How to Turn Off Android Phone Sensors and Why You Should Do It

In this fast-paced world, mobile phones help you not only keep up but also work efficiently. This can include Google Maps helping you find your destination, your fitness apps tracking your daily workout, mail apps to keep you up-to-date with work, etc. However, you might want to use these apps occasionally without being tracked. You can do so by turning off your Android phone’s sensors.

Contrary to popular belief, turning off your Android phone’s sensors doesn’t render the phone unusable. You can still use basic functions like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, make calls, send texts, etc. You will, however, face issues when using certain apps. So, let us understand what sensors are on your Android device and how to turn them off.

Note: Certain device models or software versions might not have the provisions to allow you to turn off device sensors altogether.

What Are Sensors Used for on Android Devices

All Android phones have sensors that help the device apps and features work properly. These can be anything from the accelerometer detecting when you’re in motion to the proximity sensor figuring out if the mobile screen needs to be on or off.

When used with apps, these sensors help send data across that is analyzed by the app to give you the required results. However, if you want to use your device without certain data being recorded, you can turn these sensors off. This will allow you to use your mobile’s basic functions without your data being recorded for selected parameters.

But before we do that, let us briefly look at what happens when you turn off the sensors on your Android device.

What Happens When You Turn off Proximity and Other Sensors on Android

• Any app that uses sensors will either not work properly or crash.
• You can’t use certain device features like fitness tracking, directions, audio recording, etc.
• For certain devices, the proximity sensor will stop working, making the phone screen stay on regardless of whether you’re making calls or putting your phone in your pocket.
• Some sensors might work under certain conditions. For example, you can use your device’s microphone when making calls but not when using the Camera app.
• You can enable your device’s sensors again whenever you want.
• Once all sensors are disabled, a sign signifying the same might be visible in the menu bar.

How to Disable All Sensors on Your Android Device

Now that we know more about what role sensors play on your Android device and why they should be disabled, let us move on to how it can be done when using a stock Android device, a Samsung Galaxy device, and a Xiaomi device running their rendition of stock Android.

Tip: You can also check our article to learn more about enabling developer options on Android devices.

1. Using Android Settings Menu

Step 1: On your Android device, open the Settings menu.

Step 2: Scroll down and tap on About phone.

Step 3: Here, tap on Build number five or seven times quickly. Once you see the developer options enabled sign, return to the main Settings menu.

Step 4: Then, tap on System.

Step 5: Tap on Developer options.

Step 6: Scroll down and tap on ‘Quick settings developer tiles’.

Step 7: Turn on the toggle for Sensors off.

Step 8: Now, pull down from the top of the screen to open the Quick Settings tray. Here, tap on the Sensors off tile.

Tip: You can tap on the tile again to disable Sensors off mode on your Android smartphone.

2. On Samsung Galaxy Devices

Step 1: Open Settings and tap on About phone.

Step 2: Here, tap on Software information.

Step 3: Then, tap on Build number five or seven times in quick succession. 

When prompted, enter your device PIN or password to complete the process. Once developer options are turned on, go back to the Settings menu.

Step 4: Right below About phone, tap on Developer options.

Step 5: Then, tap on ‘Quick settings developer tiles’.

Step 6: Here, turn on the toggle for Sensors Off.

Step 7: Now, from the top of the screen, pull down to open the Quick Settings menu.

Step 8: Tap on Sensors Off.

If the tile is enabled, you can tap on Sensors Off again to turn it off on your Samsung Galaxy device.

3. On Xiaomi Devices

Note: Certain devices running MIUI 12 or higher might not have this option.

Step 1: Open the Settings menu on your Xiaomi device.

Step 2: Here, tap on About phone.

Step 3: Then, tap on MIUI version five or seven times to enable developer options.

Step 4: Once done, go back to the Settings menu main page.

Step 5: Here, scroll down and tap on Additional settings.

Step 6: Tap on Developer options.

Step 7: Finally, tap on ‘Quick settings developer tiles’.

If visible, turn on the toggle for Sensor off. Then, use the Quick Settings menu on your Xiaomi device to tap on the Sensor off tile and disable all sensors on your Android device.

FAQs for Disabling All Android Sensors

Your Device, Your Way

While turning off an Android phone’s sensors doesn’t have any visible impact on the device, it helps you use certain apps and services without the reporting of certain sets of data. So, we hope this article helped you better understand how to disable the sensors on your Android device. You can also check our guide if you’re not sure whether your Android phone’s sensors are working properly or not.