4 security features I always set up on every new Android phone, and you should too

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Whenever I set up a new Android phone , I do the usual stuff first — installing my favorite apps, signing into my accounts, removing bloatware, and customizing the look and feel of the device. But that’s not where I stop. I also spend a few minutes reviewing key security settings for extra peace of mind.

Android phones come with plenty of built-in protections, and some of the most important ones come pre-enabled. Still, there are a few critical security settings that need manual setup or a quick check to ensure they’re configured properly.

Honestly, I have very little hope of recovering my phone if I ever lose it in a crowded place. But if I ever forget it in a cab or even at a friend’s house, Find Hub can save me a lot of headaches. And that’s exactly why it’s one of the first security features I set up on any new phone. When I say “set up,” though, it’s less about enabling the feature and more about ensuring everything actually works as expected.

Android’s Find Hub feature is automatically enabled once you sign in with your Google account. What makes it so useful is that it doesn’t rely just on your phone’s internet connectivity or GPS. If your phone ever goes offline, Find Hub can still use Google’s crowdsourced network of Android devices to locate it. And when the worst happens, you can use Find Hub to view your phone’s location on a map, make it ring, lock it remotely, or erase it entirely. Again, you don’t need to enable it manually, but it’s best to make sure it’s working while you actually have your phone.

My Galaxy S26 also includes Samsung’s own device-tracking service called Find My Mobile. Like Find Hub, it’s enabled by default, but I like to turn on its optional features — most notably Send last location , which automatically uploads the phone’s last known location every time the battery is about to die.

Theft protection is another important security feature I hope I never have to rely on. It kicks in automatically when someone snatches your phone out of your hand and tries to run off with it. Yes, your phone can detect this using a combination of on-device sensors, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and AI. Like Find Hub, Theft Detection Lock also comes pre-enabled, but I like to turn on a few related features.

The first one is Identity Check. This makes it harder for someone to take over the Google account that’s linked to my phone. It basically requires biometric authentication for things like using the “Forgot password” option or changing account recovery methods.