3 privacy features in Android 12: how to use them

Android 12 gives users more insight into which apps are using your microphone or camera, and then you can take action. You can deny those apps the rights, or you can do that for all apps at once with the push of a button. Here are the three new privacy features of Android 12.

Android 12 and privacy

Privacy on our Android devices is a concern for many users, according to a recent study by Kaspersky. It is no coincidence that with each new release of Android, Google introduces a new set of functionalities that give users more control over their privacy.

Consider, for example, the option in Android 11 to give apps permission once. Google has announced a lot of innovations in the field of privacy in Android 12 since the second beta version. We list everything and show you where you can find all the functions. You can also see them all at work in the video at the bottom of this article.

1. Privacy Dashboard

With Android 12 comes the new Privacy Dashboard, a menu that gives you more insights about the apps that use permission on your phone. You can see at a glance which apps have access to the camera, the microphone or your location. You can then request a timeline for each of these permissions, in which you can discover at which moments apps have made use of the permission.

Suppose an app has used the camera, then you can also read in the details why that app has done that. In the latter case, App developers must first draw up such descriptions. it seems that Google is not going to oblige, but only encourage. Finally, in the Privacy dashboard you can also see which other (less sensitive) permissions were used by apps in the past 24 hours.

Here’s how to find the Privacy Dashboard:

1. Open the Institutions from your phone
2. Choose Privacy
3. Tap on Privacy dashboard

2. Privacy Indicators

Many Android users would shudder at the idea of ​​an app accessing their phone’s camera or microphone undetected. it is for that reason that some people cover the webcam on their laptop.

A few smartphone brands have already shown on-screen privacy indicators when the camera or microphone is active on their phones. Google looked at it and saw that it was good, and now the function is also standard in Android 12. At the top right you can see by means of an icon when the camera or microphone are active. Then go to the quick settings, and tap the icon to find out which app uses it. If necessary, you can also revoke the rights of that app.

3. Microphone and Camera Switches

From now on, Google makes it easy for users to ensure that the camera and microphone do not work when they want to. There are new buttons for that in the quick settings with which you can disable them. In fact, an app that wants to use the camera or microphone at that moment still has the permission, but your phone sends an unusable camera and audio feed, as if the sensors are not working.

Here’s how to find the switches:

1. Swipe down on your phone and swipe down again to see all quick settings
2. Swipe right until you see the buttons Camera access and Microphone Access sees
3. If you don’t see them, you need to add them first. Press the button with the scribe
4. Drag the buttons where you want in the quick settings and press the back button

Install Android 12

Do you want to get started with the latest beta version? Here we explain how you can install them. What do you think of these three new privacy features in Android. Are you worried about apps that use an unsolicited camera or microphone? Let us know in the comments at the bottom of this article.

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