Securing your Current Phone

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Insert introductory text.

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Disabling Sensors

Open your Settings app.
Scroll to the bottom and tap About phone.
Scroll to the bottom and tap Build number seven times to turn on developer mode.
Go back to Settings and tap System.
Open Advanced and then tap Developer options.
At the bottom of the first section, tap Quick settings developer tiles.
Turn on the Sensors Off tile and close the Settings app.
Now when you swipe down from the top of the screen, tap the widget on the left to turn off all sensors (microphone, camera, GPS, accelerometer, etc.).
Leave these off unless you actually need them. (E.g., if you want to take a photo, enable the sensors and open your camera app; if you need to answer a phone call, enable the sensors and then answer.)

If you’re using a custom operating system focused on privacy (see Starting with a Secure Operating System), the built-in system keyboard is a good choice.
If you desire more customizability, or don’t want to use a privacy-focused OS, use AnySoftKeyboard.

Download and install the F-Droid app store, which is a catalogue of free and open-source software (FOSS).
Generally prefer to get apps from this source.
Use F-Droid to install the Aurora app store, which is a different front end to the Google Play store without all the tracking.
For apps that are unavailabe via F-Droid, use Aurora.

Put your phone in airplane mode whenever you’re not using it.
Disable WiFi when you’re not using it.
Disable WiFi scanning.
Disable Bluetooth when you’re not using it.
Disable Bluetooth scanning.
Either disable location services when not using them, or ensure the only apps that have access to location services are those that absolutely must have access, and even then, only while they’re in use.
You might consider getting a Faraday bag/pouch for your phone, but after researching a number of brands and models, it looks like the only sure-fire way to block all signals to and from your phone is to simply wrap it in aluminum foil. These are also useful for protecting RFID-enabled credit cards, key fobs, and the like. You could always purchase a bag, test it out, and if it doesn’t sufficiently shield whatever you put inside, simply return it.

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In addition to the recommendations above:

Alternatively, keep WiFi off all the time and use a USB-C tether to a mobile hotspot for internet connectivity (see SIM Card below).

Try either OsmAnd or Organic Maps.
Consider a dedicated device (e.g., Garmin, TomTom, etc.) that’s not tied to you personally.

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Use Signal.
Create a username instead of sharing your phone number, or consider setting up a Voice over IP (VoIP) number just for Signal (see below).
Consider using disappearing messages.
For even better privacy, though a reduced feature set, use Session.

If you’re looking for a secure alternative to Slack, Teams, What’sApp, etc., there aren’t many options.
Mattermost is more secure than most.
A better option would be Element.
Both are only free for small teams. Once the number of users grows beyond a threshold, you’ll need to pay per user per month.

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Don’t use a SIM card in your phone.
Instead use a mobile hotspot, such as those provided by the Calyx Institute.
Pay for it with a privacy-focused cryptocurrency.
Keep it switched off unless you need to use it.
Run your VPN of choice on the hotspot rather than on the phone.
Prefer to connect your phone to the hotspot via a USB-C tether, rather than WiFi.
Use a VoIP number for phone functionality (see below).

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Work in Progress

Still working through the process here.

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Need to jot down recommendations.

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Need to jot down recommendatons.