A new phone is exciting, but a careless setup leaves you exposed. Spend 15 minutes on these privacy and security steps in 2026 and protect your data from day one.

Lock It Down First

Set a strong PIN or password, not just a pattern, and enable biometric unlock. Turn on automatic screen lock after a short timeout. This is your first and most important line of defence if the phone is lost or stolen.

Review App Permissions

During setup, apps request access to location, contacts, camera, microphone and more. Grant only what each app genuinely needs. A torch app doesn’t need your contacts. Review permissions in settings and revoke anything excessive.

Enable Find My Device and Backups

Turn on the built-in device-tracking feature so you can locate, lock or wipe your phone remotely. Set up automatic cloud backups so a lost phone never means lost photos and data.

Turn On Two-Factor Authentication

Enable two-factor authentication on your main account and email. It’s the single most effective step against account takeover, and it takes minutes to set up.

Be Careful With Defaults

Disable ad personalisation if you prefer, review which apps run in the background, and check what data sync is enabled. The default settings favour convenience over privacy — adjust them to your comfort.

The Takeaway

Strong lock, minimal permissions, device tracking, backups and two-factor authentication. Do these five things on day one and your new phone is far safer than most.

Guide updated June 2026.