Why the screens look different on their phone than on yours
You are talking someone through a setting and nothing you describe is on their screen. It is not that they are looking in the wrong place — Android genuinely puts it somewhere else on their phone.
Two sources of difference, not one
The Android version. Google moves and renames things between releases, and permission prompts in particular have been reworked repeatedly. This accounts for changed wording and new options.
The manufacturer skin. This is the bigger source. Samsung One UI, Xiaomi HyperOS/MIUI, Oppo ColorOS and others restructure Settings entirely, rename sections and add their own screens with no equivalent in stock Android. Two phones on the same Android version can look nothing alike.
What actually changed, version by version
| Version | What changed that matters here |
|---|---|
| Android 10 | Background activity starts restricted; foreground service required for ongoing capture |
| Android 11 | One-time permissions; auto-reset of permissions for unused apps |
| Android 12 | Privacy indicators in the status bar; approximate location option |
| Android 13 | Notification permission became opt-in — apps must ask |
| Android 14 | Capture dialog offers "Share one app" instead of the whole screen; stricter foreground service types |
| Android 15+ | Further tightening of background work and screen-sharing prompts |
The Android 14 change is the one worth knowing about, because it is a real reduction in exposure that most people never notice in the dialog. Sharing a single app instead of the whole screen removes notifications, the app switcher and everything else from what the other side can see.
Giving directions that survive the difference
- Tell them to use the search box in Settings. Every skin has one at the top, and it is the only reliable path. "Open Settings, tap the magnifying glass, type accessibility" works on every phone.
- Give the search term, not the path. Say the word to type, not the sequence of taps.
- Ask what they see rather than assuming. "What are the options on your screen right now?" resolves more quickly than three guesses.
- Ask for the Android version if you are stuck. Settings → About phone → Android version. Also worth knowing the brand — the answer differs more by manufacturer than by version.
- Use screen sharing for the setting itself. Watching their screen while they navigate is faster than any verbal description, which is the whole reason this category of app exists.
The settings that move the most
- Battery optimisation. Under Apps on stock Android, under Battery on Samsung, under a separate Battery saver menu on Xiaomi. Search term: battery optimisation.
- Autostart. Does not exist on stock Android at all. Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo and Huawei each have their own, in different places. Search term: autostart.
- Accessibility services. Usually Accessibility → Installed services, but sometimes nested under Additional settings or Advanced. Search term: accessibility.
- Display over other apps. Under Special app access, which is itself in different places. Search term: display over.
More guides
What happens when the shared phone locks or its screen goes off
Locking, the screen timing out and the phone being pocketed are three different events with three different outcomes. Why sessions die there, and what to change.
Which Android permission does what when you share your screen
Screen capture, remote control and overlays are three separate permissions with very different power. What each one grants, which prompt you are actually looking at, and which to refuse.
The accessibility permission: the most powerful thing you can grant an app
Why Android has no other way to let an app tap for you, what a service with this permission can read and do, and how to audit which apps on your phone currently hold it.
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