available under Settings > Security, where you’ll find a dashboard recommending improvements you can make to your phone’s security. This is a great place to start if you don’t want to spend a lot of time messing with options.