Conscious about privacy on your smartphone? Read our 13 tips & tricks!

Nowadays, privacy on your smartphone plays an increasing role in our daily lives. Big tech companies want to know more and more about you. This mainly involves their personal information such as your name, age and place of residence. Also, these companies are curious about where your interests lie. Companies such as Google or Facebook obtain this information by tracking your browsing habits. Fortunately, it is possible to control how much information these companies get from you. First we’ll tell you what these companies really know about you, and then we’ll give you some tips on how best to deal with them.

What does Google know about me?

Everyone probably knows or suspects That Google knows a lot about its users, but what exactly do they know? First, we’ll explain where you can find exactly what Google knows about you. Then we discuss the settings you can adjust to increase your privacy. All you need is a Google account, you automatically have this if you have a Gmail account.

1. Using an Internet browser, go to your Google account login page.
2. Are you logged in? Then go to“Data and Personalization.
3. Scroll down until you see“Ad Personalization .
4. Then click“Go to ad settings.
5. What you see next is a list of topics that Google thinks you are interested in.

Now you can start customizing what Google is allowed to know about you. If you go to the same menu of your Google account settings,“Data and Personalization,” it is possible to adjust some things. So you have more control over your privacy than you think! At the top of the page is a bar that says “Run Privacy Check. This feature takes you step-by-step through all privacy settings, if necessary they can be adjusted.

What does Facebook know about me?

Besides Google, it seems Facebook doesn’t always know the wordprivacy either. In fact, Facebook builds a file for each user with data such as what you liked, follow, what locations you visit and private messages. In this way, Facebook can show you ads that are acutely suited to you. Wondering exactly what that file looks like for you? Here’s how you check:

1. Login to your Facebook account.
2. Click on the arrow at the top right, then choose “Settings.
3. Now go to “Your Facebook information.
4. Next, under “View your information,” click “View.
5. Scroll down and choose “Ads” and then “Advertising Interests.
6. You will now see a page of things that Facebook thinks you are interested in. You can view and delete them by category, should you wish.
7. Now if you go back and choose “Advertisers and Companies,” you can see which companies have uploaded information about you to Facebook. Here you can also delete this list again.

Privacy iOS vs. Android

So are there any differences in iOS privacy and Android privacy? The two operating systems differ in many ways, not only in appearance but also in the way they work. In addition, both operating systems have different approaches to security.

Security iOS

In the App Store, Apple likes to keep control when it comes to Apps available for download herein. In fact, Apple conducts strict monitoring of developers and checks every app before it goes live. This gives hackers little chance and increases the privacy of your smartphone. Apple’s thorough check ensures that iOS is a secure platform. In addition, new software updates are launched regularly, increasing the security and privacy of your smartphone.

Security Android

In the Google Play Store (where you can download apps for your Android smartphone), almost no apps are banned. Which is handy if you’re looking for a specific app, because there’s a lot to choose from. But this does mean that the platform is available to everyone, including those with less than good intentions. For example, consider hacking your Android smartphone so the app creators can see and know exactly what you are doing. It does not immediately mean that the Google Play Store is unsafe, as it is checked daily for malware. But when downloading an app, look critically at the app and its reviews.

13x Privacy smartphone tips & tricks

Then now is the time for the ultimate tips & tricks to ensure the privacy of your smartphone in the best possible way. The following will not only cover iOS privacy tips, but of course Android privacy tips as well. Do you have a specific question about your smartphone privacy settings right now? If so, please feel free to contact us.

1. Use automatic passwords in Safari on iPhone.

It is common for the same password, which is also easy to guess, to be used for multiple accounts. If a malicious person finds out this password, it is immediately possible to break into the other accounts. To counteract this, you can do the following. When creating an account or changing a password, Safari automatically asks if you want to use a strong password. This password is automatically stored in iCloud.

Next time you want to log in to this site, all you have to do is scan your finger or your face. This way, you can set a different strong password for each site. These passwords are automatically synced between all devices logged in with the same Apple ID. Saved passwords can be found on your Mac in the “Keychain Access,” or “Keychain Access” application. On your iPhone or iPad, they can be found in “Settings” and then under “Passwords and Accounts.

