How to Prevent Your Smartphone From Tracking You

Location Technology is very helpful for tracking lost phones, finding a nearby hospital, hotel, petrol station, etc. However, the level of insecurity these days is alarming and so there’s a need to restrict certain apps that store information about what you are doing and where you’re going, on Internet servers. 

For example, apps like Uber and Bolt will track your location for their drivers. They may store this information on their servers should you need a ride the next time. 

When apps like Jumia One and ShopOnlineG are installed on your phone you give out information that allows them to send you adverts. 

Another category are News and weather apps. They track your location data so as to provide you with information suited for you and the region where you live. Though they do not need to do that to operate on your device. 

How about music or video streaming apps like Netflix? They store information about your location without any good reason, except to provide you with location-based content in the future. 

Social media apps track your location and make it easy for third-party apps to do the same. They are one of the most notorious location trackers! 

Having observed the common apps which pry into our location data we will first of all tackle what seems to be “the foundational problem” – Google.

First, Stop Google From Tracking You

You are already aware that Google Maps keeps track of your location and movements. What you don’t know is that your Android phone also keeps track of your movements and activities through several other built-in applications.

However, there’s a way you can turn off tracking for most of the apps. You also need to be aware that those apps mentioned above won’t function properly. 

Step 1: Go to https://myactivity.google.com/.

Step 2: Select “Activity Controls,” which can be found in the left-hand menu.

Step 3: Scroll through the various activities listed and choose any you’d like to be turned off. Activities that reveal an individual’s location are under “Web & App Activity”. 

These are activities you have carried out while using Google apps and services. “Location History” is where you find places you have gone to while your device was on you. You’ll probably want to select “Include audio recordings,” which also include “Web & App Activity.” 

You can also delete the following; 

• Device Information: information about your contacts, calendars, etc.
• YouTube History: contains things you’ve searched and watched while on YouTube. 
• Ad personalisation: this feature uses your history to choose which adverts you see on YouTube.

By following these simple steps you would have prevented any more data from being collected and stored into your device. Another important step is to delete some (if not all) of the information that has already been stored about you. 

At the left hand menu on the My Activity page you’ll find “Delete activity by”. After clicking it a window pops up that allows you to delete your activities based on the following timelines: 

• the last hour, 
• the last day, 
• “All time” (in other words, all dates), or “Custom range” for a specific date range.

As you can see in the screenshot below, you can filter information based on services like ads, Chrome, Google Play Store, etc. Once you’re done, click on “Next to preview those selected activities to be deleted. If you’re okay with the settings, then click “Delete.”