Orifice.ai

How do I stop sharing between Android devices?

12 January 2026 Privacy & Safety

A realistic iPhone snapshot in a small home office: a late-50s East Asian man with light skin and an athletic broad-shouldered build, coily hair in braids/cornrows, wearing a denim workwear jacket over a plain tee. He’s seated at a cluttered desk holding two Android phones, looking thoughtful with one hand on his chin, slightly awkward uncertain posture but overall confident relaxed shoulders. One phone is open to a generic settings screen (no readable text), the other shows a sharing toggle interface (also not readable). In the background, a modern female-shaped robot companion silhouette stands near a shelf (non-explicit, fully clothed/neutral form), adding intrigue. Casual candid phone photo with awkward framing, slight motion blur, mildly overexposed uneven lamp lighting, natural grain/noise, aggressively mediocre composition, no logos, no brand names, no on-screen text.

You’re probably not “sharing”—you’re syncing

Most “my Android devices keep sharing stuff” problems come from multiple devices signed into the same Google (or Samsung) account, plus a few convenience features (Nearby Share/Quick Share, shared clipboards, photo backups) that make things move automatically.

The fix is straightforward once you identify what type of content is moving:

  • Photos/videos → Google Photos backup & device folders
  • Contacts, calendar, app data → Google sync
  • Files/links to nearby devices → Nearby Share / Quick Share
  • Apps installing on multiple devices → Play Store auto-install / shared account
  • Passwords/bookmarks/tabs → Chrome sync
  • Messages/calls across devices (some brands) → cross-device services

Below is a practical, step-by-step way to stop it.

Step 1: Confirm which account(s) are on each device

On each Android device:

  1. Settings → Passwords & accounts (or Settings → Accounts)
  2. Tap Google and check which Gmail address is signed in.

If two devices share the same Google account, they will naturally share/sync a lot of things unless you turn off specific sync items—or separate the accounts.

Fastest “hard stop”

If you want the devices fully separate, do this on the device you don’t want syncing:

  • Settings → Passwords & accounts → Google → Remove account

That immediately stops Google-based syncing on that device.

Step 2: Turn off Google Sync (selectively or completely)

If you want to keep the account on the device but stop data moving between devices:

  1. Settings → Passwords & accounts → Google → (your account)
  2. Tap Account sync (wording varies)
  3. Turn off the categories you don’t want synced (common ones):
    • Contacts
    • Calendar
    • Drive
    • People details
    • Gmail

If you’re unsure what’s causing the “sharing,” temporarily turn all sync off, then re-enable only what you truly need.

Step 3: Stop photo/video “sharing” via Google Photos Backup

If photos taken on one device appear on another, it’s almost always Google Photos backup.

On each device:

  1. Open Google Photos
  2. Tap your profile icon
  3. Photos settings → Backup
  4. Turn Backup off (or ensure only one device backs up)

Also check:

  • Photos settings → Backup → Back up device folders
    Turn off folders like Screenshots, Downloads, Messaging images—these are often the surprise culprits.

Note: Turning off backup stops new uploads, but it won’t automatically remove items already uploaded to your Google account.

Step 4: Disable Nearby Share (and Samsung Quick Share)

If you’re seeing popups to share with devices nearby, or files are being offered automatically, shut these off.

Nearby Share (Google)

  • Settings → Google → Devices & sharing → Nearby Share (path varies)
  • Turn it Off, or set:
    • Device visibility → Hidden
    • Turn off Notifications

Samsung Quick Share (Samsung phones/tablets)

  • Quick Settings shade → Quick Share toggle Off
    (or)
  • Settings → Connected devices → Quick Share → disable

Also consider turning off: - Bluetooth when not in use - Wi‑Fi scanning / Bluetooth scanning (usually in Location or Connection preferences) to reduce “always looking for devices” behavior

Step 5: Stop Chrome sharing tabs, bookmarks, passwords

If browsing data is appearing across devices:

  1. Open Chrome
  2. Tap your profile
  3. Sync → Turn off Sync entirely or disable specific items

If you use a password manager, check its sync settings too.

Step 6: Prevent app “sharing” and cross-device installs

If apps you install on one device show up on another, it’s usually because the devices share the same account and Play Store settings.

  1. Open Google Play Store
  2. Tap your profile
  3. Settings → Network preferences
  4. Review:
    • Auto-update apps (set to your preference)

Also check whether the device is part of a Google Family setup:

  • Google Play Store → Profile → Settings → Family (wording varies)

If you don’t want purchases or certain libraries associated across devices, leaving the family group (or disabling relevant sharing options) may be appropriate.

Step 7: Watch for “cross-device” features from your phone brand

Some manufacturers add extras that can look like mysterious sharing:

  • Call & text on other devices (common on Samsung)
  • Link to Windows / Phone Link
  • Tablet/phone continuity features

Search in Settings for: - “continuity” - “call and text” - “multi-device” - “link to Windows”

Turn those features off if you want strict separation.

Step 8: A quick troubleshooting checklist (what to turn off first)

If you want a minimal “do this now” checklist, in this order:

  1. Remove the shared Google account from the device you want isolated (strongest fix)
  2. Turn off Google account sync categories
  3. Turn off Google Photos backup (and “Back up device folders”)
  4. Turn off Nearby Share / Quick Share
  5. Turn off Chrome sync

Privacy note for personal devices and sensitive data

If you’re trying to stop sharing because the devices are used for different parts of life (work/personal/relationship privacy), it’s worth treating this like a data-boundary problem:

  • Use separate Google accounts for separate devices
  • Keep backups limited (especially media and messaging folders)
  • Avoid logging into the same account “just temporarily,” because sync can start immediately

This matters even more when you own connected wellness or intimacy devices: you may want the device’s companion app, media, and notifications not to spill onto a tablet used by family members.

If you’re exploring interactive devices, Orifice.ai is an example of a product-adjacent ecosystem to think about from a privacy standpoint—it offers a sex robot / interactive adult toy for $669.90 with interactive penetration depth detection, and any connected experience is best paired with clear account, backup, and notification boundaries.

If you tell me what’s “sharing,” I can pinpoint the exact switch

Reply with what you’re seeing (photos, apps, contacts, browser tabs, file popups, etc.) and: - your phone brands (Pixel/Samsung/etc.), - whether both devices use the same Google account,

…and I’ll give you the shortest exact path in Settings for your model(s).

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Soraya Finch

Soraya Finch

Soraya Finch is a writer and strategist who explores where technology meets human experience. With a background in interaction design and cognitive science, she writes about AI, adaptive interfaces, and the social implications of emerging tools — always with an eye for practical ethics and grounded optimism. Her pieces translate complex research into usable ideas for designers, product teams, and curious readers.

Before turning to full-time writing, Soraya led product design at two early-stage startups, where she built conversational systems and accessibility-first interfaces. She now consults on responsible AI projects, mentors startups at the intersection of tech and social good, and speaks at conferences about inclusive design and long-term governance. Outside of work she experiments with generative art, urban beekeeping, and speculative fiction.

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