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Android phone safety checklist: settings someone could change

An Android security checkup you can do at your own pace. It covers the phone settings, Google account settings and messaging settings that someone with brief access to your phone could change, with and without Applore.

Updated 15 September 20265 min read

Before you change anything

This checklist does not assume anything about your situation. It lists places on an Android phone and in a Google account where access could be given to someone else. Most people will find nothing unexpected. The aim is to know what is set, so you can decide what to keep.

Menu names differ between phone makers and Android versions. If you cannot find a screen, open Settings and use the search bar at the top.

A hand writing a checklist in a squared notebook

Phone settings

Screen lock, and who knows your PIN

Anyone who knows your PIN, pattern or password can open your phone. Open Settings › Security (or Security and privacy) and check that a screen lock is set. If someone else might know it, change it.

Developer options and USB debugging

USB debugging lets a computer connected by cable install and control apps. Most people never need it. Search Settings for Developer options. If the menu is not shown, developer options are off. If it is shown, check that USB debugging is off unless you use it yourself.

Install unknown apps

Android asks which apps may install other apps from outside an app store. On many phones the path is Settings › Apps › Special app access › Install unknown apps. Look for apps with Allow from this source turned on that you did not set. Read more in sideloaded apps on Android.

Accessibility services

An app with accessibility access can read what is on your screen and tap for you. Search Settings for Accessibility and look at the installed or downloaded apps listed there. See how to check accessibility services.

Notification access

An app with notification access can read messages and login codes as they arrive. Search Settings for Notification access (sometimes Device and app notifications).

Device admin apps

A device admin app can be harder to uninstall. Search Settings for Device admin apps; on some phones it is under More security settings. Note any app you did not add. See how to check device admin apps.

Unknown tracker alerts

Android can warn you when a tracker you do not own is moving with you. Look for Safety and emergency › Unknown tracker alerts and check that alerts are on. This option is not available on every phone.

Google account

  • Signed-in devices. In your Google Account, open Security (or Security & sign-in), then Manage all devices. A phone or computer you do not recognise here could read your email, photos and location history. Google’s help page shows how to sign a device out.
  • Security Checkup. Google’s own checkup reviews recovery phone and email, recent security events and saved passwords in one place.
  • Third-party access. Apps and services you connected to your account can keep reading data until you remove them. Review them from the Security page.
  • Google Maps location sharing. Anyone listed can see where you are in real time. In Maps, tap your profile picture, then Location sharing.
  • Google Photos partner sharing. A partner account can receive new photos from your library automatically. In Photos, tap your profile picture, then Photos settings › Sharing › Partner sharing.
  • Gmail forwarding and filters. A forwarding address or filter can send copies of your email to someone else. Check the Forwarding tab and the Filters and Blocked Addresses tab. On a phone, use a browser in desktop view if the Gmail app opens instead.
  • Family Link and supervision. A supervising account can see your location, apps and activity, and control the phone. Check whether your account is supervised.
  • Find Hub device sharing. People who can find or ring your devices may also see where they are.

Messaging apps

WhatsApp linked devices. A linked computer or tablet can read and send your WhatsApp messages. In WhatsApp, open Settings › Linked devices and look for any device you do not recognise. Other messaging apps often have a similar list of linked devices or active sessions.

How to work through it with Applore

Safety Check in Applore is the same list as a guided review. It is free and shows no ads.

  1. Open Applore and go to Safety Check.
  2. Tap Open next to an item. Applore opens the right settings screen or web page.
  3. Look at the setting, then come back and tap Checked.
  4. Work through the list at your own pace. The progress line shows how many items you have checked.

For some items, Applore shows what Android tells it: for example whether a screen lock is set, whether USB debugging is on, or which apps have accessibility access, notification access or device admin rights. For your Google account and other apps, it only opens the page. Nothing on the Safety Check screen leaves your phone. Safety screens block screenshots, and Quick exit leaves Applore in one tap.

You can also run Needs your review, Applore’s free check for known stalkerware. It flags apps that need your review, such as a sideloaded app with a hidden icon and accessibility access. How detection works explains the signals.

What Applore cannot do

Safety Check covers common places, not every possible one. It does not audit your Google account, change settings for you, or tell you whether someone has used a setting.

The privacy policy explains what the check reads and what stays on your phone.

Get support

If something you find worries you, a support service can help you decide what to do next, including whether and when to change it. Applore includes support contacts for India, the United States and the United Kingdom, plus global options. See domestic abuse and cyber crime hotlines. If you plan to remove an app, read before you remove a suspicious app first. If you are in immediate danger, contact your local emergency number.

More guides are on the safety guides page.

Questions

How often should I run through this checklist?

There is no fixed schedule. Many people go through it after their phone has been out of their hands, after a relationship or living situation changes, or when something on the phone feels different. Going through it once, calmly, is more useful than rushing it often. If you change something, note what you changed and when.

Does Applore check my Google account for me?

No. Applore does not sign in to or scan your Google account. Safety Check opens the right Google, Maps, Photos or Gmail page so you can look yourself, and lets you mark each item as checked. For phone settings such as the screen lock or USB debugging, Applore reads only what Android shows it. Nothing from Safety Check leaves your phone.

What if I find a device I do not recognise?

First, think about whether signing it out could alert someone and whether that could affect your safety. Google's device list sometimes shows old phones or browsers you used yourself. If you are sure it is not yours and it is safe to act, sign it out, then change your Google password and review your recovery phone and email. A support service can help you plan.

Sources

  1. See devices with account access, Google Account Help. Checked 2026-09-15.
  2. Take a Security Checkup, Google Account Help. Checked 2026-09-15.
  3. Manage your Location Sharing settings, Google Account Help. Checked 2026-09-15.
  4. Automatically forward Gmail messages to another account, Gmail Help. Checked 2026-09-15.
  5. Download apps to your Pixel phone (Install unknown apps), Pixel Phone Help. Checked 2026-09-15.
  6. Information for survivors, Coalition Against Stalkerware. Checked 2026-09-15.
  7. Stalkerware indicators, Echap (CC BY 4.0). Checked 2026-09-15.

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