Android settings for performance, security and privacy

1.  Network & internet
1. Internet
1. SIM card
1. Roaming - Off (unless your contract is covered for roaming)
2. Data warning & limit - set to cap at your contract
3. Allow 2G - Off
2. Network preferences
1. Turn on Wi-Fi automatically - Off
2. Notify for public networks - Off
2. Airplane mode - On (when you have Wi-Fi Calling enabled. Texts and calls will still come through.)
3. Hotspot & tethering - Off
4. Data Saver - On
5. VPN - Off (when using whole-LAN VPN or a VPN app instead)
6. Private DNS - Automatic, unless you have a preference
7. Adaptive connectivity - Off
2. Connected devices
1. Connection preferences
1. Bluetooth - Off when not in use
2. NFC - Off when not in use
3. Nearby Share - Off
3. Apps
1. All apps
1. For each app, change the settings for:
1. Notifications - Off
2. Mobile data & Wi-Fi
1. Background data - Off (except for messaging apps)
2. Unrestricted data usage - Off (except for messaging apps)
3. Battery - Restricted (Optimized for messaging apps only)
4. Remove permissions and free up space - On
5. Install unknown apps - Not allowed
4. Notifications
1. Bubbles - Off
2. Notifications on lock screen - Don't show any notifications
3. Do Not Disturb
1. Schedules
1. Sleeping - On (12PM - 7AM)
4. Wireless emergency alerts - Allow alerts (all enabled)
5. Enhanced notifications - On
5. Battery
1. Battery Saver - On
2. Adaptive preferences - Adaptive Battery - On
3. Battery percentage - On
6. Sound & vibration
1. Set to vibration only
2. Vibration & haptics
1. Vibrate for calls - Always vibrate
2. Ring vibration - On
3. Notification vibration - Off
3. Dial pad tones - Off
4. Screen locking sound - Off
5. Charging sounds and vibration - Off
6. Touch sounds - Off
7. Touch feedback - Off
7. Display
1. Adaptive brightness - On
2. Lock screen
1. Privacy - Show sensitive content only when unlocked
2. Show wallet - Off (if unused)
3. Show device controls - Off
4. Now playing - Off
5. Always show time and info - Off
6. Tap to check phone - Off
7. Lift to check phone - Off
8. Wake screen for notifications - Off
3. Screen timeout - 5 minutes
4. Dark theme - On
1. Schedule - Turns on from sunset to sunrise
5. Night Light - On (10PM - 7AM)
6. Auto-rotate screen - Off
7. Smooth display - Off
8. Increase touch sensitivity - Off (Unless using a screen protector)
9. Screen saver - Off
8. Accessibility
1. Extra dim - On
2. Text and display - Remove animations - On
9. Security
1. Screen lock - Password
2. Device admin apps - No active apps (Unless required by antivirus etc)
3. SIM card lock settings - Lock SIM card - Off
4. App pinning - On (Familiarise with using when letting someone borrow your phone)
10. Privacy
1. Show passwords - Off
2. Notifications on lock screen - Don't show notifications at all
3. Autofill with Google - Off (Use a password manager app instead such as KeePass)
4. Ads - Opt out of Ads Personalization - On
5. Usage & diagnostics - Off
11. Location - Off (only use when needed)
1. Location services
1. Wi-Fi scanning - Off
2. Bluetooth scanning - Off
12. Safety & emergency
1. Emergency information - Fill out
2. Emergency SOS - On (Familiarise with usage)
3. Emergency Location Service - On
13. Passwords & accounts - Don't use Google
14. System
1. Gestures
1. Quickly open camera - On
2. System navigation - 3-button navigation
3. Press and hold power button - Hold for Assistant - Off
2. Backup - Back up to Google Drive - On (if you trust Google and make backups of your Google account, Off if you have a different backup solution)
15. About
1. Take a screenshot of your IMEI

Antivirus / Internet security products reviewed

 I've done technical tests of AV products in previous blogs, but this one is of my personal experience.

1. Norton - generally slow
2. BitDefender - good, but monumentally performance degrading, and features don't always work as advertised
3. Avast - has always caused BSODs because of the network filter driver
4. AVG - loaded with advertisements - do not recommend
5. ESET - very lightweight load wet performant. High granular control esp over the firewall which does not interfere. Brower sandbox.
6. McAfee - bloated, fragmented, slowly updated, archaic
7. Kaspersky - one of the best, but no longer trusted by UK or US governments, and dropped by Barclays
8. Webroot - all scanning is done online similar to how VirusTotal operates - so useless if there is no internet connection
9. F-Secure - not bad
10. Windows Defender - very basic
11. Malwarebytes - poor detection
12. Firewall products
1. Glasswire - blocks rather than leaves requests pending

Previous older reviews: https://rjcuk.blogspot.com/2009/08/security-software.html 

Not tried:

• Trend Micro
• Panda
• Avira
• Bulldog

Broadband providers reviewed

If going for a new connection I'd recommend going to Topcashback, Quidco, Hotukdeals or Compare the Meerkat for some very good deals and check the reviews.

