Your phone knows everything about you. Consequently, it’s probably sharing way more than you’d like with apps, advertisers, and whoever else wants to pay for your data. Let’s fix that.
Most people tap “Accept” on everything and wonder why their Instagram ads know they’re pregnant before they do. Meanwhile, both iOS and Android bury their best privacy features under layers of menus that seem designed to discourage you from finding them.
Here’s what you actually need to change.
iOS Privacy Settings That Matter
Apple loves to talk about privacy, yet their default settings still let apps track you across the web. First, head to Settings > Privacy & Security > Tracking and disable “Allow Apps to Request to Track.” This kills cross-app tracking immediately.
Next, tackle App Privacy Report under the same menu. This shows which apps are phoning home and how often. You’ll be shocked at what’s happening in the background. Additionally, check Location Services and set everything to “While Using” or “Never” unless you absolutely need constant location access.
Safari needs attention too. Navigate to Settings > Safari and enable “Prevent Cross-Site Tracking” and “Hide IP Address.” Furthermore, turn on “Privacy Preserving Ad Measurement” and disable “Allow Privacy-Preserving Ad Measurement.” Yes, the naming is confusing on purpose.
Your photos are a goldmine of location data. Therefore, go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > Camera and set it to “Never” or “While Using.” Photos will still work fine without embedding your GPS coordinates.
iCloud Private Relay sounds great but works inconsistently. However, it’s worth enabling if you have iCloud+. Find it under Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > Private Relay. Just know it breaks some apps and websites.
Lock down your analytics sharing. Apple collects usage data by default, so disable “Share iPhone Analytics” and “Share iCloud Analytics” under Settings > Privacy & Security > Analytics & Improvements. This doesn’t affect functionality at all.
Siri is constantly listening for her wake word. Consequently, she’s processing audio that Apple claims never leaves your device. Believe them or not, but you can disable “Listen for ‘Hey Siri’” under Settings > Siri & Search if you’re paranoid.
Finally, review app permissions regularly. Apps request access they don’t need, then keep it forever. Check Settings > Privacy & Security and go through each category—Camera, Microphone, Contacts, Photos. Revoke anything suspicious.
Android Privacy: Google’s Complicated Relationship With Your Data
Android privacy is trickier because Google’s entire business model involves knowing everything about you. Nevertheless, you can significantly limit what they collect.
Start with Google’s advertising ID. Navigate to Settings > Privacy > Ads and select “Delete advertising ID.” This breaks personalized ads across most apps. Moreover, disable “Opt out of Ads Personalization” while you’re there.
Location history feeds Google’s data machine constantly. Open Settings > Location > Location Services > Google Location History and turn it off. Similarly, disable “Web & App Activity” in your Google Account settings to stop search and browsing history collection.
App permissions on Android are more granular than iOS. Check Settings > Privacy > Permission manager to see which apps have access to what. Additionally, Android lets you grant temporary permissions, which is perfect for apps you rarely use.
Google Play Services is the big data collector nobody talks about. You can’t disable it without breaking your phone, but you can limit it. Head to Settings > Google > Manage your Google Account > Data & privacy and turn off everything under “Web & App Activity.”
Chrome is a privacy nightmare by design. Therefore, use Firefox or Brave instead. If you must use Chrome, enable “Do Not Track” and disable “Make searches and browsing better” under Settings > Privacy and security.
Android’s Digital Wellbeing section includes a Bedtime mode, but more importantly, it shows which apps have excessive permissions. Check Settings > Digital Wellbeing & parental controls > Show your data to identify the worst offenders.
Private DNS encrypts your DNS queries, which hides your browsing from your ISP. Navigate to Settings > Network & internet > Private DNS and use “dns.google” or “one.one.one.one.” This change takes ten seconds and significantly improves privacy.
Disable app scanning in Play Protect. Google scans every app you install and everything on your phone. Settings > Security > Play Protect lets you turn this off, though Google will complain loudly about it.
The Reality Check
Both platforms leak data like sieves even after these changes. Ultimately, perfect mobile privacy doesn’t exist because smartphones are surveillance devices by design. These settings just make surveillance more difficult and expensive.
Your carrier still tracks your location constantly. Apps find creative workarounds for permissions. Meanwhile, advertisers develop new tracking methods faster than operating systems can block them.
Use a VPN on public WiFi. Stick to open-source apps when possible. Furthermore, assume anything on your phone could be accessed by someone who really wants it. The goal isn’t perfect privacy—it’s making yourself a harder target than the person next to you.
Your threat model determines how far you should go. Regular people don’t need GrapheneOS or a degoogled phone. However, everyone benefits from spending fifteen minutes adjusting these settings.
The privacy-convenience tradeoff is real. Some features break when you lock things down. Nevertheless, most people can implement everything here without noticing any functional difference in their daily phone use.
Review these settings quarterly because updates reset preferences and introduce new tracking features. Both Apple and Google are constantly adding “helpful” features that just happen to collect more data. Stay vigilant, or your phone will go back to ratting you out.