2. See what your apps all get access for.

For your smartphone privacy, it is important to know what sensors and information sources your apps are using. For example, it is very convenient for a weather app to use GPS, but it does not necessarily need access to your photos or sound recordings. Therefore, when installing the app, pay attention to what “permissions” it asks for. Don’t want this app to be able to see your vacation snapshots or your friends’ addresses? Then follow the following steps to get to your smartphone privacy settings:

Android:

You can change the permissions of your apps afterwards since Android 6.

1. To do this, go to“Settings,” “Apps and notifications,”“Apps permissions.
2. You can now turn off access to your contacts, location or calendar, for example.

iOS:

1. Navigate to your“Settings.
2. Scroll down and choose the app whose permissions you want to change.
3. Now customize which features you want the app to have access to.

3. Disable ad tracking.

Both apps on Android and iPhone or iPad can read an ad ID associated with your smartphone. This unique code allows ad systems to continuously track your behavior in a particular app. Turn off advertising tracking as follows:

Android:

1. Go to“Settings” and tap“Google.
2. Now navigate to“Ads,”“ ResetAd ID ” and click“Ok.
3. Lastly, slide the bar behind “Unsubscribe from personalized ads” to the right.

iOS:

1. Navigate to“Settings” and choose“Privacy.
2. Scroll down and click on“Advertising.
3. Now turn on the “Limit advertising tracking” option.
4. Click “Reset advertising ID…” and reset the ID.

You will still see advertising in apps, but this advertising is no longer tailored to your interests and previous behavior.

4. Delete your cookies.

Many websites leave cookies on your smartphone, often these are useful because they track, for example, the contents of your shopping cart. Only some cookies come from other companies, and these track your browsing habits. This tracking is not good for your privacy. It is therefore wise to delete your cookies once in a while, and this is how you do it:

Delete cookies in Chrome on Android:

1. Open your Chrome browser and click on the 3 dots at the top right.
2. Choose “Settings, “ “Privacy,” then “Clear Browsing Data.
3. Now check at least “Cookies and site data” and click “Clear data.

Delete cookies in Safari on iPhone:

1. Open‘Settings‘ choose‘Safari‘ scroll down and choose‘Clear history and website data’.
2. Now go to‘Settings‘,‘Safari‘ again and select‘Advanced‘,‘Website data‘ and then press ‘Delete all website data’.

5. Always make sure you log out.

If you have been using Facebook.com or Google services in your browser (Gmail, as well as the search engine) remember to log out. If you don’t do this, they can continue to track the rest of your activities in the browser.

6. Install an adblocker for more smartphone privacy!

Have you deleted all your cookies, and want to prevent new tracking cookies from being placed on your smartphone? Then you can prevent this by downloading an adblocker or ad stopper for your mobile browser. Unfortunately, the adblocker does not stop ads within an app, but it does stop ads within the web browser.

Putting an adblocker on your iPhone or iPad

1. Adblockers are unfortunately only available on iPhones 5s or newer. For iPad, this applies to iPads air or newer, or iPad Mini3 or newer. Also, iOS 9 or higher must be installed on the iPhone or iPad.
2. Now you can download an adblocker from the App Store. Good adblockers include 1Blocker Legacy, 1Blocker Premium (in-app purchase €5.49), Purify (€2.29).
3. After installing the adblocker, you need to activate it. You do this by going to your “Settings” and clicking on “Safari. Choose ‘Material blockers’ here, here you will see the adblocker installed. Now turn on the switch at the adblocker you downloaded.

Putting an adblocker on your Android

Unfortunately, it is not possible to install an adblocker on the Chrome browser included with Android. However, you can install the Firefox mobile browser for Android. In this browser, you can insert the adblocker Ublock Origin.

1. First, install the Firefox browser on your Android smartphone.
2. Now in Firefox, open the main menu and choose “Add-ons.
3. Now click “Browse all Firefox add-ons” and search for Ublock Origin via the search function.
4. Now tap “Add to Firefox,” and then tap “Add.

