In Summary
With iOS 15, Apple has tightened the noose around privacy and added certain improvements. One such addition is the new App Privacy Report feature which allows users to glance at the various information the installed apps accessed. Today, we will have a look at how you can use the new App Privacy Report in iOS 15.
Apps have been suspect for some time now when it comes to accessing your data in the background, such as your location, camera, microphone, and more. No matter how popular or useful an app might be, it would be best if you never allowed it to access these things unless you are entirely sure of what it is doing.
With the App Privacy Report feature in iOS 15 and iPadOS 15, you can quickly take a look at the various information accessed by these apps and revoke certain permissions for them if needed. It gives you the chance to see exactly what your apps are doing and decide if they are accessing information they shouldn’t.
Steps to turn on App Privacy Report on iPhone and iPad
Open the Settings app on your iPhone running iOS 15.2. Scroll down till you find the Privacy tab.
Under Privacy, scroll down and look for the App Privacy Report option.
Hit Turn On App Privacy Report
The process is pretty much the same with iPad on iPadOS 15.
How to Use App Privacy Report in iOS 15 and iPadOS 15
Now that we have looked at the steps to enable the App Privacy Report feature in iOS 15 let us take a look at how you can use this feature to become the true master of your personal information. The App Privacy Report feature displays app information for the last 7 days, divided into different sections. Do not worry; we will look at all these sections in detail. Please note that the steps mentioned below are pretty much the same for both iOS 15 and iPadOS 15.
4 Sections in App Privacy Report
Data and Sensor Access App Network Activity Website Network Activity Most Contacted Domains
1. Data and Sensor Access
As the name suggests, data and sensor access reports all apps that have accessed your data and also used sensors such as cameras and microphones. For example, if Facebook (now Meta) has accessed your camera in the background, you can quickly check this in the app privacy report and take appropriate action. If you dig deeper, you can even check every single time Facebook has accessed your camera in the last 7 days. Data and Sensor Access includes
Contacts Camera Location Media Library Microphone Photos
2. Website Network Activity
The next activity under the App Privacy Report is the “Website Network.” This category displays all domains contacted by the websites you have recently visited using Apple’s own Safari browser. It’s usual for the websites to connect to domains like Google (for Analytics, fonts, etc.) and Cloudflare (for cache, DNS, etc.). If you see unusual suspects in the list, that’s a red flag about that website.
3. App Network Activity
The app network activity is very similar to the website network activity, but for apps. This activity helps you track all the domains your downloaded apps have used/contacted in the last 7 days. If you dive deep into the settings, you can also see which websites you have visited with these apps or if these apps have collected tracking activity.
4. Most Contacted Domains
If you simply want to take a look at the most contacted domains of the apps you have installed on your iPhone with iOS 15, then the “Most Contacted Domains” feature is just what you need. As the name suggests, it is a common list of the most contacted domains. Usually, these domains are filled with various trackers and analytics domains.
How to Disable App Privacy Report
However, it is a fairly straightforward process if you do not like the App Privacy Report feature for whatever reason and are willing to disable it.
Open Settings app on your iPhone running iOS 15. Scroll down till you find the Privacy tab. Under Privacy, scroll down and look for the App Privacy Report option. Hit turn off the App Privacy Report option.
Improve your Privacy on iPhones using Apple Privacy Report
As you have seen in this article, Apple has done a commendable job with the new Apple Privacy Report feature in iOS 15.2. It is an effective way to keep your iPhone personal information safe and ensure that your apps do not access any of your private information unless you grant them permission. Let us know in the comments below if you like this new privacy feature from Apple and if you have successfully enabled App Privacy Report on your iPhone running iOS 15.2 or later. Once you have successfully updated your iPhone to the latest version of iOS, you should be able to see the “App Privacy Report” option in the Settings app of your iPhone.
