Warning to urgently update privacy settings on Android phones as new update could leave users vulnerable

ANDROID users are being warned to update their phone’s privacy settings after a new update could leave their devices vulnerable. 

Google released the Android 12 operating system back in October and the company has added new privacy and security additions

 The new Android update has the ability to “hibernate” apps that haven’t been used for a long time and makes location data less precise.  

When updating your phone, users should make sure to lock down their privacy settings as Google is known for targeted advertising based on personal data. 

Much of the privacy information in Android 12 is based on permissions you give the apps on your device. 

When installing apps, they’ll usually ask for access to your camera, photos, contacts, location, microphone, etc. 

Some of these need permission for the apps to work but not all of them. 

An AR app might need to access your camera to be usable but a calendar app doesn’t need permission for anything.  

A new privacy dashboard is added in Android 12 to increase permissions transparency. 

Using this, you can see which apps are doing what on your device.  

The dashboard can be accessed by going to Settings, Privacy, and then opening Privacy Dashboard.

ٍSource: The U.S. Sun