How to make your smartphone untraceable?

In 2021, 77% of the French population over the age of 15 said they owned a smartphone. A figure in constant progression which must lead to remain vigilant about the personal data which circulates there and which third parties can easily access.

Because we no longer use a telephone only to call or send messages to our correspondents. Today, a smartphone is used for communication as well as for browsing the web and social networks, playing, calculating, taking notes, listening to music, watching videos, finding one’s way. In other words, every day, dozens of applications access targeted information about users and their mobile uses.

Consent and permissions: mishandled data despite safeguards

In most cases, these items are retrieved when the application is in use. For some time now, Apple and Google have been forcing application developers to communicate about the data collected and the type of processing reserved for them. On smartphones equipped with the most recent versions of iOS and Android, the user’s consent is expressly required when an app wishes to access content, locations and personal information such as the user’s location.

However, some applications downloaded outside the official stores grant themselves these authorizations without warning the Internet user. Services and processes pre-installed by Apple, Google and smartphone manufacturers also do not bother with user consent. It also happens that access permissions have been granted to one or more applications which however did not need them to function. So many exceptions to the rule that make our mobile devices sieves of personal data and leave third parties, official or malicious, to follow us on the trail, in the literal sense of the expression.

However, there are solutions that allow you to disappear from the radar of overly curious applications or processes, and to remain untraceable while continuing to enjoy your smartphone.

Track location system settings enabled by default

The first thing to do is obviously to deactivate the geolocation of the device. On Android, swipe down from the top of the screen to access the control center. Spot theLocation icon and gray it out.

On iOS, tap Settings > Privacy > Location Services and gray out the switch.

In theory, no service or application should be able to access your GPS coordinates anymore. If in doubt, consider disabling the location of system services (emergencies, device location, time zone).

On Android, swipe down from the top of the screen, select Settings > Security & Emergency. Manually block emergency location alerts and services. Still in Android Settings, navigate to Global management > Date and time. Disable options Automatic date and time, Automatic time zone and Set time zone with location.

On Samsung devices, also remember to disable mobile tracking, especially if Offline Detection is enabled. In Android settings, locate Biometric data and security > Mobile tracking. Gray the switch.

On iOS, select Settings, access your account (username), locate Find > Find My iPhone / iPad. Gray out all green switches. Still in the Settings, locate General > Date and Time. Disable the option Automatic adjustment.

Although GPS location is now inaccessible, applications and processes can determine your location through your Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connections. If these services are enabled, turn them off and switch to the mobile Internet network (4G/5G) which provides less accurate location information than Wi-Fi.

Revoke geolocation permissions

When you turn off location on your device, access to your location is automatically suspended for all installed apps. However, two protections are better than one and it may be a good idea to revoke granted permissions.

On Android, go to Settings > Privacy > Permission Managers > Location. On iOS, go to Settings > Privacy > Location Services. Manually revoke geolocation access for each authorized application.

If you use Google Maps, also consider deleting and disabling location history. Open the app, select theuser account icon > Manage your Google account > Data and privacy > Your activities and places you’ve visited > History settings > Disable.

Block online tracking and personalized ads

Although location services are disabled on the device, apps and websites can still track your online activities and serve you targeted advertising.

In order to prevent personalized ads, the first step is to remove the advertising ID on Android. In the Smartphone Settings, select Privacy > Ads > Remove Advertising ID. Confirm.

On iOS, go to Settings > Privacy > Apple Advertising. Disable them Personalized advertisements.

Don’t forget to configure your browser to block cookies and other tracking devices set up by the websites you visit.

For Chromium-based browsers, open the app, navigate to Settings > Privacy & Security > Do Not Track > Enable. Still in the browser Settings, select Site settings. From here you can block trackers (Cookies > Block all cookies), intrusive and/or misleading advertisements (Ads > Block Ads), as well as access to the various sensors of the system.

On Firefox, open the Settings > Tracking Protection. Activate the module and select the protection level Strict.

For Safari, open the iOS Settings > Safari. In the Privacy and security section, enable Prevent cross-site tracking, Block all cookies, Protection of confidentiality during advertising measures. Select Hide IP address > For trackers.

Install a VPN to hide your IP address

Point mentioned a little above, turning off the GPS does not prevent the applications and websites visited from accessing your public IP address, which carries an estimate of your geolocation.

As a reminder, the IP consists of a personal identification number, assigned to each customer by the ISP. Among other things, it allows web services to track your browsing and build your user profile. From the data collected, companies can broadcast targeted advertising, filter search results, offer personalized content. Simply put, the IP betrays you as a particular individual on the web.

This is where ExpressVPN comes in. This VPN service makes it possible to pass your Internet connection through intermediate servers distributed all over the world. In this way, the websites visited no longer have access to your IP address and the information it contains, but to that of the VPN server to which you have connected. Best of all, because ExpressVPN’s servers simultaneously handle the connections of thousands of internet users, your traffic blends in with that of others. A maneuver that gives companies the illusion of dealing with a single user.

Due to multiple connections, one could fear an overload of equipment giving rise to slowdowns significant enough to hinder the browsing experience. A legitimate concern to which ExpressVPN opposes a solid infrastructure, made up of more than 3,000 10 Gb/s servers, equipped with 20 to 32 cores, distributed in 94 countries (160 locations). Always with a view to curbing congestion, the service includes an option of automatic connection to the fastest server at a given time and multiplies its equipment in the most popular areas such as the United States, France, or the United Kingdom. -United.

Based in the British Virgin Islands, a reputable data haven, ExpressVPN is one of the best VPNs today and does not compromise on the security of its users’ personal data. Never compromised, the service incorporates an automatic kill switch and presents itself as one of the first VPNs to have generalized RAM (volatile memory) storage to its entire server fleet, guaranteeing the automatic and permanent deletion of any stored information. each time the equipment is restarted.

The ExpressVPN app is available on Android and iOS, and covers up to 5 devices simultaneously (desktop and mobile).