How can I protect my privacy inside Apps?
- Your apps can get access to a lot of your personal information and it is important to be aware of what each app collects. Here are some general rules:
- Free apps are generally free because they collect your personal information and sell it to others.
- You can change some privacy settings for an app on your mobile device, but some websites will also make you change your privacy settings in the settings section of the company website. More info abut that here.
- Start wit those apps/companies that you think collect most of your personal data. You can find a list of the most common apps, including links to their Privacy Policies, below.
- Please note that changing privacy settings, might cause access issues when using certain apps. If this is the case, your mobile device will automatically prompt you to change your settings, and you can easily enable/disable access again by following the steps below, or the directions given by your device.
1. Change App Privacy Settings on iOS Devices (iPhones, iPads)
- Go to Settings
- Select Apps
- Select Privacy & Security
- Select Permission Manager to review all permissions by category
- Select each individual option (Contacts, Calendars, Reminders, Camera, Microphone, etc.) and enable or disable access rights per app
- Select Location Services and change the status per app to Never, While Using the App, or Ask Next Time
- For most apps, also disable Precise Location to limit tracking to your general area rather than your exact address
- Optional: Tap App Privacy Report to see a summary of which apps have recently accessed your data and which domains they've communicated with
2. Change App Privacy Settings on Android Devices (Samsung, Google Pixel, Motorola, etc.)
- Go to Settings
- Select Security & Privacy
- Tap Privacy Controls
- Select Permission Manager
- Select each option (Calendar, Contacts, Location, Camera, Microphone, etc.) and enable or disable access rights per app
- For Location, set most apps to Only While Using the App or Don't Allow — avoid granting Always unless absolutely necessary
- For apps that don't need your exact position, also disable Use Precise Location
- Optional: Tap Permissions Used in the Last 24 Hours for a quick at-a-glance view of which apps have recently accessed sensitive data
Additional Resources:
Below is a list of the most downloaded apps. Click on each link to access their Privacy Policy (sometimes called Privacy Notice). Generally, you'll find out what personal data the company collects, by looking for the "Information we collect" section. You can generally find this section at the beginning of the Privacy Policy.
