Phone Settings to Change on a New Phone: A Day-One Checklist

A new phone arrives with hundreds of settings, and the defaults are chosen to get you up and running fast, not to protect your privacy, your battery or your attention. Most people accept them, start installing apps and never look back.

Spending 30 minutes on day one changes that. This checklist covers the settings worth changing on any new iPhone or Android phone, grouped by security, privacy, notifications and battery. Menu names vary a little by phone maker and software version, so if a path does not match exactly, use the search bar at the top of the Settings app.

If you are still moving your data over, start with how to transfer data to a new phone, then come back here.

The day-one checklist at a glance

Area	Setting	iPhone	Android
Security	Strong passcode and biometrics	Face ID & Passcode	Security & privacy > screen lock settings
Security	Software updates	General > Software Update	System > Software updates
Security	Find your phone	Find My	Find Hub
Security	Theft protection	Stolen Device Protection	Google > All services > Theft protection
Privacy	Ad tracking	Privacy & Security > Tracking	Ads privacy or delete advertising ID
Privacy	App permissions	Privacy & Security	Security & privacy > Privacy > Permission manager
Notifications	Trim and summarize	Notifications, Focus	Notifications, Do Not Disturb or Modes
Battery	Charging protection	Battery > Charging	Battery settings, varies by maker
Safety	Emergency info	Health > Medical ID, Emergency SOS	Safety & emergency
Backup	Automatic backup	iCloud Backup	Google One backup

Security settings: do these first

1. Use a strong passcode and biometrics

A 6-digit PIN is the minimum. A longer alphanumeric passcode is better, especially since many phone thefts involve someone watching the owner type a short code in public. Pair it with Face ID, Touch ID or a fingerprint sensor so the longer code is not a hassle.

• iPhone: Settings > Face ID & Passcode > Change Passcode > Passcode Options.
• Android: Settings > Security & privacy > screen lock settings (names vary).

2. Install updates and turn on automatic updates

Your phone may have been sitting in a warehouse for months. Install any pending system update right away, then turn on automatic updates so security fixes arrive without effort. Also turn on automatic app updates in the App Store or Google Play.

3. Turn on Find My or Find Hub

If the phone is lost or stolen, this lets you locate, lock or erase it.

• iPhone: Settings > [your name] > Find My > Find My iPhone.
• Android: Google renamed Find My Device to Find Hub in 2025. Check it is on under Settings > Security & privacy > Device finders, or in the Find Hub app.

4. Turn on theft protection

Both platforms now include protections for the scenario where a thief steals the phone and knows your passcode.

• iPhone: Stolen Device Protection, available from iOS 17.3, requires Face ID or Touch ID for sensitive actions like viewing saved passwords when you are away from familiar places, and adds an hour-long delay before changes such as a new Apple Account password. Turn it on in Settings > Face ID & Passcode > Stolen Device Protection. It must be on before the phone is stolen.
• Android: Go to Settings > Google > All services > Theft protection. Turn on Theft Detection Lock, which locks the screen if it detects a snatch-and-run motion, Offline Device Lock, and Remote Lock, which lets you lock the phone from android.com/lock using just your phone number. Some features need newer Android versions, so a greyed-out toggle means your phone does not support it.

5. Secure your accounts, not just the phone

Make sure your Apple Account or Google Account uses two-factor authentication, and consider switching to passkeys where supported. Our guide on setting up two-factor authentication walks through it. Also set a SIM PIN through your carrier or phone settings, which makes it harder for someone to use your SIM in another phone.

Key takeaway: If you only have 5 minutes, do these 3 things: install updates, turn on Find My or Find Hub, and turn on Stolen Device Protection or Android theft protection. They protect you in the situations that cost people the most: lost phones, stolen phones and unpatched security holes.

Privacy settings

6. Limit ad tracking

• iPhone: Settings > Privacy & Security > Tracking, then turn off Allow Apps to Request to Track. Apple’s App Tracking Transparency then treats every app as if you asked it not to track you across other companies’ apps and websites.
• Android: Go to Settings > Google > All services > Ads privacy, or Settings > Privacy > Ads on some phones, and delete your advertising ID. Google says apps then receive a string of zeros instead of an identifier. You may still see ads, but they cannot use that ID to profile you.

7. Review app permissions

New phones often restore apps with old permissions. Review which apps can use location, camera, microphone, contacts and photos.

