Every time you install an app on your iPhone, it comes with permissions attached – permissions that determine what it can and can’t do. These permissions cover some very basic parts of iOS, including access to the iPhone camera, microphone, and current location. We request permissions one by one as needed, so you have full control over how your app behaves.
But sometimes, especially when you’re in a hurry, it’s easy to accidentally give an app access to data it doesn’t really need.Does your note taking app have it? real For example, need to see your contact list?
Therefore, it’s well worth your time to conduct regular reviews of these permissions, just in case you previously allowed permissions that you now want to revoke, or vice versa. Changing your settings isn’t difficult, and it gives you extra privacy and security.
Before installation
You can see what data an app will collect before you install it – it’s on the app’s page in the App Store. Reading through this list before doing any download or installation can give you a good idea of how much access the app needs to your iPhone and data.
On your app’s App Store page, scroll down to Application privacy and click View specific information Complete summary. You might not see all the permissions an app asks for here, but many of the data categories listed correspond to certain permissions on your phone – for example, your phone’s location and its contact list.
In addition to listing the types of data collected, the list will also provide the general reasons for collection. For example, it might be to improve app functionality, or to target marketing messages or personalized products. If you are unhappy with the app’s practices and policies, please uninstall it.
If you do install an app, you’ll find that it asks for permissions when needed. Most of these permissions should be very important to the app’s functionality – for example, it’s hard to get an Uber if the app doesn’t know where you are – but be cautious about using permissions that may seem unnecessary. Ideally, the application should explain why it requires each permission, although this may not be the case for all permissions.
Configure permissions
To manage permissions on your iPhone, go to Settings. If you want to see what permissions a specific application has been allowed:
- Scroll down to the app you want to take a closer look at and tap its name.
- You will see a list of permissions that the application has granted and has not yet granted.
- Click on any permission to change its settings.
If you want to check a specific permission and see all apps that are using that permission:
- choose Privacy and security from settings.
- You will see a list of permissions (e.g. Contact information and photo). Click on the app you’re interested in to see which apps are licensed and which aren’t.
It depends on which approach you take, but you’ll find the same permissions settings in either case.
partial permissions
Some permissions are more than just on or off. Photo access is a good example: apps can have complete access to your photo and video library, or only selected files. This feature is useful if you want to upload some pictures to Instagram, for example, but don’t want the app to have access to your entire gallery.
Location permission works differently than other permissions because it provides more granular control.
- tap location services At the top Privacy and security Screen.
- You will see a list of apps; to the right of each will be the current status of its location permissions.
- In the list of apps, you’ll notice that some apps have a gray or purple arrow next to them. A gray arrow means they’ve used your location within the past 24 hours, and a purple arrow means they’ve used your location recently—another way to tell if the data an app is collecting is out of scope.
- Select an app to change its access to your iPhone’s location.
- You will see at least three options: no way, Ask next time or when I share (therefore, on a case-by-case basis), and When using the application.
- Some apps, such as weather and map apps, have always option, which means the app can also access your location while running in the background.
- This page also has a accurate locating Toggle switch: Turn it off and the app only allows an approximate location of your location.
at the bottom Privacy and security On the screen, you will find the “App Privacy Report” option. Once this feature is enabled (it’s off by default), you can return here to learn more about how apps use the permissions you grant.