Based on the fact that it is impossible to have absolute privacy in our mobile use, the truth is that certain parameters can be configured to reduce the seat as much as possible. It is basically Avoid sharing usage and browsing data change some settings enabled by default.
In this article, we will review some of them essential settings you should watch on your mobile. Settings that, although your access may be slightly different depending on the version and/or layer of Android you have, are common to all smartphones that start with the Google operating system as standard.
Familiarize yourself with the mobile privacy panel
Most of the settings we will talk about below have faster access from Android’s well-known “privacy panel”. In this you can see a summary with the data consulted by each applicationsuch as location, microphone or camera.
As always, there are several ways to access it and one is to find it in the privacy and security section of the settings. The other is done directly by typing “privacy panel” in the settings search engine. already there, you can even perform a device scan and that in an intelligent way certain parameters are proposed to you to modify in order to preserve a maximum of intimacy.
Block Websites From Tracking Your Browsing in Chrome
If you use Google Chrome, a browser installed on all Android phones along with the rest of Google services, you will be interested to know that it is possible to ask websites not to access your history. This basically affects advertising, because when they can access advertisements personalized to your interests (for example, if you have previously searched for information on shoes, you will see advertisements for shoes).
Well, in order for this monitoring not to happen, you have to open the Chrome application, click on the three dots at the top right and go to ‘Settings’ > ‘Privacy & Security’ > ‘Do Not Track’ and make sure the tab is enabled “On” mode.
Of course, as explained in the previous section, what Chrome will do is send a request to websites asking them not to track our activity.
Prevent Google from transmitting your data to third parties
Independent of browser usage, Google may access certain usage patterns of your phone to send you suggestions and recommendations, either in the form of ads or not. However, this authorization can be withdrawn by going to “Google” section of settings.
Once there, you must go to ‘Customize with shared data’ and uncheck the apps that appear. See for example Google Maps, YouTube or the aforementioned Chrome, the company’s own applications and from which data is collected to transform them into suggestions. If they are not checked, they will not be able to store this data.
Limit sending information to Google
Completely in line with the above and the permits that we will see in the following sections, let’s say that as standard Google collects information about the places we visit. However, it can be easily disabled by going to mobile settings, entering the “Google” section and clicking on “Manage your Google account”.
Once here, you must go to the ‘Data and privacy’ tab, go down to the ‘History settings’ section and enter ‘Web & App Activity’. This is where you need to make sure this feature is turned off, along with the “Sub-settings” tabs for your Chrome history information, app activity, and voice activity. You can even delete the data they already have and even set up an automatic deletion every 3, 18 or 36 months.
Opt out of personalized ads
Without leaving the ‘Data and privacy’ panel of your Google account to which we referred in the previous point, you must go to the ‘Personalised ads’ section, enter “My ad center” and uncheck the option with the drop-down list that appears at the top. In this way, and without providing navigation and other data, Google will in no way be authorized to offer you advertisements based on your activity.
Denies access to apps location
That apps like Google Maps access your location is not only normal, but also necessary for its GPS functions. However, this is not the case in many other apps and games. And this, in addition to affecting your privacy, this also leads to higher battery consumption and contextual resources.
First, go to your mobile settings and go to the ‘Location’ section. First you will see a section with applications that have recently accessed your location, although what interests us in this case is to access the “Application location permissions” panel, which you must enter and go selected one by one each app to change permission. There will be three or four options: always allow, only allow when using the app, always ask, and don’t allow.
What is the ideal configuration? Depends. Generally, it’s best to set “Allow only when using the app” so they only access this data when needed. However, if it is an application where you see this completely useless information, it is better to keep it in “Do not allow”.
By the way, also disable precise location in applications where it is not required. This is an option that appears under the various permission options and when enabled will give an exact location to the app, while when disabled it will only send them a certain area without specifying the exact point where you are.
Keep an eye on which apps are accessing your camera, microphone, photos, etc.
An application that allows you to record voice notes, a camera application, a game that allows you to interact online with other players by voice… There are many applications that require microphone permission to be functional. However, as in the previous case, there are other applications in which it is not necessary. The same happens with the camera or access to our photos.
You can revoke these authorizations by precisely accessing the permission manager in the “Security and privacy” section of the settings. Once there, you’ll need to enter each permission and see which apps have it. The process is similar to what we found with the location permit.
Beware of Default SMS Apps
As standard, all mobiles come with a default application to manage messages, usually that of Google. However, there are other applications that can work as main applications for reading and writing SMS, so it is useful to know that it is one of the most sensitive apps in terms of privacy and security. Not so much for the content of the messages we send, but for those we receive.
More and more services are implementing two-step verification systems, most of which involve sending codes by SMS. See as a best example the banking applications and the security codes that are sent to make a transfer, a bizum or any other operation. If an app isn’t safe for it, those promoting it could access those codes and put your bank account at risk. Nevertheless, Best to always stick with the Google app for that.
Add fingerprint access to particularly sensitive apps
Beyond confidentiality with third parties who access our data remotely, we also find ourselves in situations in which our mobile can be physically accessible. As standard, set an unlock code and our fingerprint is the key, but add this protection to apps it’s too much.
By default, this is not a native Android feature, but some layers like MIUI include this function in security settings. And basically what they allow is to choose a series of applications in which to establish fingerprint access so that no one can access them if you have lent them your unlocked mobile.
What is common is that apps like WhatsApp include it in their own settings. In this particular case, and since WhatsApp is an application that can contain sensitive information, you can enter its privacy settings to find the option. In the same way, it is convenient to do the same in banking applications.
Allows the possibility of locating your mobile in case of loss or theft
One way to locate a lost or stolen mobile is to via Android device manageralso known as Android Device Manager by its English name. From there you can locate it on a map from any other device, although for this you must activate the option on your mobile.
So, as a preventive measure, it is practical that you make sure you have activated it from the mobile settings, enter the ‘Google’ section of the settings then ‘Find my device’. In this section, you will find a tab that must be activated to allow you to locate the device.
In Xataka Android | What are Android app restrictions and why it is worth enabling them
Table of Contents
