- Eight Android settings to turn off now.
It's been a couple of years
since we've last recorded this video
and the Android operating system has changed a lot.
Let's dive in.
We're going to start with install unknown apps.
- Yeah, let's open up the Settings app
on the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3.
If it looks different for you in your Android Settings app,
just tap that search button on the main page
of the Settings app,
type out the things that we're going to talk about
in this video.
Let's scroll down to biometrics and security,
then scroll all the way down
and tap on install unknown apps.
Do you want apps in your Android
to be able to install other apps
on your Android without your consent?
- It's like having a party,
the apps you've installed
are the guests that you invite to the party,
but you're also saying that they can invite
all of their friends too, to your house.
Bad stuff can happen.
- For instance, Chrome.
Do you want to allow it to download unknown apps?
What I would recommend doing
is just turning this off for all of your apps.
- Right. - And then,
if you find yourself in a situation
where an app does need to install a different app,
come back here, turn on the switch, there you go.
So just tap that switch next to allow from this source.
That turns it off
and the Android even says installing apps from the source
may put your phone and data at risk.
- All it takes is one bad one.
- Yep. - So definitely turn this off.
- If you want to see allowed,
just tap on an app, turn it off.
There you go. - Boom.
- Let's go back to the main page of the Android settings app
and tap that back button,
lower right hand corner of the screen.
One below biometrics and security is privacy.
Tap on that and then tap permission manager.
Do you want apps to have access to things like your camera,
your microphone, your contacts, all the time,
some of the time?
Do you want them to ask?
Do you just want to deny them outright?
This is where you set it.
So, if we tap on camera, for instance,
one to look out for here at the top,
allowed all the time.
These are apps that can literally access your camera
whenever they want. - Right.
- You probably don't want them to have that power.
- Nope. - So if we choose Facebook,
for instance, do you want Facebook
to be able to use your camera app
anytime you're using Facebook
or you going to have them to ask every single time?
- I like "Ask every time" personally.
- And if you're concerned about a specific app too,
like Facebook is a big one for a lot of people,
you can just tap see all Facebook permissions
and just set them all here.
So it has an access to my location
and my microphone right now.
So I tap on microphone again,
all the time while using the app,
or we'll "Ask every time".
- [David P] I like "Ask every time" for microphone.
- [David L] Yeah. - It's the right thing to do.
- It really could be recording
your conversation. - It could.
- Whenever you're using Facebook.
- And if we go back to the app permissions page,
the next thing we want to take a look at is location.
Which apps do you want to have access to your location?
How often do you want them to have that access?
So allow it all the time.
We have four apps right now,
Amazon Shopping, Bixby Voice,
Facebook- - Me.
- And Google.
Do you want these apps to have access to your location
all the time when you're using your Android?
- Yeah, I suppose this is a privacy concern,
but for me, practical person, more of a battery drainer.
They can use your location all the time.
GPS is one of the biggest drainers of a phone's battery,
especially if an app isn't using it responsibly.
Definitely not all the time.
- Yeah, so I tap on Facebook again, for example,
picking on Facebook today, but you know.
- They deserve it. - It's the right thing to do.
- Allow it all the time.
Allow only while using the app, ask every time or deny.
- Yeah. - You know, pick the one
that's right for you.
We really don't recommend doing allow all the time.
- Yeah, allow all the time's bye-bye battery.
- And if you don't want an app to have access
to your location ever, you can just have tap deny.
- Sometimes it's a bank app
that wants access to your location all the time.
- Yeah. - David had that problem.
- Yeah, I had that issue with SEFCU.
They want to your location
all the time - All the time.
- You don't need it, you don't need it ever, really.
- No, I know where the bank is.
The bank doesn't need to know where I am.
- Boom, roasted.
- Let's head back to the main privacy page.
Again, lower right hand corner of the screen
and a single look at send diagnostic data.
This is going to send data from your Android
to the Android phone developer.
Use a little bit battery life.
Can use cellular data sometimes too.
- Yep and can send personal information about you.
Cause it's really,
it doesn't go into specifically what data it is sending.
Diagnostic data can be things that you've searched for,
things that you've watched.
- [David L] Let's just tap that switch, turn it right off.
- [David P] Turn it off.
- And we turn off that switch, you get this pop-up.
They really want you to keep this on.
You're going to tap that check mark,
turn that off and then tap okay.
