How to check app permissions on Android and iPhone
Every app asks for access to something: your location, camera, contacts, photos or microphone. Both Android and iOS let you review and change these permissions at any time. Ten minutes spent on this every few months is worth it.
On Android
Menus vary between phone makers, but the main routes are the same on recent versions of Android.
Open Settings > Security and privacy > Privacy > Permission manager (on some phones, Settings > Privacy > Permission manager). This lists each permission type, such as Location, Camera and Microphone, and the apps that have it. Tap an app to change its access to "Allow only while using the app", "Ask every time" or "Don't allow".
The Privacy dashboard, in the same area, shows which apps used location, camera and microphone in the last 24 hours, with a timeline. If a game you have not opened today appears there, look into why.
Android also removes permissions from apps you have not used for a few months. You can check this under each app's settings as "Pause app activity if unused" or similar wording.
On iPhone
Open Settings > Privacy & Security. Each category (Location Services, Contacts, Photos, Camera, Microphone and others) lists the apps that asked for it and what they were given.
For photos, iOS lets you give access to selected photos only rather than the whole library. For location, you can turn off Precise Location for apps that only need your rough area, such as a weather app.
The App Privacy Report, at the bottom of the Privacy & Security screen, records when apps access sensitive data and which web domains they contact. Turn it on and check back after a week.
What to switch off
| Permission | When an app needs it |
|---|---|
| Location (always) | Navigation, family location sharing, fitness tracking. Rarely anything else. |
| Microphone | Calls, voice notes, voice search. Not most games. |
| Contacts | Messaging apps. Social apps ask for it to suggest friends, and you can decline. |
| Camera | Camera, scanning and video call apps. |
| Photos (full library) | Photo editors and backup apps. Most others can use selected photos. |
A card or board game that asks for contacts, precise location or the microphone deserves suspicion unless it has voice chat or local multiplayer features that explain it.
Before you install
Store listings show what data an app collects. On Google Play it is the "Data safety" section, and on the App Store it is "App Privacy". These are filled in by the developer, so treat them as a declaration rather than a guarantee.
Related: password managers.
By the Mobiledista editorial team. Updated October 2026.