Your smartphone can collect quite a lot of data about you in factory settings. You can limit it to a certain extent with the steps that we will show you in this guide. When creating the article, we were inspired by the topic from the site Živé.skwhich primarily devoted its instructions to the brand’s smartphones Xiaomi. Our guide is not specific to a specific brand, but to Android devices as a whole.
Limit the amount of data that the manufacturer together with Google collects about you
The entire process of increasing privacy starts with the initial setup. Simply decline the services you do not plan to use. We also do not recommend installing all the applications offered by the manufacturer, especially those that are not from him (this is a paid sponsorship). After all, you can download what suits you best and what you are used to from the Play Store. We then recommend performing the following steps in the system, which will not affect the functionality of your smartphone in any way, but you may lose the benefits of customized ads or functions offered by the intelligent assistant (at the cost of valuable data about you and your usage).
If there are many pre-installed applications in the user environment that you will not use and do not represent an important part of the system, it is a good idea to uninstall or disable them. Hold your finger on the app’s icon and select the option to uninstall or the option to view details (usually a small “i” in a circle). Then click on Disable or Deactivate.
Opting out of personalized ads
By turning off this function, you will stop seeing ads for products that are “tailored” for you. In the settings, click on the section Googleor your first and last name at the very top of all options. In the menu with Google Services, look for the section Advertisements. Click here in turn Reset advertising identifier, Remove advertising identifier and in the menu Advertising privacy protection disable all mentioned options.
Use and diagnostics
In the settings, more specifically in the section Security and protection privacy, scroll to the bottom of the section and click on Additional security and privacy protection. Next, tap on Use and diagnostics and disable this option.
Turn off the smart assistant
Do not exit the settings yet. In the Applications, Default applications, Digital assistant section, check the None box. This way your smartphone won’t have any smart assistant. If you do not need it, it is advisable to deactivate it. On the contrary, if you can use its advantages, skip this step. However, it is necessary to take into account that the intelligent assistant can interfere quite significantly in privacy, which is, however, completely understandable for the basic needs of its operation.
Both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are always on, even when you think otherwise
Have you turned off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth from the quick panel menu, thinking that you are disconnected from nearby networks? You are wrong. Until you turn off these two features, your phone will still search for nearby Wi-Fi networks and Bluetooth devices. The function is good, for example, for precise positioning (more details in this article about GPS) or, for example, for automatically switching from mobile data to Wi-Fi after arriving home or at work.
If you would like the connectivity of your smartphone to be completely limited after turning off these technologies, go to the settings, section Position a Location services. Disable the options Search for Wi-Fi networks a Searching for Bluetooth devices.
Google on the left tab of the home screen? Away with him
The last optional tip is to remove Google news, which on some models is located in the far left part of the home screen. Hold your finger on an empty area of the home screen, tap Desktop settings and turn off the function named Swipe to open the Google app.
It is not a definitive solution to the issue of privacy protection
By taking these steps, you will contribute at least a little to reducing the amount of data collected about you by Google, the phone manufacturer, or other trackers, such as advertising ones. Of course, owning and using a smartphone automatically degrades your level of privacy, and not everything can be prevented.
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However, there are specialized alternative ROMs (the most famous one is GrapheneOS), which take care of the highest possible security and maximally protect your privacy using special methods. If you would like more information about this solution, let us know on our Android Forum, where the competition is currently running, so don’t miss it.
Our tip
Source: www.mojandroid.sk
