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Start with app permissions, then tighten location access, tracking and advertising controls. On both iPhone and Android, the safest setup is selective rather than absolute: deny access an app does not need, use approximate or one-time location when it is sufficient, and review the operating system’s privacy report after you have used the phone. Do not assume any single switch stops all data collection or advertising.

The menus differ by operating-system version and, on Android, by phone manufacturer. The paths below follow Apple and Google’s documented controls; if a label is different, use Settings search for the feature name.

What to change first on any new phone

During setup, apps often ask for several permissions in quick succession. You do not have to approve them immediately. Choose the least access that still lets the app perform its stated job, then revisit the decision after you know how you use it.

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  1. Pause at every permission prompt. Ask whether the app needs this data for its main function. A navigation app may need location; a simple calculator normally does not need contacts or a microphone.
  2. Prefer limited access. Use one-time or while-in-use location where available. Choose approximate location when an app only needs your general area. Give full, continuous or background access only when the feature genuinely depends on it.
  3. Review permissions by category. Check location, camera, microphone, contacts, photos, Bluetooth and local-network access after installing your essential apps.
  4. Turn on the platform’s audit feature. The report or dashboard can reveal access you did not expect, but it only records activity after activation and its history varies by operating system version.
  5. Recheck after major updates. System labels and available choices change between releases, especially on Android devices that use manufacturer software.

When a feature stops working after you remove access, restore only the specific permission it needs. This is more precise than turning every permission back on.

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iPhone: privacy settings to review

On a current iPhone, most app controls are grouped under Settings > Privacy & Security. Apple’s categories show which apps have requested a type of access; an app does not appear in a category until it has asked for that permission.

1. Audit sensitive permissions by category

Open Settings > Privacy & Security and inspect, at minimum, Location Services, Photos, Contacts, Camera, Microphone, Bluetooth and Local Network. Open each category and change individual app decisions.

  • Photos: Give an editor or social app access only to selected photos when that option meets your needs. Full-library access is broader than choosing individual items.
  • Contacts: Allow access only when the app needs to find or share contacts. Messaging apps can often work with a manually selected person instead.
  • Camera and Microphone: Keep access off until an app needs recording, calling or scanning. Turn it back on for that specific task if necessary.
  • Bluetooth: Review apps that can discover or interact with nearby accessories. A permission is not automatically proof that an app is using Bluetooth continuously.
  • Local Network: Allow access for apps that control devices or discover services on your home network; deny it for apps with no such function.

These switches govern the iPhone’s access to the categories. They do not replace the app developer’s own privacy policy or control information the app receives through other means.

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2. Make Location Services a per-app decision

Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services, leave the master service enabled if you rely on location features, and open each app’s entry. Use While Using the App when continuous background access is unnecessary. If offered and suitable, choose a one-time permission for a single task.

Turn Precise Location off for an app that only needs a general area, such as a service that shows nearby businesses without turn-by-turn navigation. Keep it on for functions that depend on an exact position, including navigation, some ride-hailing workflows and device-finding features. Apple warns that disabling Location Services globally can limit the performance of iPhone and third-party features, so use the global switch only when you intentionally accept those effects.

3. Decide how apps may request cross-company tracking

Open Settings > Privacy & Security > Tracking. You can change an individual app’s decision or turn off Allow Apps to Request to Track. With that request setting off, future requests are treated as denied.

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This permission concerns tracking activity across other companies’ apps and websites for advertising or sharing with data brokers. It is not a universal ban on every form of analytics, account-based measurement or data collection within an app. An app can still operate under its own privacy practices and terms.

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4. Activate App Privacy Report before you rely on it

Choose Settings > Privacy & Security > App Privacy Report and turn it on. The report begins collecting only after activation, so it cannot reconstruct earlier activity. As data accumulates, it shows access to sensitive data and sensors and records app network activity from the past seven days.

