How to Stop Apps Tracking You on Android: 2026 Privacy Checklist

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Last updated: October 2026.

Silhouette of a person holding a smartphone

Photo by Gilles Lambert on Unsplash

Most Android apps ask for more access than they need, and many of them, along with Google's own services, quietly build a record of where you go and what you do. You can't make a phone completely private, but you can cut back a lot of tracking in about 20 minutes using settings that are already on your phone. This checklist walks through the settings that matter most, with notes for Samsung and Xiaomi phones.

Before you start: menu names vary by brand

The paths below follow Google's own help pages, which are written for Pixel phones and stock Android. Samsung (One UI), Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco (HyperOS/MIUI), Vivo, Oppo, Realme and OnePlus often rename or move these menus. If a path doesn't match your phone, use the search bar at the top of the Settings app and type the setting name, such as "Permission manager", "Private DNS" or "Ads". That's usually the quickest way to find it.

1. Check the Privacy dashboard

From Android 12 onwards, the Privacy dashboard shows a timeline of which apps used your location, camera and microphone in the last 24 hours.

  1. Open Settings and search for Privacy dashboard. On Pixel phones it is under Security & privacy > Privacy. On Samsung phones it is in the Security and privacy section.
  2. Tap Location, Camera or Microphone to see which apps used it and when.
  3. If something looks odd, like a torch app using location or a game using the microphone, tap the app and change its permission.

2. Review every permission in Permission manager

  1. Go to Settings > Security & privacy > Privacy > Permission manager. On Samsung, look under Security and privacy.
  2. Open each important category one at a time: Location, Camera, Microphone, Contacts, SMS, Call logs, Files and Nearby devices.
  3. For each app, ask whether it really needs this access to do its job.
  4. Change anything unnecessary to Don't allow. If an app breaks, it will ask again and you can decide at that point.

Pay extra attention to SMS and Call logs. In India, loan apps and fake "reward" apps commonly ask for these, and only your dialer and messaging apps should normally have them.

3. Tighten location access

Location is the most revealing permission because it shows your home, office, college and daily routine. Android gives you two separate controls.

When an app can use location

Each app can be set to Allow all the time, Allow only while using the app, Ask every time or Don't allow. Go to Settings > Location > App location permissions and work through the list. For most apps, including food delivery, cab and shopping apps, "only while using the app" is enough.

How exact the location is

On Android 12 and later, when an app has location access you can switch off Use precise location. The app then gets only an approximate area. Google describes this as roughly 3 square kilometres. That's enough for weather or news apps. Maps, cab and delivery apps need precise location.

4. Use the camera and microphone indicators and toggles

From Android 12, a small green dot or icon appears in the top corner of the screen whenever an app is using the camera or microphone. If you see it when you're not on a call or taking a photo, pull down the Quick Settings panel to see which app is responsible.

You can also switch off camera and microphone access for all apps at once:

  1. Go to Settings > Security & privacy > Privacy > Privacy controls, or look for the Camera access and Microphone access tiles in Quick Settings.
  2. Turn off Camera access or Microphone access.

Google says emergency calls still work with the microphone blocked.

5. Delete your advertising ID

Google Play services gives your phone an advertising ID. Apps and ad networks use it to link your activity across apps for targeted ads. Since 2022, you can delete it on any phone that supports Google Play. After that, apps that ask for it get a blank value made up of zeros.

  1. Open Settings > Privacy > Ads. On newer Pixels this sits inside Security & privacy. On Samsung, search Settings for "Ads". On some phones it is under Settings > Google > Ads.
  2. Tap Delete advertising ID and confirm.

This doesn't remove ads. It only makes it harder to link them to you. Individual apps may still have their own ad settings.

Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco users should also look for the company's own ad settings. On HyperOS, Settings > Privacy > Ad services lets you turn off "Personalised ad recommendations". Names vary between versions.

6. Clean up your Google account activity

Your Google account can store your searches, app use, YouTube history and location history separately from your phone settings. Check it from any browser at myaccount.google.com > Data & privacy > History settings.

  • Web & App Activity: Pause it if you don't want searches and app activity saved. If you prefer to keep the personalisation, tap Auto-delete and choose a shorter period. Google's help page notes that location and IP address details in this activity are deleted after 30 days anyway.
  • YouTube History: Pause it or set auto-delete in the same place.
  • Timeline (formerly Location History): Google has moved Timeline from its servers onto your device, and it can no longer be viewed on the web. It is off by default unless you turned it on. If it is on and you don't use it, turn it off at myaccount.google.com/activitycontrols/location. Turning it off does not delete old data, so remove that separately in Google Maps (profile picture > Your Timeline). If you keep it, you can choose auto-delete for data older than 3, 18 or 36 months. Also check whether the encrypted cloud backup is on.

7. Remove unused apps and let permissions reset

Uninstall apps you don't use. For apps you want to keep but rarely open, Android can take back their permissions automatically.

  1. Go to Settings > Apps and choose the app (tap "See all apps" if needed).
  2. Under Unused app settings, make sure Pause app activity if unused is on. On older versions this is called "Remove permissions if app isn't used".

8. Read the Data safety section before installing

Every app on Google Play has a Data safety section on its listing. It shows what data the app collects, whether it shares that data with third parties, whether data is encrypted in transit and whether you can ask for your data to be deleted. Tap See details for the full breakdown.

Keep in mind that developers fill in this section themselves. Use it to compare apps, but don't treat it as an independent audit.

9. Optional: use Private DNS to block some trackers

Android's Private DNS setting encrypts your DNS lookups. If you point it to a filtering DNS provider, it can also block many known ad and tracking domains across all apps.

  1. Go to Settings > Network & internet > Private DNS. On Samsung, it is usually under Connections > More connection settings. You can also search for "Private DNS".
  2. Choose Private DNS provider hostname and enter the hostname published by a provider you trust. For example, AdGuard lists dns.adguard-dns.com for its free ad-blocking server.
  3. Tap Save.

Be careful with this one. All your DNS lookups now go to that provider, so choose a reputable one. Some apps, login pages or office Wi-Fi networks can break. Google also notes that Private DNS protects only DNS lookups and nothing else. If something stops working, set it back to Automatic.

A note on India's data protection law

India's Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, 2023 got its rules notified in November 2025, with a phased rollout. According to legal summaries of the notified rules, the main duties for companies, such as notice and consent, user rights and breach reporting, apply from May 2027.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will deleting my advertising ID stop all ads?
No. You will still see ads. They just can't be tied to your advertising ID, so they're less personalised.

Is it safe to deny permissions to apps?
Yes. Android is built for this. If an app needs a permission for a feature, it will ask again when you use that feature, and you can allow it then.

Do I need a paid VPN to stop tracking?
Not for the basics. The free settings in this guide cover the main tracking routes. A VPN hides your traffic from your network provider, but it doesn't stop apps from collecting data you've allowed them to collect.

My phone doesn't have a Privacy dashboard. What now?
The dashboard needs Android 12 or later. Some brands also name it differently. Search Settings for "privacy" or "permission usage", or use Permission manager, which is available on older versions too.

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