The 10 Android privacy and security features I check regularly (and you should too)

Like a car, regular preventative maintenance is essential for keeping your Android phone running in tip-top shape. Sure, you won’t need to change the oil or spark plugs in your Google Pixel or Samsung Galaxy, but you do need to keep on top of several security, privacy, and management items.

Established Android users may be well aware of this, but it’s easy to get lost if you’re an inexperienced user. As there are many items to address, I keep an Android security checklist on hand to keep these maintenance tasks focused and regular.

My list is constantly evolving, but considering that now is the ideal time to start building a more secure digital life, I’d like to share my current checklist items with you. Here’s how I keep my devices and Google accounts safe and secure.

Modern Android phones usually install available updates automatically, but it’s a good idea to check manually for any pending patches. Android system updates can include a multitude of new features, but more importantly, they also plug security holes and quash bugs. For this reason, it’s crucial to keep your Android phone on the latest available software version.

Every fortnight or so, I run a manual check for software updates. To do this yourself, open your Settings app, select System, then Software. Alternatively, search for “system update” using the Settings app’s search bar. This is the easiest route, as Android OEMs often hide this option in various locations.

Importantly, I also check if I’m running the latest Google Play system version. As we’ve outlined in this handy Play system update guide, this stream of Android updates focuses on issuing new Google-related features to your device, many of which are extremely useful and integral to the Android experience. However, your phone tends to overlook these updates, making manual checks essential.

To check for Play system updates, open your Settings app, head to Security & privacy, then select System & updates.

I test a plethora of apps every month, and these software crumbs tend to gather in the nooks of my phone. This is particularly problematic considering that my daily driver only has 128GB of internal storage. So, every month or so, I make a concerted effort to run through my app drawer and uninstall apps that I no longer use or need. This is good practice for every Android phone user.

To do this, open Settings > Apps and run through the list of apps you don’t want. Tap on each, select Uninstall, and continue to the next app.

While you’re in the apps menu, it’s also worth reviewing your default apps. When you’re taking a call or opening a picture, it’ll call on these apps first. Newly installed apps can take over this privilege if you aren’t paying attention. I like to review these lists every month or so to check if any apps have usurped my preferred choice.

Bonus item: When I first get a phone, I also “debloat” it as much as possible, removing preinstalled apps and services I don’t particularly want or need. I don’t use Facebook, so I make a point of removing Meta’s various services that run in the background from my phone. Other apps, like the default messaging or media app, also go.

I rely on two apps to debloat my phone: Canta and Shizuku. Canta is effectively a crowdsourced uninstaller that highlights apps that can be removed without issue, and Shizuku allows Canta permissions to uninstall system apps.

Fair warning: this process requires a higher level of expertise. While Canta does provide guidance about which apps are safe to uninstall, you can easily rip an essential app from your device. Even I’ve had to factory reset devices that I’ve crippled through ambition — but the positives are worth it for those who value maximizing their phone’s performance, battery life, and privacy.

To function correctly, apps will request access to specific functionalities or information on your phone. Permissions give users control over this access.

For example, I don’t use Waze’s drive scheduling feature, so I remove its Calendar permission privileges. My grocery shopping app doesn’t need access to my camera, nor does Instagram need access to my microphone — I refuse them access to both.

While Android has made permission management much simpler in recent versions, automatically pulling permissions from apps that haven’t been used in a while, it’s a great idea to keep on top of this yourself.

To check your app permissions settings, open the Settings app, then head to Security & Privacy > Permission manager. Here, I review each permission, removing any apps that don’t require access to that specific feature or functionality.

Android offers no native system-wide ad-blocking solution, but this doesn’t mean you have to tolerate annoyances and disruptions on your device.

Running a system-wide ad-blocking solution on Android is a great idea for both power users and novices. For the latter, it ensures that scam ads pretending to be system dialogs are a thing of the past. It’s a matter of security nowadays, not just convenience.

There are many options available, including Android’s Private DNS functionality paired with a privacy-minded DNS service, but I prefer using a third-party app called Blokada. It has fallen out of favor among the larger Android community in recent years. Still, I’ve found it a reliable solution, and it gives me plenty of control over which domains are accessible.

