10 Essential Smartphone Settings You Should Change Right Now

Your smartphone arrives configured with default settings chosen to work reasonably well for the average user — not specifically for you. Many of these defaults quietly work against your privacy, your battery life, or your sanity. Fixing them takes just a few minutes and requires no technical background. Here are ten worth changing today.

1. Turn off ad personalization and reset your advertising ID

Both iPhone and Android assign your device an advertising identifier that apps use to build a profile of your interests and track you across different apps. You can limit this directly in your settings:

• iPhone: Settings > Privacy & Security > Tracking — turn off "Allow Apps to Request to Track"
• Android: Settings > Privacy > Ads — tap "Delete advertising ID" or "Opt out of Ads Personalization"

This one change meaningfully reduces how much of your behavior gets logged and shared between apps.

2. Hide notification previews on the lock screen

By default, your phone displays the full content of incoming texts and emails right on the lock screen — visible to anyone glancing at your phone. Go to Settings > Notifications and switch previews to "When Unlocked" instead of "Always." You'll still be alerted, but the actual content stays private until you unlock the device.

3. Enable Find My Device

If your phone is ever lost or stolen, this setting is the difference between recovering it — or at least wiping it remotely — and losing everything on it for good.

• iPhone: Settings > [Your Name] > Find My > turn on "Find My iPhone"
• Android: Settings > Security > Find My Device — make sure it's turned on

It takes thirty seconds to enable, and you won't need it until the one day you desperately do.

4. Review app permissions for camera, microphone, and location

Apps often request access to your camera, microphone, and location well beyond what they actually need to function. Go to your privacy settings and review each app individually — a flashlight app, for example, has no legitimate reason to need your precise location.

• iPhone: Settings > Privacy & Security
• Android: Settings > Privacy > Permission Manager

Revoke anything that doesn't make sense for what the app is actually supposed to do.

5. Switch remaining location access to "While Using the App"

Some apps default to "Always" location access instead of only while you're actively using them. Unless an app has a specific reason to track you in the background (like a family locator or fitness tracker), switch it to "While Using the App" — you lose none of the core functionality while significantly reducing background tracking.

6. Turn on automatic software updates

Software updates aren't just new features — they frequently patch security vulnerabilities that scammers and hackers actively try to exploit. Turning on automatic updates (Settings > General > Software Update on iPhone, or Settings > System > System Update on Android) means you're protected without having to remember to check manually.

7. Disable lock screen widgets that expose personal information

Modern lock screens can display calendar events, messages, emails, and even health data without unlocking the phone. If you share space with others or simply value your privacy in public, review which widgets appear on your lock screen and remove anything revealing.

8. Turn off background app refresh for apps you rarely use

Many apps continue refreshing content and using data and battery even when you're not actively using them. Go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh (iPhone) or Settings > Apps > Battery (Android) and disable it for anything you open only occasionally.

9. Set a longer, more secure passcode

A four-digit passcode is faster to guess than a six-digit one, and both are weaker than enabling Face ID or a fingerprint alongside a strong backup passcode. Go into your security settings and extend your passcode length if you're still using a short one.

10. Turn on automatic backup

Enable automatic cloud backup for photos, contacts, and app data (iCloud, Google Photos, or a similar service). It's the single best protection against losing years of memories and information to a broken screen, lost phone, or accidental reset.