Much like a computer's web browser, your Android device's browser will keep a list of all the websites that you visit. This can make returning to important websites easier, but can also cause embarrassing or potentially dangerous situations. If you're worried about someone looking at your history, or you are planning on selling or donating your Android device, see Step 1 below to learn how to clear your browser's history.
Steps
Clearing the Stock Browser
- Open the Internet browser. If you are using Android 4.0 or earlier, your browser is simply named "Internet". You will need to clear the browsing history through the app's settings.
- Tap the Menu button. Either press your device's Menu button or tap the browser's menu button in the upper-right corner.
- Tap Settings. This will open a new window with your browser's settings.
- Tap Privacy. You may need to scroll down to find this option. Tap it to open your privacy management options.
- Tap "Clear History". This will delete all of the stored locations that you have visited. If you want to remove cookies as well, tap the "Clear all cookie data" button.[1]
Clearing Google Chrome
- Open the Chrome browser. Like the stock browser, Chrome browsing history needs to be deleted from within the browser itself.
- Tap the Menu button. This is located in the upper-right corner of the browser and looks like three boxes stacked vertically.
- Tap Settings. This will take you to a new screen with your Google Chrome settings.
- Tap Privacy. This is located in the Advanced section of the Settings page.
- Tap "Clear Browsing Data". This button is located at the bottom of the menu if you're on a phone, or the top-right corner of the screen if you're on a tablet.
- Check the "Clear browsing history" box. This will delete all of your browsing history for Chrome. Tap the Clear button to continue.
Clearing Mozilla Firefox
- Open the Firefox browser. Like the stock browser, Firefox browsing history needs to be deleted from within the browser itself.
- Tap the Menu button. This is located in the upper-right corner of the browser and looks like three boxes stacked vertically.
- Tap Settings. This will take you to a new screen with your Firefox settings.
- Tap Privacy. This will open a new screen with your privacy management options.
- Tap "Clear private data". This will open a checklist of all the different types of items that can be deleted. Ensure that "Browsing & download history" is checked. You can also use this to clear a variety of data types.
- Tap "Clear data" once you have made your selections.
Staying Private
- Use Incognito, or private browsing, mode. Most browsers besides the stock "Internet" browser can run a private window or tab. This is referred to as Incognito mode in Google Chrome, and Private Browsing in Firefox. Any browsing done in a private window will not be logged by the browser.
- To open incognito mode in Google Chrome, tap the Menu button and then tap "New incognito tab". The incognito tab will be a darker color than a regular browsing tab.
- To start private browsing in Firefox, tap the Menu button and then tap "New Private Tab". A new private tab will open, with the mask logo signifying that you are in private mode.
- Install an app locker. If you find yourself loaning your phone out to friends and family often, install an app locker program. This will let you restrict access to only the apps you allow when guests are using the phone.[2]
- Popular choices include AppLock, App Lock, Smart App Lock, Locker Master, and many more.
- Delete your history regularly. You never want to be caught off-guard when it comes to your browsing history, so ensure that you are wiping it regularly. This will help prevent any personal information being lost if your phone is misplaced or stolen.
Wiping Your Entire Phone
- Backup any data you want to save. If you're selling or giving away your phone, you'll want to wipe it before doing so. This will prevent any personal information from falling into the wrong hands. Wiping your phone will delete all of the data on it, so make sure your contacts, media, and any other important data are backed up to another location.
- Encrypt your Android phone. Much like computers, a wiped Android hard drive is not actually completely erased, only set to be overwritten. This means that someone with enough time and the right software may be able to retrieve your data. To avoid this potential security risk, encrypt your phone before erasing everything. This will prevent anyone from being able to access your data, even if it recovered with data recovery software.
- Charge your phone completely. The encryption process takes awhile, and you will need to have a full battery and your phone will need to be connected to a power source.
- Open the Android Settings menu by tapping the Settings app on your Home screen or App Drawer.
- Tap the Security section. Scroll down and select "Encrypt phone". Create a PIN that you will use to access your encrypted phone.
- Wait for the encryption process to complete. This can take over an hour, and interrupting the process can corrupt your phone.
- Reset the phone. Return to the Settings menu and select the "Backup & reset" option. Tap the "Factory data reset" option. You will be asked to confirm, and then asked to enter your encryption PIN. Afterwards, the phone will begin the reset process, which may take a few minutes. Once the phone has finished resetting, all of the data will be erased and the phone will act like it was turned on for the first time. It is now safe to sell or give away.
Video
Tips
- It's a good idea to delete your phone browsing history if you've visited any sensitive websites, especially if you're selling the phone to someone else.
- If you need to delete your Google Now search history, you have to use the Google History website. See this guide for more details
Related wikiHows
- How to Clear Temporary Internet Files on Android Devices
- How to Disable Google Safe Search on Android
Sources and Citations
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