The report is stored on the iPhone. Use it as an audit prompt rather than a verdict: an unexpected access event is a reason to ask what feature caused it, check the app’s settings and remove access that is not justified. If you activate the report immediately after setup, wait until you have used the phone normally before drawing conclusions from the seven-day view.

5. Separate Apple ad personalization from app tracking

If you want to limit personalization of ads delivered by Apple services, open Settings > Privacy & Security > Apple Advertising and turn off Personalized Ads. Apple says this may make ads less relevant but may not reduce how many ads you see.

Apple Advertising is separate from the Tracking permission. Changing one does not duplicate or replace the other; review both according to the kind of advertising activity you want to limit.

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6. Use Safety Check when another person may have access

For a review of sharing with people and devices, open Settings > Privacy & Security > Safety Check where available. Safety Check can help stop some location and content sharing, reset system app privacy permissions and restrict certain account-connected device access.

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It is not a complete audit of every account or sharing route. Apple specifically notes that it does not cover every password, social-media sharing arrangement or service. Check individual apps, account security pages and connected-device lists separately when you are concerned about another person’s access.

Android: privacy settings to review

Android’s labels and menu locations vary by release and manufacturer. The documented controls are commonly reached from Settings > Security and Privacy or Settings > Privacy; on some phones you may need one additional Privacy tap. If a path differs, search Settings for Privacy Dashboard, Permission Manager or the permission category itself.

1. Open Privacy Dashboard or Permission Manager

Open Privacy Dashboard to see recent access to sensitive categories, then select a category to inspect the apps involved. You can also open Permission Manager and review permissions directly.

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The history window is version-dependent in Google’s documented flow: Android 13 shows seven days, while Android 12 shows 24 hours. Other releases or manufacturer interfaces may present different windows or labels. Treat the displayed period as the phone’s available history, not as a record of everything that happened before the feature was enabled.

2. Set each app’s permission level

Review Location, Camera, Microphone, Contacts, Photos and other sensitive categories. Depending on the permission and Android version, choices can include Allow only while using the app, Ask every time, Allow all the time, Allow once or Don’t allow.

Use the narrowest choice that supports the feature. Background location is appropriate only when a function must operate while you are not using the app. For an app that needs your area but not your exact position, choose Approximate instead of Precise when both are offered.

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Android can also reset permissions for some unused apps. If an app loses access after a long period without use, grant the specific permission again when you next need the feature rather than broadly enabling permissions for every app.

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3. Check location access and precision separately

Open the location permission list and examine each app’s access level, including whether it can run in the background. A weather, shopping or local-search app may work with approximate, while-in-use access; navigation, emergency or tracking features may require precise or background access.

Manufacturer software can rename these choices or place them under a different submenu. Use Settings search for the app name or Location permission if the documented route is not visible.

4. Review Android’s Ad privacy controls

Where available, open Settings > Google > All services > Privacy & security > Ads > Ads privacy. Review the separate controls for Ad topics, App-suggested ads and Ad measurement.

  • Ad topics: Controls topics that apps may use to help select ads.
  • App-suggested ads: Controls whether apps can suggest ads using information associated with your activity in those apps.
  • Ad measurement: Controls measurement signals used to understand ad performance.

Availability and the topics shown can vary. Google states that an ad you see may be personalized depending on these settings, your advertising ID settings and the policies of the apps you use. Therefore, these controls are not a universal advertising or tracking off switch.

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5. Consider the advertising ID limitation, with realistic expectations

On supported Android versions, Google documents deleting the advertising ID in the advertising settings. Deletion does not stop ads. Apps may use other identifiers or information, and their own policies still apply. Android release, manufacturer software and account configuration can change the exact path, so search Settings for advertising ID if the menu above is different.

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iPhone and Android: which controls are actually comparable?

The platforms overlap on basic permission management, but similarly named settings do not have identical scope. Compare what each control governs rather than counting switches.

