Privacy settings are scattered across a dozen menus, named differently everywhere and moved with every update. Here are the ones that actually change something — and an honest account of what not to expect from them.
App permissions
The most productive item. Apps ask for access at install time, when people are in a hurry, and keep it forever.
| Permission | Who actually needs it | What to set |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Maps, delivery, weather | “While using the app”, or better “ask every time” |
| Microphone | Calls, a recorder, a translator | Revoke from everything else |
| Camera | The camera, messengers, a bank for scanning | Revoke from games and shops |
| Contacts | Messengers — and not all of them | Revoke; the app usually works without them |
| Photos and files | Editors, cloud storage | Grant access to selected files, not to everything |
| Notifications | Whatever you actually read | Switch off the rest: it is also a channel for scam advertising |
What to switch off
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The advertising identifier
A technical number by which different apps recognise you. It can be reset or personalisation disabled — the ads remain, but they stop assembling into a single profile.
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Location history
If you do not use a timeline of your trips, it is being collected for nothing. It switches off in your account settings, and what has accumulated can be deleted there too.
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Notification contents on the lock screen
An underrated setting: confirmation codes and messages are visible to anyone who picks the phone up off a table.
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Diagnostics and usage data
Anonymised, but collected by default. Switching it off changes nothing for you.
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Personalisation in your email and social accounts
Search, viewing and voice query history is kept for years. It can be disabled and the accumulated data deleted.
The last item is the most underrated: a deleted app asks for no permissions, collects no data and does not wait for an update under a new owner. The same idea applied to accounts is in digital cleanup.