People have been using Android phones for nearly two decades, and some bad habits have been passed down over the years. Even some of the oldest myths persist today. The good news is that it’s really very easy to avoid these mistakes once you know about them.
Use Task Killer apps
For as long as Android has been a thing, there’s been a misconception that manually killing background apps improves performance and battery life. This very likely comes from learned behavior with computer programs. But Android apps don’t have “X” buttons, which has lead people to believe they need to go out of their way to close them. I’ve been guilty of this too, but it’s not necessary.
Here’s the thing: Android was specifically designed to manage resources automatically, and interfering can actually do more harm than good. When you force close an app, your phone has to work harder to relaunch it from a “cold state,” which uses more power than if the app had remained dormant in the background. It’s obviously fine to force close an app if it’s frozen or misbehaving, but otherwise, you should just let the operating system do its job.
Sideload apps from untrusted sources
One of the best features of Android is the ability to install apps from anywhere you want—known as “sideloading.” It’s a great freedom to not be limited to “official” sources like the Play Store. Google was attempting to restrict this, but walked back a proposed policy after a big backlash. Still, not all that glimmers is gold when it comes to sideloading.
There’s a reason why “install unknown apps” is disabled by default on all Android phones. Google Play Protect can detect issues with sideloaded apps, but it’s not as comprehensive as the Play Store’s security protocols. If you sideload an app that you downloaded from some random website, you’re rolling the dice on its legitimacy. APK Mirror is our recommended source for sideloading.
It’s Time to Ditch Your Old Android Phone
Android phones have been commonplace for well over a decade. Nearly everyone who has used one has used more than one. You probably have some old phones laying around, and it’s well past time to get rid of them.
Ignore important security updates
Big version updates—like going from Android 15 to 16—get all the attention, but there are smaller updates, too. Security updates are entirely for fixing bugs and patching up vulnerabilities. The thing about software is it’s never truly “done,” and human-made products have flaws. Rather than pushing a full version update to fix minor issues, Google uses these smaller patches to quickly address security risks as they appear.
Installing security updates is very important for the long-term health of your phone. It’s the same reason why it’s not a good idea to use phones past their support lifespan. Without up-to-date patches, vulnerabilities are left open, and you’re at risk of being the victim of malicious attacks. Don’t skip those “boring” updates.
Grant every permission without thinking
There was a time when Android apps could access a lot of personal and device information without you knowing about it. Thankfully, most of this has been sequestered behind a plethora of “permissions.” Location, contacts, camera, call logs—you’ve seen the prompts.
The problem i,s you may have seen the prompts too much. With so many permission requests being thrown at you when setting up a new app, it’s easy to get impatient and approve them all without thinking. Do yourself a favor and make sure each permission makes sense for the purpose of the app. In many cases, an app will still work fine without every single permission granted.
Plug your phone into public USB ports
We’ve all been in a situation where our phone is low on power, and there aren’t many outlets to choose from. An empty USB port at the airport or coffee shop might seem like a savior, but it’s not without risk. The truth is, there’s really no way to know what’s on the other end of that port.
When you connect your phone to a public USB port, you open it up to something called “juice jacking.” Since USB cables carry both power and data, a compromised port can stealthily access your personal information or install malware. You can buy adapters to block data transfer, but the easiest way to avoid juice jacking is to simply stick to using AC power in public.
Some of these things may sound scary, but it’s easy to use an Android phone safely. All it takes is common sense and some healthy skepticism. When you condense these five things down, it’s pretty simple advice: Trust your phone to operate as it was designed, don’t download apps from sketchy sources, install device updates as they become available, read permissions before granting, and avoid public USB ports. You got this.
