Top Android features you should disable right away

Unlike iOS, where the possibilities for customizing the OS are very, very limited, Android does not pose obstacles to its users. Google’s mobile operating system allows you to customize literally everything, both by connecting additional functions and system mechanisms, and by disabling them. This week we have already talked about which Android settings must be turned on immediately after purchasing a smartphone, and today we will share with you the tools that are best just to turn off.

Applications are uploaded to Android. What to do

Automatic application launch control is one of the biggest problems of Android smartphones. Originally created as a power saving tool, it has turned out to be a multitasking killer. It is this mechanism that unloads an application from the background if it senses that it is consuming too many resources or if it is frequently updated on its own. But Android’s perception of the words “many” and “often” is too hypertrophied. So I’d rather just disable this feature:

• Go to “Settings” and select “Applications”;
• In the window that opens, select “Launch Applications”;

• Disable auto-launch control for all applications;
• If there is no single button, disable one for each.

How to turn off Google location tracking

Our smartphones are constantly monitoring us , and this is a fact. We have almost no control over this. But the key word here is almost. Because we can still prevent something. For example, continuous tracking of our location and recording of our movements by Google. Therefore, I propose to just take and turn off the location history – you never know. If you wish, you can even see where you have been.

• Go to “Settings” and open “Privacy”;
• In the “Home” section, open the “Location History”;

• Here select “Location History” and click “Disable”;
• To delete already recorded movements, follow this link .

Deny application access to the Internet

By default, Android allows all applications that you install on your smartphone to access the Internet in any mode. Therefore, they can connect to the network both during moments of activity and at rest. In principle, this is okay, but some applications can consume quite a lot of traffic . So it’s best to prevent them from going online in the background.

• Go to “Settings” and select “Applications”;
• Find the tab of the required application and open it;

• Go to the section “Rights Manager” – “Traffic Statistics”;
• In the subsection “Access to the network” disable “In the background”.

Personalization of Google ads. How to disable

Advertising is an ubiquitous phenomenon, and it is almost impossible to get rid of it. Even ad blockers are far from coping with all ads on the Internet. But the point here is not even the banners themselves, but the fact that our smartphones track us and collect confidential information about us, which is then passed on to advertising companies. To prevent this, you need to disable ad personalization in the settings:

• Go to “Settings” – “Privacy”;
• Here select “Advertising and Privacy”;

• Click “Reset Ad ID” and confirm the reset;
• Then click “Turn off targeted advertising”.

How to turn off screen turn on by notification

Notifications are one of the main items in battery life. They come to us during the day in dozens, if not hundreds, including the screen, to allow us to see the contents of incoming messages. But Android allows you to prevent the screen from turning on when your smartphone sends you an alert. This can save you a lot of energy and extend the autonomy of your device, if not at times, then at least very, very noticeably.

• Go to “Settings” and open “Notifications”;
• In the window that opens, select “Other settings”;

• Disable the “Screen Activation” function here;
• If your smartphone has an LED indicator, turn it on.

How to turn off the collection of information on the phone

All smartphone manufacturers want to know how you use them. Therefore, at the very beginning, during the initial setup, they ask you for permission to collect some statistics. Naturally, many agree, because they do not see anything wrong with it. And, meanwhile, it includes a fairly wide range of data that I would prefer not to share. So turn off sending data and do not know grief.

• Go to “Settings” – “Privacy”;
• In the window that opens, disable “Send analytics”;

• Then go to “Usage and Diagnostics”;
• Disable sending diagnostic data to Google.

If you use any smartphone other than Pixel, don’t be surprised that you have to turn off the collection of analytics and statistics twice. The fact is that not only manufacturers want to collect data about you, but also Google itself, each of which builds its own tracking tool into Android. Many people think that there is nothing wrong with this, but in fact there is everything there – right down to calls made, application launches, movements and access to the network.