Privacy area iPhone Android Practical choice
App access Category-based controls under Settings > Privacy & Security. Privacy Dashboard and Permission Manager, with labels varying by release and manufacturer. Review each app and grant only the access required for its function.
Location precision Per-app Location Services with a Precise Location switch and while-in-use choices. Per-app approximate or precise choices, plus foreground/background options where supported. Reduce precision or duration when the app can still work correctly.
Cross-company tracking Tracking permission controls requests for tracking across other companies’ apps and websites. No single documented switch with the same scope; Ad privacy covers topics, app-suggested ads and measurement. Do not treat Android Ad privacy settings as an equivalent to Apple’s Tracking permission.
Audit history App Privacy Report must be activated and then shows the past seven days as it accumulates. Google’s described dashboard flow shows seven days on Android 13 and 24 hours on Android 12. Enable the feature before you need evidence and check the version-specific window.
Platform ad personalization Apple Advertising controls personalization of ads delivered by Apple services; ad quantity may not change. Ads privacy and advertising-ID controls influence available signals, but ads and other identifiers can remain. Expect fewer personalization signals, not an ad-free phone.
Person-to-person sharing Safety Check can stop some sharing and device access, but does not cover every account or service. Review account sharing, app access and connected devices through the relevant Google or manufacturer service. Audit people, accounts and apps separately from operating-system permissions.

How to troubleshoot a privacy change that breaks a feature

  1. Identify the exact symptom. A blank map, failed video call, missing photo, unavailable accessory or absent notification usually points to one category rather than a general privacy failure.
  2. Open the app’s permission page. On iPhone, return to Settings > Privacy & Security and the relevant category. On Android, use Permission Manager or the app’s permissions screen.
  3. Restore the minimum level. Try while-in-use instead of all-the-time location, selected photos instead of the full library, or one-time access instead of permanent access.
  4. Test the feature immediately. If it works, keep the narrower setting. If it does not, determine whether the app’s documented function genuinely requires broader access.
  5. Revoke access again when finished. Temporary access is preferable to leaving a broad permission enabled indefinitely for a one-off task.

Do not disable Location Services, camera or microphone globally just because one app behaved unexpectedly. Global changes can reduce the usefulness of unrelated features and are harder to diagnose.

What these settings cannot guarantee

Permissions govern operating-system access; they do not make an app trustworthy by themselves. Third-party apps and websites operate under their own terms and privacy practices. An app may receive information you provide directly, infer information from activity or use identifiers allowed by its policies.

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Likewise, turning off Apple’s Tracking requests, disabling Apple Personalized Ads, changing Android Ad privacy controls or deleting an advertising ID does not promise that no advertising, analytics or measurement occurs. Google explicitly notes that ad personalization can depend on app policies and other settings, and that deleting the advertising ID does not prevent ads or the use of other identifiers.

Location choices also involve utility. A navigation app may be inaccurate without precise access; a device-finding feature may be less useful if location is disabled; and background access can be necessary for a feature that must operate while the app is closed. Make each decision against the feature you actually use.

A repeatable new-phone privacy checklist

  • Decline or postpone permissions during setup instead of approving every prompt.
  • Review location, camera, microphone, contacts, photos, Bluetooth and local-network access by app.
  • Use while-in-use, one-time, approximate or selected-item access when it is sufficient.
  • On iPhone, inspect Settings > Privacy & Security > Tracking and decide whether future tracking requests should be allowed.
  • On iPhone, activate App Privacy Report before relying on its seven-day history.
  • On iPhone, review Apple Advertising separately from app tracking.
  • Use Safety Check when you need to examine some sharing with people or connected devices, while remembering its coverage limits.
  • On Android, open Privacy Dashboard or Permission Manager and verify the history window for your version.
  • On Android, review Ads privacy’s topics, app-suggested ads and measurement controls where available.
  • On Android, treat advertising-ID deletion as a reduction in one identifier, not a promise that ads or tracking disappear.
  • After changing a setting, test the affected feature and restore only the minimum access it needs.

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