It’s the end of summer in the Northern Hemisphere, which means new phone operating systems are coming. In a few weeks, Apple will release iOS 16 for millions of iPhones and iPads around the world. Meanwhile, Google has made available the latest version of Android — on some phones, you can now download Android 13.
The latest version of Android operating system is more than “Evolution over revolution” with mostly smaller changes compared to previous iterations. But Android’s security team is trying Simplify everyone’s privacy preferences on Android 13. This version of the operating system involves changes for application developers and some well-organized security options for users.
It may not take you long to think about the privacy and security settings on your phone. However, whenever you download a new operating system, you should take a few minutes to scroll and tap through all the options that you haven’t touched in the past 12 months. Here’s what you should see on Android 13.
Clip app permissions
In Android 12, Google has introduced “neighborhood devices” permission. This is designed to prevent your headset app from asking for your exact location when it’s trying to connect to your headset wirelessly. Android 13 expands these controls to prevent apps from using Wi-Fi the right to collect your location data. In their code, app developers must specify that they should never use the Wi-Fi API to access location information.
Of Android Privacy Dashboard has also been updated. Dashboard, which can be accessed via Settings> Privacy, shows the permissions you’ve given apps to use — this includes apps that can access your camera, contacts, and various sensors and other types of data. It will now show which apps have used each permission in the past seven days, instead of just 24 hours.
Some of the privacy changes in Android 13 don’t require you to do anything, but you should be aware of them anyway. For example, the operating system will start automatically clearing your clipboard history after a short period of time so that applications don’t detect the information you copied earlier. Also, from now on, apps that use Google’s advertising ID, which is a unique code assigned to your device, must declare the advertising ID permission in their document. “If your app doesn’t declare this permission when targeting Android 13 or later, the advertising ID will automatically be removed and replaced with a string of zeros” Google says.
Photo selector
When you want to use a photo you’ve taken in another app — for example, as a Twitter profile picture or to share an image with friends — your device uses Photo selector. This will upload a screen that includes photos on your device and gives you the option to use them in the app you’re using. New privacy changes in Android 13 mean you won’t automatically give one app access to all your photos and videos. Instead, the photo picker will now only give the app access to the photos you allow.
Add Doa, Android Developers Page states that if apps want to use images, audio, or videos that other apps have created, they must explicitly say what type of file they want to access and give you a clear prompt that this will happen.
More notification control
There’s nothing angrier than apps that send out constant notifications. And there are some notifications you might not want to appear on your screen for anyone nearby to see. While it’s been possible to control app notifications for a while, Android 13 is making it easier from the start. Now, when you open an app for the first time or use it for the first time in a while, you will be asked if you want it to send you notifications. Spam notifications, gone.
More privacy and security options
While you’re thinking about your phone’s privacy settings, it’s a good idea to take a moment to peruse your device’s other options to enhance your overall protection. There may be previous changes that you ignored. Most of the settings below can be changed by going to Setting on your Android and then follow the specific options.
inside Guard , Android gives you an overview of your device’s status. It will show you when the last security update has been applied, allow you to set a screen lock and unlock with fingerprint or biometrics (if your device supports them), and allow you to perform a broader Google security check to see the current status of your account. (By the end of this year, Android will introduce a new one Security and privacy right to buy that will put all these settings in one place.)
inside Privacy menu, there are some things you should change. The Privacy Dashboard, as described above, will show you which apps have used which sensors and what data on your phone over the past seven days. After considering this, you should tap Rights manager, where you will be provided with all the sensors and types of data your phone can provide to apps. These range from your location and camera access to your calendar and files. You should look at each permission and decide if an app really needs access to them to work.
Next in Privacyyou should open Location History on Google and Operational control. Both of these options are linked to your broader Google account(s), but the settings here let you control what data Google keeps about you—it’s a lot. Using these options, you can clear your web and activity data, the locations where Google tracks your movements, and details like YouTube search history.
Then go to Privacy and Advertisement. Here you can use Reset advertising ID to change the ID that Google has assigned to your phone. This advertising ID is used by apps and advertisers across the web to track your interests and show you potentially intimidating personalized ads. As well as resetting your advertising ID, there is an option to Remove advertising IDmeans “apps can no longer use this advertising ID to show you personalized ads”.
Finally, while thinking about your digital privacy and security, you should make sure that you are using Password manager to protect your online life and use multi-factor authentication wherever possible.
