Protect your Android device

Updated16 May 2024

Security starts with setting up your device to protect your information. Follow the steps in this guide to make your Android device more secure. Android devices differ by manufacturer, so you may need to look in a few places to find the settings you are looking for.

Use the latest version of your device's operating system (OS)

• When updating software, do it from a trusted location and internet connection, like your home or office, not at an internet cafe or coffee shop.
• Updating to the latest version of your operating system may require you to download software and restart a number of times. You will want to set aside time for this where you do not need to do work on your device.
• After updating, check again if there are any further updates available until you do not see any additional new updates.
• If the Android version that runs on your device is unmaintained, it is best to consider buying a new device. Check which Android versions are still maintained in the Wikipedia Android version history or in the page on the end of life dates for Android versions.
• Find out which is the most updated version available.
• Compare it to the version your device has installed and update your operating system.
• To make sure an update is fully installed, always restart your device when prompted to do so after downloading the update.
• Most system updates and security patches happen automatically. To check if an update is available, follow the instructions in Check & update your Android version — Get security updates & Google Play system updates.
• Additionally, check the "Android security update" date on your device. Security updates are released at least once each month.
  • Be aware that some phone manufacturers can be one month to a year behind in implementing the latest security updates on their devices.
  • If you find this date on your device consistently lags behind the latest security update date, consider buying a phone from a manufacturer which implements security updates faster, for example a recent Google Pixel model. Be aware that this may be rather expensive.
  • Also consider that security updates are only guaranteed until a certain date depending on the model of your device.
    • If you have a Google Pixel phone, you can check until when you will receive security updates in the official Google documentation.
    • If you have a Samsung mobile device, see the page on Samsung security updates.
    • If you have a Fairphone, see the page on end of life dates for Fairphone updates.
    • If you have a Motorola device, see the Motorola support page on security updates.
    • If you have a Nokia device, see the Security and Maintenance Release Summary on Nokia's website.
    • For other models, see C. Scott Brown's article on the phone update policies from every major Android manufacturer.
  • If you find your security patches consistently lag behind the latest level, consider buying a newer phone from a manufacturer which implements security updates faster, for example a recent Google Pixel model. Be aware that this may be rather expensive.

Regularly update all installed apps

• Check that the Google Play Store app is updated by following the instructions in the official guide on how to update the Google Play Store.
• Follow the instructions in the official documentation to learn how to update all Android apps automatically.

Use apps from trusted sources

• Avoid "rooting" your device.
• Install apps from the Google Play Store.
• Check if your apps were installed from the store and disable installation from unknown sources by using Google Play Protect.

Remove apps that you do not need and do not use

• Learn how to delete apps.
• It may not be possible to uninstall the apps the manufacturer put on your phone, but see these instructions on how to try to remove or disable them.

If possible, avoid using social media apps

• Access social media and other sites by logging in through your browser instead.

Use privacy-friendly apps

• You can browse the web with Firefox.
• You can read your email with K-9 Mail.
• You can use F-Droid or Aurora Store to find free and open-source apps that offer an alternative to proprietary apps installed in your device.

Check your app permissions

Review all permissions one by one to make sure they are enabled only for apps you use. The following permissions should be turned off in apps you do not use, and considered suspicious when used by apps you do not recognize:

• Location
• Contacts
• SMS
• Microphone
• Voice or speech recognition
• (Web) camera
• Screen recording
• Call logs or call history
• Phone
• Calendar
• Email
• Pictures
• Movies or videos, and their libraries
• Fingerprint reader
• Near field communications (NFC)
• Bluetooth
• Any setting mentioning "disk access," "files," "folders," or "system"
• Any setting mentioning "install"
• Facial recognition
• Physical activity
• Health Connect
• Allowed to download other apps

To learn how to change app permissions on Android, see Google's support page, with details on how to change and remove app permissions, what each app permission implies and how to disable camera or microphone access on your device.

Turn off location and wipe history

• Get in the habit of turning off location services overall, or when you are not using them, for your whole device as well as for individual apps.
• Location settings may be in slightly different places on different Android devices, but are probably somewhere in Settings, Privacy and/or Security as well as in your Google account preferences.
• Regularly check and clear your location history if you keep it turned on. To delete past location history and set it so your devices and Google Maps do not save your location activity, follow the instructions for your Google Maps Timeline and your Maps activity.

