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Tom’s Guide
Tom’s Guide
Technology
Kaycee Hill

I discovered a hidden Android feature that shows which apps are watching me, and what it revealed was startling. Here's how to take back control of your phone

Google Pixel 10 in the hand.

I discovered my Android phone was constantly sharing my location, microphone, camera, and contacts with apps running in the background. Most requests are legitimate — Maps needs location, your camera app needs camera access. But many apps hold permissions I'd completely forgotten granting months ago.

Google's Privacy Dashboard on Pixel phones shows exactly which apps accessed what data and when. If you're using a Samsung device, the feature is called "Permission Manager" and works similarly.

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