If you think your Android device respects your privacy, I’ve got bad news. New research shows Google starts tracking you the moment you sign in—long before you open your first app.
Google Can Track You Before You Even Launch an App
We all know that we’re being tracked and that our data is one of the most valuable things companies can collect. While many companies tout increased privacy features—Google loves to talk about how private Android is—there are always secrets lurking in the corner.
The secret this time is a pretty big one, too. According toa 2025 study by Professor Doug Leith of Trinity College Dublin, Android devices start sharing data with Google almost immediately, without any notification or consent from you, the device’s owner.
That’s a huge problem, too. Because it doesn’t matter if you never open Gmail or Google Maps, as pre-installed apps like Google Play Services and the Play Store start relaying information to the tech giant as soon as you log in.
The 9 Best Practices for Android Privacy
If you use an Android device, there’s more than one way to protect your privacy.
One of the key players that Leith uncovered is the DSID cookie. This tracker gets dropped onto your device as soon as you sign in to your Google account—something you’re forced to do to set up your Android phone.
Once on your device, the DISD cookie quietly links your activity across apps and websites to your digital identity, giving Google all kinds of data about you and your browsing habits. But Google doesn’t stop tracking you there.
There’s also the Google Android ID, a unique device identifier that keeps checking in with Google, even if you later sign out. And it’s not just about diagnostics. These identifiers are designed to fuel personalized ads and profile-building, all before you’ve tapped on a single app icon.
And There’s No Way to Opt Out
The real kicker, though—beyond Google never telling you about any of this—is that there’s no real way to opt out of these tracking features, either.
Google doesn’t ask for consent or offer any upfront disclosure during device setup. The DSID cookie refreshes automatically every two weeks, and the Android ID is embedded deep in system data and sticks around unless you wipe your device entirely.
Your Cheap Smartphone May Come With Serious Privacy Issues
Is saving a few extra bucks worth risking your privacy and security?
Even newerAndroid features like SafetyCore, which scans incoming images for explicit content and was quietly added in an update in 2024, can be uninstalled or disabled. Though, you’ll need to check occasionally to make sure it hasn’t been reinstalled during an Android update.
With the DSID cookie, though, there’s no way to turn it off once you’ve logged into your Google account.Google explains in a support documentthat the cookie is to help you ensure personalized ad preferences are respected even in non-Google services and websites.
However, that doesn’t discount the fact that the tech giant is essentially scraping your data without ever notifying you in any way.
This Is the Only Way to Stop Google From Tracking You
If you were hoping that removing these tracking features would be as easy asuninstalling an app from your Android phone, I have more bad news.
If you really want to stop Google from tracking your phone, there’s only one surefire method. Factory reset your device and never sign in to a Google account again.
Of course, that’s easier said than done, especially since Google forces you to sign in to a Google account to even finish setting up your Android device. And, if you go with a de-Googled Android operating system—likeGrapheneOS—you’ll be sacrificing access to Google services like the Play Store for that increased privacy.
For many, this is probably not an option at all. Installing other operating systems can also be tricky and requires a bit of technical know-how, so not everyone will be comfortable with that solution.
The only other option you have to combat this invasion of your privacy is to mitigate the damage it is doing, even if only slightly. I always recommend heading toSettings>GoogleServices>All Services>Adsand opting out of the personalized advertising options listed there.
You can also switch from closed apps like Google Chrome to more open-source or privacy-focused apps like DuckDuckGo.Switching to DuckDuckGo will cause you to miss out on Chrome features, though, so that’s something to be aware of.
It’s also important to consistently review app permissions on your Android device to ensure that no new apps are accessing your data without your permission.
Sadly, though, none of these steps will stop the underlying system-level tracking that Google has built into the Android operating system. If you really want to be free of Google’s tracking, you’re going to need to break free of the company’s ecosystem completely.
