You can access App Tracking Protection by opening the app > tapping the three-dot menu button in the top-right corner > Settings > App Tracking Protection. The app is mainly a web browser with built-in privacy features, but I’ve been a long-time Firefox user and wasn’t interested in switching browsers. Speaking of which, one of my few gripes with App Tracking Protection is needing the DuckDuckGo app. If you did encounter an issue with a specific app, you can exclude individual apps from App Tracking Protection in the DuckDuckGo app’s settings. Running App Tracking Protection also didn’t break any of the apps I use on a regular basis, which is good if you’re worried about that. In the time I’ve been using App Tracking Protection on my Pixel 6, I haven’t noticed any significant change to battery life or performance. And so far, I’d say it works pretty well. More important than how App Tracking Protection works is how well it works. Over 2,000 tracking attempts blocked in the past week Unfortunately for VPN users, that approach also means you won’t be able to use App Tracking Protection at the same time as an actual VPN.įor more on the nitty-gritty of how App Tracking Protection works, check out The Verge or DuckDuckGo’s blog post. This approach lets App Tracking Protection work across most apps on your Android phone. Instead, DuckDuckGo says the feature uses a local “VPN connection” and handles everything on-device instead of routing users’ data through external servers. It’s worth noting that although DuckDuckGo utilizes Android’s VPN functionality, it isn’t a VPN.

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