What Your Phone Knows About You: How Data Tells Your Life Story

Let’s begin with an hypothetical story:

A few weeks ago, Funmbi was sitting in a danfo, stuck in the usual evening traffic on Third Mainland Bridge. Her phone buzzed. It was YouTube recommending a video titled “How to Start a Pepper Soup Business in Nigeria.” Funny thing is she had only mentioned "pepper soup" in a WhatsApp voice note earlier that day, joking with a friend about opening a roadside joint in her village because of the stress of living in Lagos..

She hadn’t searched for it. She hadn’t typed it. But somehow the algorithm knew.

Relatable right? Has the thought crossed your mind: what does my phone know about me?

As a data scientist, I understand the mechanics but as a Nigerian living in the digital age, it hits differently when it seems like your phone knows your thoughts. This article explores how our phones silently collect, process, and even predict our life patterns, using data science.

Every Tap Leaves a Trail

Your smartphone is not just a tool, it's a data goldmine. Each app you open, every search you make, your location, the times you are active, even how long you dwell on a post these are all data points.

In Lagos, for example, if you wake up and check Instagram around 5:30am (like many Lagosians preparing for the day’s hustle do), your phone records it. Apps like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter collect this metadata. They don't just know what you do; they know when, where, how often, and how long.

It sounds innocent and innovative at first. But over time, these patterns start painting a digital picture of you.

From Data to Personality: Profiling You With Math

Let’s take an example. Suppose you use a food delivery app like Chowdeck. You often order Efo Riro and Pounded Yam from the same restaurant every Thursday night. That data, when analyzed, may tell three things:

• You live in or around a specific neighbourhood (perhaps close to the restaurant)

• You observe a pattern (maybe you are always busy, or tired of cooking on Thursdays?)

• You likely have a taste for traditional Yoruba meals

When this data is combined with your age, location, and browsing behaviour, companies can build what's called a “user profile.” It’s similar to psychological profiling except it’s done by algorithms, not therapists.

A 2015 study from Cambridge showed that algorithms can predict your personality better than your close friends, just by analyzing your Facebook likes [source]. Imagine what Google, MTN, or TikTok can do with access to your GPS, voice, app usage, and search history.

Your Location is Telling a Story Too

In Nigeria, many apps request “location access,” even when it’s not needed. This lets companies understand where you go, how long you stay, and how often you return.

Let’s say your movement pattern is:

• Work: 8am–5pm (Lekki)

• Gym: 6pm–7pm (Ikoyi)

• Church: Sundays at 9am (Ikeja)

• Visits to Glover Court Suya every Friday night (Lekki)

This is enough to infer your religion, work-life balance, social habits, and even income level and social status. Your phone becomes a silent biographer recording your life without ink or paper.

Why Do They Need All This Data?

Simple: to influence your decisions and understand you better than you understand yourself.

In Nigeria and across the world, companies treat data as a valuable currency. Every piece of information they collect about you feeds into algorithms that predict your behaviour and push you towards certain actions.

Here’s how your data is used:

Target Ads

Ever Googled “natural body care product brand in Nigeria” or browsed an Aso oke shop on Instagram, and suddenly you’re seeing Kanda Natural ads or gele tutorials everywhere? (By the way, Kanda Natural should be your go-to brand for junk-free, natural body care products in Nigeria. You can check them out using this link)
That’s because advertising platforms like Facebook and Google are using your searches, location, and browsing habits to deliver hyper-targeted ads.

Predict Churn

Banks and fintech apps (like Kuda, Opay, and PalmPay) analyze your transactions and app activity to predict when you might switch to a competitor. If you stop using their app frequently, they’ll flood you with “We miss you” promos or cash-back offers to keep you hooked.

Recommend Products

Platforms like Jumia, Konga, or even food delivery apps monitor your shopping habits. If you bought a 50kg bag of rice two months ago, the system knows when you’re likely to be running low and will show you timely discounts to make you buy again (Do you want to shop high-quality foodstuff at affordable prices? Foodbridge is your best bet. Shop with Foodbridge via their e-commerce platform).