7. Turn off the preview of your notifications (iOS).

In addition to the big tech companies that watch what happens on your phone with you, people around you can, of course. For example, someone can pick up your phone and read the messages ready on your locked screen. You can do something about this too, of course! iPhones have a setting that determines whether the content of the notification is immediately visible. This means that you can set the content of the notification to be visible only when the phone is unlocked. How to turn this on, we explain below:

1. Open “Settings” and choose “Messaging.
2. Now click on ‘Show preview’ and choose ‘If unlocked’.

Whatsapp

With Whatsapp, do you like to see a preview but prefer not to have everyone see the message itself right away? There is one solution to this as well:

1. Open Whatsapp on your phone and navigate to “Settings.
2. Here, click on ‘Notifications’ and disable ‘Show preview’.

Now the preview of your received Whatsapp message does not show the entire message but only the word “Message.

8. Use a Virtual Private Network (VPN).

To safely and privacy consciously use a public network to internal, it is advisable to make use of a Virtual Private Network (VPN). In fact, when you use a public Wi-Fi it is possible for persons with some computer knowledge to look in on your phone. To make this almost impossible, you can use a VPN. An example of a good provider is NORD VPN. Note; this VPN service costs money. If you can find a good deal it will cost around €40 a year. An investment well worth it as far as we are concerned to ensure your privacy.

Besides providing more privacy and responsible Internet browsing, it is also convenient to view content that is not available in a particular country. For example, if you are on vacation and you want to watch a Dutch TV program back, chances are that this is not possible because you, are not in the Netherlands. You can get around this blocking by making this website think you are in the Netherlands with the help of a VPN.

9. Do not use public Wi-Fi, or use it as little as possible.

Public Wi-Fi, such as that offered by some restaurants and cafes, is the breeding ground for some of the most dangerous cyber attacks. People who have technical know-how often use these networks to carry out cyber attacks on people like you and me. In short, with their cyber wizardry, these people can access your smartphone (should you therefore be connected to a public and unsecured network) and can perform many dangerous tricks. Consider, for example, finding out your passwords or gaining access to your bank account. Additionally, we recommend minimizing the use of your phone for sensitive matters anyway, but definitely do not do so when connected to a public Wi-Fi network.

10. Turn off your Wi-Fi/Bluetooth when not in use.

Many people have their Wi-Fi on all the time. We can imagine that this is nice because when there is an open network nearby you can immediately connect to it and it saves in your mobile data usage. Only beware, as told above it is not safe to do so! In addition, it is also asking for trouble when you always have your Bluetooth on.

In fact, hackers can make contact and gain access to your data through an open connection. Therefore, turn on these options only when necessary.

11. Do not use Facebook apps (prefer to use the web browser instead).

As discussed earlier, Facebook knows a lot about you. This makes the Facebook app and the Facebook Messenger app not good for your privacy. This is because they are constantly sending information about you to Facebook. Facebook in turn uses this information for appropriate advertisements. The apps do offer a privacy option but this option does not allow you to manage everything to your liking.

So do you no longer want these apps to forward your data for ads? Then it is, best to stop using the apps. Instead, you can log in to Facebook.com via your web browser; don’t forget to log out after use!

12. Search anonymously.

Like everyone else, you probably also use Google as a search engine. This one works perfectly but lives off ads. This is because Google remembers everything you typed in so it gets to know you and your interests better and better. An alternative to Google, for example, is Startpage.com, which uses the search engine through a workaround so Google cannot track your search behavior. Startpage can be set as the default search page in most mobile browsers. Other good alternatives are Ecosia (here, thanks to you, searches are placed worldwide trees) or DuckDuckgo (this search engine does not apply tracking).

13. Make use of Brave

Want to get rid of Chrome and/or Safari altogether? Then there is the web browser Brave with its own built-in VPN. Brave is a fast open source web browser that blocks ads and website trackers.The web browser is very user-friendly while also finding the balance between your privacy and financially supporting the publishers of (free) websites. So perfect for surfing the web in privacy without having your browsing habits tracked!

Privacy smartphone vs. ThePhoneLab

After reading this blog, do you still have questions about your smartphone privacy, or need help implementing the aforementioned smartphone privacy settings? Then feel free to stop by one of our stores.