If Your Smartphone Secretly Sends Data at Night – What’s Actually Happening?

Even if your phone is lying unused on your bedside table at night, it isn’t “dead.” Modern smartphones are constantly connected to the internet and regularly send data – even in standby mode.
This can include:

• System and app updates
• Synchronization of emails, calendars, and cloud data
• Diagnostic data sent to manufacturers or developers
• Location and usage information for personalized advertising

In some cases, these transmissions are useful – for example for security updates or important notifications. However, much of this data is transmitted without you truly needing or wanting it. And that’s where it becomes uncomfortable: information about you is collected and often used by companies to create detailed user profiles.

Why does this happen?

Smartphones are more than just calling or messaging devices.
They are mini computers that constantly:

• Synchronize data in the background
• Update apps
• Share location information
• Collect usage statistics

– all of this even while you’re asleep. The operating system and many apps maintain an internet connection to ensure everything stays “up to date.”

How to prevent your phone from secretly sending data at night

There are several effective measures you can implement right away:

1. Disable background app refresh
On both iPhones and Android devices, you can configure apps so they do not send data in the background. This significantly reduces automatic synchronization and data transfers.

Path:
Settings → Apps → Disable Background Data

2. Review app permissions
Many apps request access to location, microphone, camera, or other sensitive features – often unnecessarily. Grant permissions only while the app is in use, not in the background.

Tip:
Allow only truly necessary permissions and review them regularly.

3. Use airplane mode or power off
If you want to ensure your smartphone sends no data at all, you have two reliable options:

• Turn on airplane mode
• Or completely power off the device

At night, this can also improve battery life.

4. Disable personalized ads & advertising ID
Many devices collect data to display personalized advertising. This “advertising ID” can be disabled – in Google service settings on Android or in the privacy settings on iOS.

5. Use a VPN
A VPN (Virtual Private Network) can help reduce tracking and encrypt certain data transmissions, so less information is directly shared with advertising networks.

Swisscows.VPN – https://vpn.swisscows.app/

Yes – your smartphone can actively send data at night.
Often, these are harmless background synchronizations. However, many pieces of information – especially about your behavior and location – are stored and sometimes shared with third parties through tracking technologies.

With a few simple settings and habits, you can:

• Significantly reduce data transmission
• Protect your privacy
• Improve battery life
• Prevent unwanted tracking

Source: https://www.pcwelt.de/article/3040936/ihr-smartphone-sendet-nachts-heimlich-daten-weiter-so-verhindern-sie-das.html