Thread by @TheAIColony

Breaking: Your phone is sending data to Google every 4.5 minutes.

Screen off. Phone untouched.

Trinity College Dublin confirmed it in a peer reviewed study.

Here are 12 settings to cut it off:

1. WiFi Scanning

You turned WiFi off. Android kept it scanning. Google tracks your location through nearby networks even when the toggle is off.

Settings > Location > Location Services > WiFi Scanning > Off.

Samsung adds an extra step under Improve Accuracy.

2. Bluetooth Scanning

Same situation. Samsung's own settings page says it plainly: connects to nearby devices even while Bluetooth is turned off.

Settings > Location > Location Services > Bluetooth Scanning > Off.

3. Delete Your Advertising ID

Every app on your phone can see this ID with zero permission required. iPhone makes apps ask first. Android hands it out by default.

Since Android 12 you can delete it entirely.

Settings > Google > All Services > Privacy & Security > Ads > Delete Advertising ID.

4. Usage and Diagnostics
On by default.

Sends app usage, crash reports, and device data to Google in the background.

Trinity College found Android sends telemetry even after you opt out but turning it off still reduces the volume.

Settings > Google > All Services > Privacy & Security > Usage and Diagnostics > Off.

5. Google Location Accuracy

When this is on, Google pulls data from WiFi networks, Bluetooth beacons, and cell towers around you, not just GPS.

That data goes back to Google servers.

Settings > Location > Location Services > Google Location Accuracy > Off. Maps will be slightly slower indoors. That is the tradeoff.

6. Web and App Activity

This is the main pipeline. Every Google search, every Chrome visit, every app interaction, your location at the time. All of it linked to your account.

Settings > tap your profile > Manage Google Account > Data & Privacy > Web & App Activity > Off.

Or go directly to myaccount.google.com/intro/data-and…

7. YouTube History

Accounts created after 2020 store three years of watch history by default.

Older accounts store it indefinitely with no auto-delete set.

YouTube app > Profile > Settings > Manage All History > Auto Delete > set to 3 months.

8. Personalize Using Shared Data

Gmail, Contacts, Clock, and external media all feed into a shared index Google reads across its apps. Turn each one off individually.

Settings > Google > All Services > Privacy & Security > Personalize Using Shared Data.

Check back every 10 days. Some sources re-enable themselves.

9. Nearby Device Scanning

Your phone scans for Bluetooth devices continuously even when Bluetooth is off. Burns battery and adds another passive tracking layer.

Samsung: Settings > Connections > More Connection Settings > Nearby Device Scanning > Off.

10. Background Data Per App

Android has no single toggle for this unlike iPhone. You do it per app.

Settings > Apps > select app > Battery > Restricted. For a broader fix: Settings > Network & Internet > Data Saver > On.

Whitelist the apps that actually need background access.

11. Check What Google Already Has

Before anything else go look.



Scroll to History Settings. Web activity, location history, YouTube history. Open the timeline. Then decide what to delete.myaccount.google.com/intro/data-and…

12. Make Your Phone Faster

Settings > About Phone > tap Build Number 7 times > enter PIN > back to Settings > System > Developer Options.

Find Drawing and set all three animation scales to 0.5x. Window Animation, Transition Animation, Animator Duration. Phone feels noticeably faster immediately.

Note: some banking apps flag Developer Options. Toggle it off at the top if needed.

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