Lock down the phone you already have

You do not need to buy a new phone to be meaningfully more private. The phone in your pocket already has switches that cut off a large share of the tracking that happens by default, and flipping them takes about ten minutes. This guide lists the settings with the biggest impact, with exact paths, for both iPhone and Android.

Settings menus move between software versions, so if a path below is slightly different on your device, use the built-in search in the Settings app to find the named option.

The one idea behind all of this

Most everyday tracking rides on two things: an advertising identifier (a unique number that lets advertisers and data brokers link your activity across apps) and permissions you granted to apps without much thought (location, contacts, microphone). Reset or delete the identifier, then tighten permissions, and you have removed the plumbing that a great deal of profiling depends on. Everything below is a version of that idea.

iPhone: the settings that matter most

1. Stop apps from tracking you

Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Tracking and turn off Allow Apps to Request to Track. This means apps cannot ask to follow you across other companies’ apps and websites, and they lose access to your device’s advertising identifier for that purpose. It is the single highest-impact toggle on an iPhone.

2. Turn off Apple’s own personalised ads

Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Apple Advertising and turn off Personalized Ads. This stops Apple using your own activity to target ads within its apps such as the App Store and News.

3. Review app permissions

Open Settings > Privacy & Security and go through the categories, especially Location Services, Microphone, Camera, and Contacts. For location, set apps to While Using the App rather than Always, and turn off Precise Location for anything that does not truly need your exact position (a weather app rarely does). Revoke anything that looks excessive; you can always grant it back when an app actually needs it.

4. Turn off unnecessary analytics and location tracking

In Settings > Privacy & Security > Analytics & Improvements, you can turn off Share iPhone Analytics. In Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > System Services, review the system-level location uses and turn off ones you do not want, such as location-based ads and suggestions.

5. Enable Advanced Data Protection

Go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Advanced Data Protection and turn it on. This extends end-to-end encryption (where even Apple cannot read the data) to far more of your iCloud information, including backups, photos, and notes. You will be asked to set up a recovery method first, because with this on, Apple cannot recover your data for you. That is the point.

6. Consider Lockdown Mode (only if you might be targeted)

Settings > Privacy & Security > Lockdown Mode enables a hardened state that blocks many advanced spyware techniques. It also limits some everyday features, so it is meant for people who may be targeted by sophisticated, state-grade spyware, such as journalists or activists, not for everyone. Most people should leave it off.

Android: the settings that matter most

Android’s menus vary by manufacturer (Samsung, Google Pixel, and others label things differently), so treat these as the destination and use search if the wording differs.

1. Delete your advertising ID

On Android 12 and later you can remove the advertising identifier entirely, not just reset it. Go to Settings > Security & privacy > Privacy > Ads (or Settings > Google > Ads), then tap Delete advertising ID and confirm. Apps that relied on it can no longer use it to profile you across services. You will still see ads, but they will not be personalised from that identifier.

2. Turn off ad personalisation in your Google account

Go to Settings > Google > Manage your Google Account > Data & privacy, and under My Ad Center turn Personalized ads off. This tells Google to stop tailoring ads based on your activity.

3. Use the permission manager

Go to Settings > Security & privacy > Privacy > Permission manager (on some phones Settings > Privacy > Permission manager). Review each category, especially Location, Microphone, Camera, and Contacts. Set location to Allow only while using the app, turn off Use precise location where it is not needed, and revoke anything unnecessary.

4. Rein in Google activity collection

In Settings > Google > Manage your Google Account > Data & privacy > History settings (also available at myactivity.google.com), review Web & App Activity, Timeline (formerly Location History), and YouTube History. Turn off what you do not want kept, and set auto-delete (for example, every 3 months) for anything you leave on. This limits how long a record of your searches, app use, and movements is retained.

5. Check per-app diagnostics and personalisation

In your Google account’s Data & privacy section you can also turn off ad personalisation across services and review connected apps. On Samsung devices, additionally visit Settings > Security and privacy and turn off Customization Service and similar analytics options that share usage data.

What this does and does not fix

These steps sharply reduce advertising-driven tracking and tighten what your apps can see. They do not make you anonymous: your mobile carrier still sees your location from the network, your operating-system maker still knows the device is yours, and websites can still fingerprint your browser. For deeper protection you eventually reach the hardware and operating-system choices covered in our guide on choosing a private phone and our phone operating-system hub. But for ten minutes of work and no money, the settings above remove a large slice of everyday data collection.