Android mobile phone privacy settings: Warning for billions of Android owners

Mobile phone owners across the world are being warned to check their Wi-Fi settings, due to a little-known privacy concern with Android mobiles.

A viral TikTok video has revealed that simply turning off Wi-Fi on an Android device doesn’t mean it is not working, and it could still be running in the background.

WATCH IN THE VIDEO ABOVE: How to truly turn off Wi-Fi on Android phones

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TikTok star @tatechtips shared the advice in a video, advising users to check their Wi-Fi scanning settings.

“Turning off your Wi-Fi, doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve turned off your Wi-Fi,” he said.

The video went on to explain users should go to ‘Location Services’ in settings and then ‘Wi-Fi Scanning’, where an option asks if apps can ‘use Wi-Fi for location detection even when Wi-Fi is turned off’.

“So that means when you’ve turned your Wi-Fi off, but you’ve got your scanning on, your phone is still constantly sending probe requests for Wi-Fi,” he said.

“So if you want an extra level of privacy, turn your Wi-Fi scanning off as well.”

The video has received more than 67,000 likes, with many users commenting that they had no idea the Wi-Fi could still be running in the background.

“Thank you, I’ve always wanted to turn it off but never knew how,” one user said.

“Thanks. More privacy, the better. Turn it off immediately,” another added.