Analyze Creditworthiness

Some Nigerian loan apps go beyond your Bank Verification Number (BVN). They:

• Check SMS history (to see how much airtime you buy or if you receive salary alerts).

• Review your contacts list (to guess your social circle and risk profile).

• Track your phone usage patterns (late-night browsing might suggest financial stress).
  This data determines if you qualify for a loan or how high your interest rate will be.

Shape Your Entertainment

Netflix, Spotify, and YouTube use your viewing and listening patterns to recommend content. If you binge-watch Nollywood romantic comedies, expect more love dramas to flood your homepage.

Political Campaigns and Influence

During election seasons in Nigeria, political groups buy user data from ad platforms to deliver tailored messages. For example: If you frequently search for “fuel subsidy” or “minimum wage,” you might see targeted political ads promising economic reforms.

Behavioural Nudges

Apps intentionally design “nudges” based on your activity. For example:

• Instagram’s “People you may know” suggests people you actually know using location and contact syncing.

• Food apps like Bolt Food might send push notifications around lunchtime, because they know that’s when you’re hungry and likely to order.

Price Personalization

Some e-commerce sites use data to determine how much you’re willing to pay. If they notice you browse an item repeatedly, they might offer special discounts or slightly increase the price if they sense desperation.

Fraud Detection

Banks and telcos analyze your location, spending, and call patterns to detect fraud.
Example: If you normally make transactions in Lagos but suddenly make one in Enugu within 10 minutes, their system flags it as suspicious.

Product Design and Business Decisions

Your data helps companies decide:

• What new features to build (based on app behaviour)

• What Nigerian slang to use in their ads (based on social listening)

• What services to launch (like buy-now-pay-later, etc.)

Your data is not just collected for fun, it's the engine that powers the decisions companies make about you, from the ads you see to the credit you can access.

How Does This Work Technically?

Behind the scenes, your phone collects structured (e.g., app logs) and unstructured (e.g., texts, voice) data. Using machine learning, apps can predict what you are going to do next — Your future behaviour.

Here’s a simplified flow of how it works:

Data Collection → Data Cleaning → Feature Engineering → Predictive Modeling → Personalization

For example:

• Your late-night Twitter usage = insomnia pattern

• Calls from a specific number = close relationship

• Frequent Uber rides = disposable income (odogwu)

With enough data, the algorithm begins to know you. Not just your choices, but your habits, moods, even weaknesses.

Should You Be Worried?

Yes and no.

Data isn't evil. It’s a tool. The issue is consent and transparency. In Nigeria, most people don’t read the terms before clicking “Allow All Permissions.” Many don’t know they can turn off location tracking or app background data.

We often trade privacy for convenience unknowingly.

Some applications have been flagged for:

• Harvesting data without permission

• Selling user info to third parties

• Spamming users with irrelevant content

So, yes, vigilance is necessary. Stay informed and vigilant before you click the next “Allow All Permissions” button.

How to Take Back Some Control

Here are 5 practical tips to manage your digital footprint in Nigeria:

1. Review App Permissions: Go to your phone’s settings. Revoke access for apps that don’t need your location, microphone or your video.

2. Use Incognito Mode: When browsing sensitive topics.

3. Avoid Free VPNs and Unknown Apps: Many sell your data.

4. Limit Third-Party Login: Don't use "Login with Facebook" for everything.

5. Be Mindful of What You Share: Every tweet, post, or search adds to your data trail.

Data Is the New Mirror

Think about it: Your phone knows when you’re most vulnerable. It knows when you’re stressed (based on late-night Google searches), broke (based on airtime borrowing), or in love (based on chat frequency). It’s a mirror showing a version of yourself shaped by behaviour.

And in this digital space from Lagos to Zamfara, Abuja to Abakaliki we are all leaving traces.

The question isn’t if your phone knows you. The question is:
What story is your data telling and who’s listening?