14 December 2021

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