As a tech reporter, I test new phones for a living. Flagships, budget devices, experimental models—you name it. But the funny thing is, the biggest improvements in smartphone experience rarely come from buying a new device. They come from changing a few settings most people never touch.
Modern smartphones are incredibly powerful, but out of the box, they’re optimized more for data collection, notifications, and engagement than for you. That means battery drain, constant distractions, privacy leaks, and that familiar feeling of being exhausted after “doing nothing” on your phone.
The good news? A few small changes can dramatically improve how your phone feels and behaves—almost immediately.
Here are 7 smartphone settings you should change right now, based on what I tweak first every time I set up a new device.
1. Turn Off Most App Notifications (Yes, Most of Them)
Let’s start with the most obvious—and the most ignored.
Every app wants your attention. News apps want breaking alerts. Shopping apps want sale notifications. Games want you back. Social media apps want you scrolling.
The result? Your phone vibrates constantly, even when nothing urgent is happening. Over time, this trains your brain to stay in a state of low-level alertness, which is mentally exhausting.
Go into your notification settings and ask a simple question for each app: Does this really need to interrupt me?
Keep notifications only for essentials—calls, messages, navigation, maybe one or two priority apps. Everything else can wait until you choose to open it.
The difference in mental calm is immediate and noticeable.
2. Change Location Access to “While Using the App”
Many apps track your location all the time—even when they don’t need to.
Weather apps, food delivery apps, social platforms, and even games often default to “Always allow.” This quietly drains battery and shares more data than necessary.
Switch location access to “While using the app” for most applications. For apps that don’t need precise location, choose approximate location or disable it entirely.
Your phone will last longer, and you’ll regain a bit of control over your digital footprint.
3. Reduce Screen Brightness and Disable Auto-Max Brightness
Modern phones push brightness aggressively to make screens look impressive, especially outdoors. But excessive brightness strains your eyes and drains battery faster than almost anything else.
Lower your default brightness slightly and keep auto-brightness enabled—but check that it isn’t constantly pushing the screen to maximum.
If you often feel eye fatigue or headaches after phone use, this setting alone can help more than blue light filters.
Your eyes don’t need cinema-level brightness for WhatsApp.
4. Turn Off Background App Refresh for Most Apps
Background app refresh sounds helpful—and sometimes it is—but most apps don’t need to update constantly when you’re not using them.
Social media apps, shopping apps, and news apps quietly refresh in the background, consuming data, battery, and processing power.
Disable background refresh for non-essential apps. Keep it on only for apps that genuinely benefit from real-time updates, like email or navigation.
This single change often results in noticeable battery improvement within a day.
5. Enable Digital Wellbeing or Screen Time Tracking
This one surprises people. They assume screen-time tracking will feel restrictive or guilt-inducing.
In reality, it’s informative.
Seeing how often you unlock your phone, which apps consume the most time, and when your usage peaks changes behavior naturally—without force.
As a reporter, I check this data regularly. It’s the quickest way to spot unhealthy usage patterns before they turn into habits.
You don’t need to set strict limits. Awareness alone does half the work.
6. Switch Search Engines and Browser Privacy Settings
Most people never touch browser settings after setup—and that’s exactly why they matter.
Enable tracking prevention, block third-party cookies, and consider switching to privacy-focused search engines if you’re comfortable doing so.
This doesn’t break the internet. It simply reduces the amount of invisible tracking happening in the background.
As someone who covers tech policy and data practices, I can confidently say: default settings rarely favor users.
7. Turn Off Unnecessary Animations and Visual Effects
Smartphones today are packed with animations—app opening effects, transitions, visual flourishes. They look nice, but they also slow down perceived performance, especially on mid-range devices.
Reducing or disabling animations makes your phone feel faster and more responsive, even if the hardware hasn’t changed.
This is one of my favorite tricks. It’s subtle, but once you notice it, you’ll never go back.
Why These Settings Matter More Than New Hardware
Tech marketing focuses on specs—faster processors, better cameras, more RAM. But everyday user experience is shaped far more by software behavior.
A well-configured three-year-old phone often feels better than a brand-new phone running default settings.
Your phone should adapt to your life—not constantly interrupt it.
The Bigger Picture
Smartphones are tools, but they’re also environments. And like any environment, small design choices affect how you feel inside it.
Constant alerts create anxiety. Poor privacy settings create unease. Visual clutter creates fatigue.
Changing these settings doesn’t make you anti-tech. It makes you intentional with tech.
Start With One Change
You don’t need to adjust everything at once. Start with notifications. Or location access. Or screen brightness.
Even one change can make your phone feel less demanding and more supportive.
And once you notice the difference, you’ll start wondering why these weren’t the default settings in the first place.