Top 10 Smartphone Settings to Change Immediately After Purchase

When you purchase a new smartphone, it often comes with default configurations that prioritise convenience over security, battery life, and personalisation. While these default settings can get your device up and running quickly, they might not align with your individual habits or privacy preferences. Taking the time to customise your smartphone settings early on will help you protect sensitive data, improve performance, and create a more comfortable user experience. Below are ten vital settings you should adjust right after setting up your new phone to ensure it works safely and efficiently.

Adjust Privacy and Location Permissions

Modern smartphones collect large amounts of data, and many applications request access to features like your location, camera, microphone, and contacts by default. Leaving these permissions unrestricted can allow apps to gather personal information that is not necessary for their core functions, which increases the risk of privacy breaches or unwanted data sharing.

Begin by navigating to your device’s privacy settings and reviewing the permissions for each installed application. Turn off location access for any app that does not need it, or set it to “Allow Only While Using the App.” This will prevent background tracking and reduce unnecessary battery consumption caused by constant GPS usage.

Also check which apps have access to your microphone, camera, and contacts. Restricting these permissions helps protect your personal conversations, photos, and contact lists from unauthorised use. Taking control of these settings early prevents intrusive data collection and strengthens your digital privacy from day one.

Enable Two-Factor Authentication and Strong Screen Lock

One of the most effective ways to protect your personal data is by securing your phone with a robust screen lock. Avoid simple patterns or short PINs that can be guessed easily. Instead, choose a six-digit PIN, a complex password, or enable biometric authentication such as fingerprint or facial recognition for stronger security.

In addition to securing your device itself, enable two-factor authentication (2FA) for critical accounts like email, social media, and banking apps. 2FA requires a second verification step—such as a temporary code sent to your phone—in addition to your password, making it far harder for attackers to access your accounts even if they discover your credentials.

By combining a secure lock screen with 2FA, you create multiple layers of protection. This makes your device significantly more resilient to theft, unauthorised access, or hacking attempts, keeping your sensitive information safe at all times.

Optimise Battery Settings

Battery life is one of the most important aspects of smartphone performance, yet default settings usually focus on speed and appearance rather than efficiency. Adjusting your battery settings helps you maintain power for longer and reduces the need to constantly recharge during the day.

Activate battery saver or power-saving mode to limit background processes and non-essential visual effects. This feature reduces CPU activity and delays automatic updates, which extends battery life without affecting your ability to use essential functions like calls, messaging, or browsing.

Additionally, enable adaptive brightness or manually lower your screen brightness. Since the display consumes more energy than any other component, managing its brightness can add several extra hours to your daily usage. These simple changes can have a significant impact on how long your phone lasts between charges.

Disable Background App Refresh

Background app refresh allows applications to update data even when you are not actively using them, which can drain both your battery and mobile data allowance. Many apps do not need this feature enabled, and turning it off can noticeably improve battery performance.

Open your system settings to see which apps are permitted to refresh in the background. Disable it for social media, gaming, and shopping apps that do not require constant updates, while keeping it enabled for essential apps like email or messaging that you rely on for timely communication.

Reducing background activity not only saves power but also prevents your device from slowing down due to unnecessary processes. This adjustment can significantly improve the overall responsiveness and efficiency of your smartphone.

Customise Notifications

Smartphones generate countless notifications, many of which are unnecessary and distracting. Constant alerts can interrupt your focus, clutter your lock screen, and gradually drain your battery. Managing them from the start will help you stay organised and maintain productivity.

Review each app’s notification settings and disable alerts from apps that are not time-sensitive. Social media, promotional, and game notifications can often be muted without affecting how you use your device, while important alerts such as calendar reminders and messages should remain active.

Consider scheduling “Do Not Disturb” periods during your working hours or at night. This feature silences non-essential alerts and calls while allowing priority notifications to come through, helping you stay focused during the day and rest undisturbed at night.

Set Up Priority Alerts

Rather than silencing all notifications, you can assign priority status to certain contacts and applications. This ensures that important messages or calls will always reach you, even when your phone is on silent or in Do Not Disturb mode.

Both Android and iOS systems allow you to set specific contacts as favourites or priority. Calls and messages from these contacts will bypass your general notification rules and alert you immediately, which is useful for family, work colleagues, or emergency contacts.

By carefully choosing which alerts are essential, you reduce distractions while staying connected to the people and information that matter most. This approach strikes a balance between peace of mind and availability.