Unplugged UP Phone blocks big tech surveillance and data harvesting even when turned off

Unplugged is ready to launch its privacy-focused UP Phone with a system-wide firewall in September 2025 for $989 on its website and at Best Buy stores across the country. A free year of antivirus, messenger, VPN, and cloud photo storage is included, and these services will cost $12.99 per month thereafter. All basic features of the phone continue to work without a subscription.

The UP Phone runs a customized version of AOSP (Android Open Source Platform) called Unplugged OS that removes all Google Mobile Services (GMS) used by Google to track user behavior, location, and actions. This potentially helps reduce unwanted data surveillance by big tech companies like Meta, the big state, and foreign adversaries, which the US Army has warned about.

Apps can be downloaded from the Unplugged app store, which the company says does not track its users. The default web browser is Brave, a Chromium-based browser designed to block trackers and ads.

Although not a hardened mobile like the Motorola LEX L11 for military use or an even more secure phone for use by the President, the UP Phone does use a system-wide firewall designed to actively stop attempts at user tracking. In a study commissioned by Unplugged, the UP Phone was able to block significantly more third-party trackers than an Apple iPhone or Samsung Galaxy. The firewall also allows users to monitor the data activity of each application.

The phone is powered by a Mediatek 1200 processor with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, and comes with a 6.67-inch AMOLED display, a 108MP main camera, an 8MP ultra-wide camera, a 5MP macro camera, and a 13MP front-facing camera. Storage can be expanded with a microSD card.

The UP Phone has a battery disconnect switch that physically cuts off electricity between the battery and circuitry when the phone is turned off. The NSA reportedly has been able to track phones turned off normally, so readers who don't own an UP Phone might want to use a Faraday pouch when they don't want to be tracked.