Rated best to worst:

Hyperoptic: Excellent speeds and very good customer service

Zen: best service, very rarely drops out, great router, just initially pricey and may include hidden fees or different prices on the phone to their website.

Plusnet: Good but regular disconnections and waited a month just for them to cancel an installation

BT: Most of the time okay but a nightmare when you have problems

Virgin: Dropouts once a month and speeds aren't as advertised. They may still be oversubscribed.

Sky: Avoid, many dropouts, bills doubling in price for no reason

TalkTalk:  From one of my neighbor's experiences 10 years ago I would say no, but maybe things have changed since.

Take a pinch of salt with any reviews site:

https://uk.trustpilot.com/

Things that should be shown at school

• David's Attenborough's A Life On Our Planet @DavidALifeFilm
• The top 20+ videos from @TEDTalks
• All @Kurz_Gesagt videos
• Chernobyl @hbomax
• LGBT+, sex and relationships:
• @danielhowell Basically I'm Gay
• It's a Sin @Channel4 & my blog on HIV
• In a Heartbeat
• Tea and Consent 

• Essentials
• Fire safety
• Electrical safety
• Sign language
• First aid, Red Cross for kids, SJA, Red Cross
• Money and finance, credit rating
• Personality type
• Online safety & Cyber aware
• How to vote
• General life lessons & Wear sunscreen
• Renting advice
• Responding to criticism
• Topics
• Mental health, depression, anxiety, Mind
• Black history
• Autism
• Religion
• Creators
• "Dad, how do I?"
• BBC Bitesize (Key Stage 1/2/3)
• CrashCourse
• Vsauce
• onlyjayus
• bill wurtz
• exurb1a
• Casually Explained
• CosmicSkeptic

More ideas in other blogs of mine: 

• https://rjcuk.blogspot.com/2020/07/things-that-should-be-taught-in-school.html
• https://rjcuk.blogspot.com/2020/01/things-i-wish-i-knew-or-understood.html

Predictions

 Here are some predictions with guesses on years.

2021 Magnetic hangers

22 Intel releases ARM processors

23 First Earthbound city to city SpaceX flights

24 Prince Charles dies. First female US President.

25 David Attenborough dies

26 Queen Elizabeth II dies

27 Apple Car released, PS6 and Xbox 2 released

28 iPhone 20 released. Half Life 3 announced

29 Donald Trump dies

30 First people on Mars

31 Russia cuts themselves off from the internet for 3 months

32 Drones available for delivery

33 PS7 and Xbox 3 released

34 Lab grown burgers available on the market

35 VR affordable to most, Some watch can detect seizures before they happen

36 Hydrogen fuel cells used for 10% of transport

37 Large Hadron Collider finds new particle

38 AI replaces nearly all telemarketing

39 Baron Trump runs for presidency

40 Electric cars overtake diesel and petrol cars

41 PS8 and Xbox Infinity relased

42 Smart beds

43 Cure for Alzheimer's/Dementia

44 Cure for most cancers

45 Self driving cars are standard. The Matrix movies are rebooted

46 Los Angeles earthquake of 9.7

47 All coral reefs destroyed

48 PS9 and Xbox Infinity 2 released. Final Gorillaz album released

49 Asteroid comes very clos e to earth

50 Kim Jong-Un dies

51 Renewable energy makes up 50% of all UK power

52 HIV eradicated using CRISPR

53 Brain interfaces available on public health

54 Coal runs out

55 Most homes are smart houses

56 New element discovered

57 Tigers go extinct

58 Sony acquired by Microsoft, releases Playbox 1

59 Hurricane Sandy makes Florida unrecognisable

60 Oil runs out

61 Fibre networks nationalised

62 Heatwave in Spain kills 3 million

63 First designer baby born

64 Nuclear fusion power station in China explodes killing 60 million people

65 Population reaches 10 billion

66 The Internet v2.0 proposed

67 First people head to outer solar system

68 Planet of the apes reboot

69 Plastic recycling using enzymes can be done from home

70 Natural gas runs out

71 King William dies

72 First robots used all all purpose home assistants for cooking, cleaning, DIY

73 3D printable organs 

74 Polar ice caps are mere fragments

75 AI assistants are standard use in government

76 Wireless power in homes is standard

77 Nanobots widely available for killing viruses, bacteria, cancer cells

78 HS5 completed

79 First successful brain transplant

80 Universal basic income in at least 25% of countries

81 AI assistants help with most household tasks and have unique payables personalities like in 'Her'

82 Avengers movies reboot

83 Telomeres successful extended leading to an extra 40-50 year life span

84 Millennium Dome roof has to be replaced

85 VR sex

86 Evidence of Atlantis found

87 Hoverboards

88 Mega spiders

89 WW3 

90 Fission reactors achieve 10% efficiency

91 Brain of a 5 year old running in a computer simulation

92 Talking pets

93 Enzyme consumption replaces cremation and burial

94 Flying cars

95 Historical figures cloned from DNA

96 First robot and human marriage

97 Phones are dropped in support of AR projections through brain interface

98 Probes at edge of the solar system

99 COVID-52 and all previous iterations eradicated

2100 First 3D printed flying car