This is how I stop my Android phone from spying on me

• Stop sharing data with Google
• Install NetGuard
• Use a privacy browser
• Turn off location tracking

I always update my phone right away and do my best to stop apps and services from tracking my movements and collecting my data. It’s a fine line because I want to protect my smartphone’s privacy without turning off settings that can reduce or inhibit its performance.

I have nothing to hide, but I still value my privacy and don’t appreciate companies mining and selling my data without my knowledge and consent. That’s why I do these things to stop my Android phone from spying on me.

Stop sharing data with Google

Less is best

Some settings appear to be innocent and work under the guise of improving my user experience. The option to share my usage and diagnostic data is a typical example. It collects information like how often I use my apps, the quality of the networks I connect to, and other usage data, then shares it with developers, supposedly to refine the way my phone works.

Some settings appear to be innocent and work under the guise of improving my user experience.

I’m unimpressed with Google’s lack of transparency about how it shares the data and I disable this setting because it doesn’t affect my phone’s performance.Turning off this setting is as simple as navigating to Settings => Google => All Services => Usage and diagnostics and moving the slider.

A setting called Personalize shared data is another way Google mines information from my phone with the goal of selling it to third parties. I disable it by going to Settings => Google => Personalize using shared data, and unchecking Maps, Gmail, External Media, and Device contacts.

Install NetGuard

Limit app network access

Many of my apps collect data about my phone usage to create a user profile. Some track my location to hit me with targeted ads. I stop these trackers with a free and open-source app called NetGuard. NetGuard is easy to download from the official site or Google Play Store and restricts apps from accessing the internet.

NetGuard creates a local VPN on my phone and sends all my traffic through it.

NetGuard creates a local VPN on my phone and sends all my traffic through it. I can then set permissions for individual apps and control which ones access the internet via Wi-Fi or my mobile network. The app lets me set conditions for my apps to access the internet, but I need to upgrade to the Pro version to filter network traffic or view detailed IP logs.

Use a privacy browser

Built-in ad and tracker blocking

Google Chrome is one of the biggest culprits when it comes to tracking my phone use and harvesting my data. It collects my browsing and search history and other information, like my usage patterns, locations, and personal identifiers which I don’t want falling into the wrong hands.

That’s why I use privacy-focused browsers, like DuckDuckGo and Brave on my mobile device to reduce tracking and have a smoother browsing experience with fewer pop-ups and ads.

I use privacy-focused browsers, like DuckDuckGo and Brave on my mobile device to reduce tracking and have a smoother browsing experience.

DuckDuckGo doesn’t store my data profiles or IP addresses and automatically removes cookie consent pop-ups based on my settings. It also blocks cookie requests and third-party trackers to minimize my online fingerprint.

Brave shares Chrome’s Chromium Engine and supports the same extensions. Where it differs is the inclusion of the built-in ad-blocker and VPN. This browser offers handy sliders to block scripts, fingerprinting, and cookies, and I can set the protection levels to whatever I’m comfortable with.

Turn off location tracking

Most apps don’t need it

Navigation apps, like Google Maps or Waze need access to my location to function, but others use it for data collection and targeted ads. Since most of my apps don’t require my location, I keep this feature turned off until I’m on the move and require GPS navigation. This feature is simple to activate or deactivate by pressing the Location icon in the Quick Settings panel.

It’s understandable if you need to keep your location settings on for your daily tasks. If you can’t switch this feature off, the next best option is to change the permissions on the apps you don’t want to track your location.

I keep this feature turned off until I’m on the move and require GPS navigation.

To do this, you can go to Settings => Apps. Then tap on the app and open the location menu. You can then set the permission to Allow only while using this app, Ask every time, or Don’t allow, depending on what you prefer.

Another way to minimize location tracking is to change the Location Accuracy setting. This setting stores information about the Wi-Fi networks and mobile towers I connect to, as well as gyroscope and accelerometer data to improve Google’s services.

I turn it off by navigating to Settings => Location => Location services => Location Accuracy and moving the Improve Location Accuracy slider to the left. While I’m on the Location Services menu, I also ensure that Wi-Fi scanning is turned off.