Create separate user accounts on your devices

• Create more than one user account on your device, with one having "admin" (administrative) privileges and the others "standard" (non-admin) privileges.
  • Only you should have access to the admin user.
  • Standard users should not be allowed to access every app, file or setting on your device.
• Consider using a standard user for your day-to-day work.
  • Use the admin user only when you need to make changes that affect your device security, like installing software.
  • Using a standard user daily can limit how much your device is exposed to security threats from malware.
  • When you cross borders, having a standard user open could help hide your more sensitive files. Use your judgment: will these border authorities confiscate your device for a thorough search, or will they just open it and give it a quick review? If you expect they won't look too deeply into your device, being logged in as a standard user for work that is not sensitive provides you some plausible deniability.
• Learn how to add users in Google's support page on adding and deleting users.

Remove unneeded users associated with your device

• Learn how to remove unwanted users in Google's support page on how to delete users.

Secure the Google accounts connected with your device

• Log into each Google account associated with your device.
• Check which devices use your account.
• Secure the Google accounts connected with your device following the steps for account protection in our guide on how to use Google.
• Also see our guide on social media accounts to check other accounts connected with your device.
• Take a picture or screenshot of your account activity if you see anything suspicious, like devices you have disposed of, don't have control of or don't recognize.
• Also see the section on suspicious access in the guide on Google.
• Go to the security checkup page and check whether there is any warning.
• Complete the following steps:
  • Check the last activity in your account settings. To do this, you can also click on "Details" in the bottom right corner of your GMail inbox.
  • Check if there has been any recent security-related activity on your Google account.
  • Check if your Google account is connected to any third-party apps or services.
  • Check if you have enabled any application passwords.
  • Check that you have set a recovery email and phone number to recover access in case you are locked out of your account.
  • Check whether your mail is being automatically forwarded to another address.
• Consider enrolling in Google's Advanced Protection program.

Set your screen to sleep and lock

• Set a longer passphrase (minimum 10 characters), not a short password or PIN.
  • To learn how to set or change your passphrase, see the Google support page on how to set a screen lock on an Android device.
  • Making it possible to use your fingerprint, face, eyes or voice to unlock your device can be used against you by force; do not use these options unless you have a disability which makes typing impossible.
    • Remove your fingerprints and face from your device if you have already entered them. Android devices differ, so this could be in a few locations on your device, but try following the instructions to remove a fingerprint or delete Face Unlock. Alternatively, try looking where you would normally find your device lock settings.
      • Pattern locks can be guessed; do not use this option.
      • Simple "swipe to unlock" options are not secure locks; do not use this option.
      • Disable the "make password visible" option.
• Set your screen to lock a short time after you stop using it (try setting it to 1 minute or 5 minutes and see which works for you). The place to do this will be different on different devices, but look for "Screen timeout" under the "Display," "System" or "Security" settings.

Control what can be seen when your device is locked

• In the guide on how to control how notifications show on your phone's lock screen, follow the instructions to not show any notification.
  • If you really need to be notified about incoming messages, you can choose to Hide sensitive content from notifications on your lock screen, which will show only incoming messages without mentioning anything on the sender or the content.
• If you have enabled multiple users in your device, make sure that the option "Add users from lock screen" is off. To learn how to do this, see Google's support page on changing guest and user settings. These instructions can vary, and you could also find them in Security > Lock Screen or in System > Advanced > Multiple users.

Disable voice controls

• Disable Google Assistant and/or voice control. Voice and Assistant settings may be in slightly different places depending on your Android device, but are probably somewhere in Settings > Google.

  Review the instructions in the Google Assistant support page.

• If you have decided the benefits to you outweigh the large risks of using voice control, follow the Security Planner instructions to do so more safely and read Keeping your information private and secure in the official Google Assistant guide.

• Also consider disabling altogether microphone access on your device and only enabling it when you really need it.

Use a physical privacy filter that prevents others from seeing your screen

• For more information on this topic, see the Security Planner guide on privacy filters.