Unlike a DNS service, though, Blokada requires regular maintenance. Every few days, I check the domains it blocked recently and carefully add any items that it allowed to the custom blocklist if required. This ensures that all undesirable content — ads, trackers, and any other apps phoning home — is blocked on my device.

Android devices can alert users if they detect unknown location trackers in their vicinity. This security feature ensures that no one can discreetly slip a tracker into your bag and follow you home. However, as automation can often grind to a halt, I like to run a manual check from time to time to verify this myself.

To do this, open the Settings app, then head to Safety and Emergency > Unknown tracker alerts > Scan now. Your phone will take a few seconds to scan your surroundings and will alert you if a tracker is discovered.

Notably, it’s also a good idea to check the Allow alerts toggle. This will perform an automatic scan periodically.

While we’re here, let’s talk about loss and theft. There may come a time when your phone, unfortunately, sprouts arms and legs and walks (or sprints) away from you. To improve your chances of finding it or remotely wiping your personal data from it, it’s essential that the device is added to your Find Hub device list and that your Theft Protection settings are active.

Let’s talk about Find Hub first. This is Google’s device locator service, which allows users to locate and, if necessary, remotely clear devices of any personal data. It’s now part of the Android setup process, but you may still need to download and set up the app if you don’t have a brand new device. Either way, I open Find Hub monthly to check if all my active devices are still listed and can be reached using the app.

Theft Protection settings require a few more steps. On most Android phones, you can find them by heading to Settings > Security & privacy > Device unlock or Lost device protection. Ensure that you review all of these settings regularly, especially Theft Detection Lock, Offline Device Lock, and Remote Lock.

The first feature utilizes your phone’s motion sensors to detect snatch-and-grab attempts and automatically locks your device in response. The second feature locks your device if it loses its network connection. The third feature enables you to lock your phone using your phone number remotely. All three are very useful in the event of phone theft.

I learned about backups the hard way as a kid. My home was broken into, and my server, containing memories of my school years, was snatched. I don’t want ever to be caught without a backup of my data again. It’s one of the reasons that I believe checking your Android phone’s backup status is among the most important Android security checklist items.

This feature is automated and mostly reliable nowadays, but it doesn’t hurt to investigate whether it’s still functioning well from time to time.

To do this, go to Settings > Accounts & backup> Back up data. As a Samsung user, I have automatic redundancy as I can save data to both Samsung Cloud and Google Drive. It’s good practice to check when the latest backup was made and if there are any errors.

A newer school of thought suggests that regular password updates shouldn’t be part of one’s Android security checklist, especially if the passwords are already strong. I want to think that no one will crack my core passwords, but then I close my eyes and panic just a little. As a personal practice for my critical passwords only, I change them every year or so.

Arguably, a more crucial password-related checklist item is adding any new passwords to my password manager. I use Bitwarden to keep all my ones and zeros safe, and it’s been an absolute boon for my security hygiene the past few years.

More often than not, the app and its browser add-ons will recognize new login credentials and prompt me to save them, but occasionally, one gets away. Reviewing these and manually adding them to Bitwarden ensures that I only ever need to remember the service’s master password.

Not everything on my Android security checklist is tied to my device itself. I’m logged in with my Google account in so many different places beyond my phone itself. It’s therefore essential that I check on my Google account activity every few weeks or so.

This ensures that I’m aware of any new apps and services that have gained access to it and were added by me. I also ensure that I remove any products, devices, and apps that I no longer use from my account.

To remove third-party connections to my Google account, I log in to my account on a browser, head to the Third-party apps and services page, select the product I want to remove, and then tap Delete all connections that you have with [app name].

While I’m here, I also head back to the Security and sign-in page, tap Manage all devices, and remove any that I no longer use.

Finally, to check all the security activity on my account, I head back to the Security and sign-in page and tap Review security activity.

Monitoring all three of these pages will ensure you’re aware of all your Google account activity.

Finally, one significant way you can tighten up not only your privacy but also your wallet is by checking up on your Google Play Store subscriptions. This is especially important if you tend to subscribe to apps for trial periods regularly. I recently refreshed my subscriptions and canceled those I no longer needed to save some money.

To do this, open the Google Play Store, tap your profile picture, and then select Payments & subscriptions > Subscriptions. Cancel any that you no longer need.

There you have it. These are the Android security checklist items that I regularly monitor and review. What’s on your checklist? Let me know in the comments below.