And then the switch will turn off.
- Yeah. - Let Samsung
improve their own products, you know.
- That's it. - Z Flip3.2,
that's what needs a lot of improvement.
(David P snickers)
And that's more of the hardware.
(David P laughing)
The design of it.
- Everything needs a little-
- We asked some people,
we had a live stream the other day
and we're like, "Oh, what do you think about
the newest smartphone flip phones?"
And somebody commented,
"Oh, I had two and they already broke,"
because of the- - The hinge, yeah.
(comical trumpet fanfare)
- Next up, tap on the Google location history.
It's a few below send diagnostic data.
Do you want Google to be saving your location history
everywhere you go?
- I don't really need that enhanced experience
with Google Maps.
I just, I'd rather have them not know
where I am all the time
and save the battery life associated with that.
- Yep, so just tap that big turn off button.
You got to scroll to get the pause button.
Tap that pause button.
There you go.
Tap, got it, you're all set.
Let's tap back again.
Scroll down, we're gonna tap on the usage and diagnostics.
Again, another one of these things,
it says usage and diagnostics data,
use a little bit of battery life,
can use a little bit cellular data.
We're just going to recommend turning that right off.
- I personally don't feel a sense of responsibility
to these developers.
- I don't either.
- Yeah, I paid for the phone.
Paid for the phone.
- Let's head back.
One above usage and diagnostics is ads.
Opt out of ads personalization.
You need to turn this on to turn it off.
And we get a lot of comments.
"Why would I want to opt out of personal ads?"
- Aren't I going to see (beep) ads now?
- Nope, because they can deliver contextual ads.
So your iPhone help website or an Android help website,
you'll see, hey, we're an iFix Pro or you know, one-
- Yeah, something that's actually relevant
to what you're looking at.
Not something that's been spying on you
as you've gone from site to site, to site, to site,
and then it's giving you ads for Tahiti
when you're on your bank website.
- Also, if advertisers have less information about you,
you become a less valuable advertising target,
you may actually see fewer ads.
- Right, it's amazing to me
the pushback we get on this one.
Seriously, turn it off, live with it for a little bit.
I think you'd be pleasantly surprised.
- Let's turn that switch on, tap OK.
Next up another big one,
data usage access for a specific app.
Let's tap back to the main page of the settings app,
scroll down and tap on apps.
Then tap on those three dots
in the upper right-hand corner of the screen.
- This is a really creepy part of the settings app for me.
- Let's tap special access.
And then at the bottom of the screen here,
tap usage, data access.
You've got a big list of apps and they all say allow.
Let's tap on one, allow usage tracking.
Allow apps to monitor which other apps you use
and how often and identify your service provider,
language settings, and other usage data.
- Yeah, which apps I use and how often
and sending it everywhere?
No, thanks.
- [David L] So turn that off. - [David P] It's creepy.
- Go through this list of your apps
and figure out which ones you want to allow.
I think for almost all of them, it's gonna be deny.
- Why would you want to allow any of these?
- It's a lot of tracking.
- Yeah. - It's a ton of tracking.
- Everybody's tracking each other.
It's kind of like a neighborhood watch for the apps,
but it's really not necessary.
- The neighborhood watch.
And they're all watching you. (canned laughter)
Next, let's go back to the main apps page in settings.
- We've been kind of mean to Facebook in this video,
but I think we should just double down.
Let's keep picking on them.
- It's the right thing to do.
- [David L] So when you're in settings apps on your Android,
click on any app, tap on any app,
we'll choose Facebook for instance.
- Me. - [David P] Good choice.
- Then tap mobile data.
Do you want Facebook in this case to be able to use data
in the background of your Android all the time?
- Definitely not,
because who knows what they're doing with that.
And it could be downloading pictures-
- I'm happy to. - Facebook is already
a big data user. - Yeah.
- It's kind of a hog.
I don't trust them.
- Yeah, some apps you're going to want it.
You know, music apps, messaging apps,
you might want this on, but-
- Yeah, Apple Music, if you had that, for instance.
- Spotify. - Spotify.
Pandora, you want to be able to close the app.
You want to keep hearing the music.
- Yep. - Leave this on.
- And also allow data usage while data saver's on.
We turned off a lot of background data usage,
we'll turn them both off for you.
- Yup.
- Those are eight Android settings you should turn off now.
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