Just like your computer's Internet browser, your Android device's browser will keep a list of the websites you've visited. This makes it easier to visit those websites again, but it can also create embarrassing or potentially dangerous situations. If you're concerned about someone snooping around your browser history, or you're planning to give your device to someone else, see Step 1 below to learn how to clear your browser history.
Steps
Part 1 of 5: Emptying the installed browser
Step 1. Open the internet browser
If you use Android 4.0 or earlier, your browser is simply called "Internet". You will need to clear the history through the app's settings.
Step #2. Tap on the Menu button
Either press the device's Menu button, or tap your browser's menu button in the top right corner.
Step #3. Tap Settings
This will open a new window with your browser settings.
Step #4. Tap on Privacy
You may need to scroll down to find this option. Tap to open privacy management options.
Step 5. Tap "Clear History"
This will erase all information about the sites you have visited. If you also want to delete the cookies, tap on "Clear all cookie data".
Part 2 of 5: Emptying Google Chrome
Step 1. Open the Chrome browser
As with the built-in browser, you will have to clear the history from within the browser itself.
Step #2. Tap on the Menu button
This can be found in the top right corner, and looks like 3 horizontal lines.
Step #3. Tap Settings
This will take you to the Google Chrome settings screen.
Step #4. Tap on Privacy
This can be found in the Advanced section of Settings.
Step 5. Tap "Clear Browsing Data"
You can find this button at the bottom of your phone's menu, or at the top right of your tablet's screen.
Step 6. Check "Clear browsing history"
This will clear all browser history from Chrome. Tap Clear to continue.
Part 3 of 5: Emptying Mozilla Firefox
Step 1. Open the Firefox browser
As with the built-in browser, you will have to clear the history from within the browser itself.
Step #2. Tap on the Menu button
This can be found in the top right corner, and looks like 3 horizontal lines.
Step #3. Tap Settings
This will take you to the Firefox settings screen.
Step #4. Tap on Privacy
This will open a new screen with your privacy management options.
Step 5. Tap on "Clear private data"
This will open a checklist of all the different types of items that can be removed. Make sure "Browsing & download history" is checked. You can also use this to erase a variety of other data types.
Tap "Clear data" when you have made a selection
Part 4 of 5: Keep it private
Step 1. Use Incognito (private browsing) mode
Most browsers except the built-in version can run in a protected mode. This is also known as Incognito mode in Google Chrome and Private Browsing in Firefox. Everything you do on the internet is no longer tracked by the browser.
- To start Google Chrome's incognito mode, tap Menu and then tap "New incognito tab". The incognito tab is darker than a regular browser tab.
- To activate private browsing in Firefox, tap Menu and then tap "New Private Tab". A new tab will open, with the mask logo indicating that you are working in private mode.
Step 2. Install an app locker
If you find that you often lend your phone to family and friends, install an app locker. This ensures that not everyone who uses your phone has access to all apps.
Popular choices include AppLock, App Lock, Smart App Lock, Locker Master, and many more
Step 3. Clear your history regularly
You never want anyone to accidentally see your browser history, so make sure to clear it often. This also prevents your personal information from being lost or stolen.
Part 5 of 5: Erase all data from your phone
Step 1. Back up any data you want to keep
If you're giving away or selling your phone, you'll want to erase all your data from the phone. This prevents your data from falling into the wrong hands. Emptying your phone will erase all data, so make sure you have saved everything you want to keep (media, contacts, files) in another location.
Step 2. Encrypt your Android
As with computers, a wiped Android disk is not completely empty, but will have to be overwritten. This means that someone with sufficient knowledge and the right software will be able to retrieve that data from your drive. To avoid this, it's better to encrypt everything on your phone before you know it. With this, no one can access your data even though they can recover the erased data with special data recovery software.
- Fully charge your phone. Encryption takes a lot of time and you need a full battery, in addition to having the device connected to a power source.
- Open the Android settings menu by tapping Settings on the Home screen or the App Drawer.
- Tap the Security section. Scroll down and select "Encrypt phone". Create a PIN that you use to access your encrypted phone.
- Wait for the encryption to finish. This can take up to an hour, and interrupting this process could damage the data on your phone.
Step 3. Reset the phone
Return to the Settings menu and select the "Backup & reset" option. Tap on the option "Factory data reset". You will be asked to confirm this and then enter your PIN for encryption. After that, the phone will start resetting, which may take a few minutes. When the phone has finished resetting, all data will be erased and the phone has returned to factory settings. Now it is safe to sell or give away the phone.
Tips
- It is always wise to remove all data from your phone, including the history, if you decide to sell the device.
- If you want to clear Google Now's search history, you'll need to do so through the Google History website. See elsewhere for more information on this.