Use a camera cover

• First of all, figure out whether and where your device has cameras. Your smartphone might have more than one.
• You can create a low-tech camera cover: apply a small adhesive bandage on your camera and peel it off when you need to use the camera. A bandage works better than a sticker because the middle part has no adhesive, so your lens won't get sticky.
• Alternatively, search your preferred store for the model of your device and "webcam privacy cover thin slide" to find the most suitable sliding cover for your phone or tablet.
• Also consider disabling altogether camera access on your device.

Turn off connectivity you're not using

• Completely power off your devices at night.
• Get into the habit of keeping wifi, Bluetooth and/or network sharing off and only enable them when you need to use them.
• Airplane mode can be a quick way to turn off connectivity on your mobile. Learn how to selectively turn on wifi and Bluetooth once your device is in Airplane mode, to use only the services you want.
  • Turn Airplane mode on and make sure wifi and Bluetooth are off.
  • To learn how to selectively turn on wifi and Bluetooth while your phone is in Airplane mode, see Google's support page on keeping your Android’s wireless connections on in Airplane mode.
• Check the "Change more Wi-Fi settings" instructions in Google's support page on managing advanced network settings on Android and make sure "Turn on Wi-Fi automatically" and "Notify for public networks" are turned OFF.
• Turn off the hotspot when you are not using it.
  • Make sure your device is not providing an internet connection to someone else using the hotspot. To learn how to turn off the hotspot, see the Android support page or the Pixel support page on sharing mobile connection by hotspot.

Clear your saved wifi networks

• Save network names and passwords in your password manager instead of your device's list of networks.
• If you do save network names and passwords in your list of saved wifi networks, get in the habit of regularly erasing them when you aren't using them anymore. To learn how to do this, see Google's documentation on how to remove saved networks.
• Make sure "Turn on Wi-Fi automatically" and "Notify for public networks" are turned off in your Network preferences.

Turn off sharing you're not using

• Android devices differ, but look for a "connected devices," "device connections" or similar option in Settings and turn off or remove all devices there.
• Turn off Quick Share (also called Nearby Share on some devices). Only enable it if you really need to share data with nearby devices that you trust.
  • If you really must share data with someone near you and they are not your Google contact, choose to share with "everyone" but check the "Use everyone mode temporarily" option so that you stop being visible to nearby devices after few minutes. Once you're done sharing, turn off Quick Share again.

Advanced: figure out whether someone has accessed your device without your permission (basic forensics)

Follow the steps on the following checklists:

• Check devices linked to chat applications.
• Review installed applications.
• Check if the phone is rooted.
• Check for indicators of stalkerware installation.
• If you suspect your device may be compromised, follow the steps in the Digital First Aid Kit troubleshooter My device is acting suspiciously.

Advanced: Use Android without a Google account

If you are concerned with Google tracking your every move, you can remove your Google account from your device by following the steps in the Android documentation on how to Add or remove an account on Android. Better yet, the first time you configure your phone you can skip the "Sign in" screen. This way your device will not be tied to any Google account and information regarding location, searches, installed apps and so on will not be added to its profile.

With no Google account connected to your device, you will not be able to use the Google Play Store to install apps. Use alternative app stores like F-Droid and Aurora Store instead.

• The F-Droid store offers only free and open-source (FOSS) applications. To install it download the F-Droid APK from the official website and click the downloaded file to proceed with the installation. You may need to temporarily allow installing unknown apps. Make sure to revoke the installation permissions when the installation is completed!
• In the Aurora Store you will find the same apps that are in the Google Play Store. You can install Aurora Store from F-Droid.
• Regularly update installed apps by opening F-Droid and Aurora Store and manually verifying upgrades. Note that automatic updates may not work and with time you may be using outdated and insecure apps if you don't update them manually.

Advanced: Change the operating system of your Android device

Android is made by Google so it is loaded with Google apps that track you and gather a lot of information about what you do and where you are. In some cases you can install a more secure and private alternative Android operating system such as security- and privacy-focused GrapheneOS and DivestOS. This is an advanced solution: if you decide to do this, make sure your device is compatible. There are several steps you must take to install and if something goes wrong you could make your device unusable.

See also

• Security in a Box malware guide
• Google's security tips