• Prefer “While using the app” over “Always” for location.
• Turn off precise location for apps that only need your general area, like weather.
• Give photo apps access to selected photos instead of your whole library where the option exists.
• iPhone: Settings > Privacy & Security. Android: Settings > Security & privacy > Privacy > Permission manager, plus the Privacy dashboard to see recent use.

8. Lock down the lock screen

Decide what shows when the phone is locked. Hide message previews from the lock screen if you do not want people nearby reading texts or one-time codes. On iPhone, look under Notifications > Show Previews. On Android, look under Notifications > Notifications on lock screen.

9. Silence unknown callers and filter spam

• iPhone: Settings > Apps > Phone, then turn on Silence Unknown Callers or, on newer iOS versions, the call screening options for unknown callers.
• Android: Phone app > Settings > Caller ID & spam, and turn on filtering of spam calls.

For more ways to cut robocalls, see how to stop spam calls.

Notification settings

Notifications are where a new phone quietly takes over your day. Fix them once and you will notice the difference immediately.

10. Say no by default

When an app asks to send notifications, say no unless it is something time-sensitive, like messages, calendar alerts, delivery updates or banking alerts. You can always turn them on later.

11. Use summaries and focus modes

• iPhone: Use Scheduled Summary for non-urgent apps and set up a Focus for work and sleep.
• Android: Use Do Not Disturb schedules or Modes on newer versions, and turn on notification history so dismissed alerts are never truly lost.

12. Keep emergency alerts on

Wireless Emergency Alerts warn about severe weather, AMBER alerts and public safety threats. Leave them on, and check the settings so you know which types you receive.

Battery settings

13. Protect long-term battery health

Keeping a battery at 100% for long periods wears it faster.

• iPhone 15 and later: Settings > Battery > Charging lets you set a charge limit between 80% and 100%. Apple says the phone will occasionally charge to 100% to keep the battery reading accurate.
• iPhone 14 and earlier: Turn on Optimized Battery Charging under Settings > Battery > Battery Health & Charging.
• Android: Look for adaptive charging, charging optimization or protect battery under Battery settings. Names and options vary by phone maker.

14. Find the real battery drains

After a few days of normal use, check the battery usage screen to see which apps use the most. Restrict background activity for apps you rarely open. Our guides on how to extend phone battery life and why your phone battery drains fast go further.

15. Adjust display settings

Auto-brightness, a shorter screen timeout of 30 seconds to 1 minute, and dark mode on phones with OLED screens all help battery life. If you find text hard to read, see how to make text bigger on your phone.

Safety and backup settings

16. Set up emergency information

• iPhone: Health app > Medical ID, and Settings > Emergency SOS. Add emergency contacts and allow Medical ID to show when locked.
• Android: Settings > Safety & emergency. Add medical information and emergency contacts.

First responders can see this information without opening your phone.

17. Turn on automatic backups

Make sure iCloud Backup or Google One backup is on and has completed at least once. Turn on photo backup too. See how to back up your phone for options and storage costs.

Where to start: your 30-minute plan

1. Minutes 0–10: Update the phone, set a strong passcode, turn on Find My or Find Hub and theft protection.
2. Minutes 10–20: Turn off ad tracking, review location, camera, microphone and photo permissions, and hide lock screen previews.
3. Minutes 20–25: Silence unknown callers, cut notifications to the essentials and set up a sleep focus or schedule.
4. Minutes 25–30: Set battery charging protection, add emergency info and confirm backups are running.

Setting up a phone for a parent or grandparent? Our guide on how to set up a phone for a senior adds accessibility and scam-protection steps.

The bottom line

The defaults on a new phone favor convenience over security, privacy and battery life. A 30-minute pass through updates, theft protection, ad tracking, permissions, notifications, charging and backups gives you a phone that is harder to steal from, less chatty and likely to stay healthy for longer. Revisit the permissions list every few months, especially after installing new apps.

Sources

• Apple Support: About Stolen Device Protection for iPhone — requirements, iOS 17.3, and how it works
• Apple Support: If an app asks to track your activity — App Tracking Transparency and the Tracking setting
• Apple Support: About Charge Limit and Optimized Battery Charging — charge limit on iPhone 15 and later
• Android Help: Protect your personal data against theft — Theft Detection Lock, Offline Device Lock and Remote Lock
• Play Console Help: Advertising ID — deleting the Android advertising ID and its effect