How to Stop Apps Tracking You on iPhone and Android

Open a shopping app once, and ads for the same product start following you around the internet. Many apps collect data about what you do, where you go and what you look at, then share it with advertisers and data brokers. The good news is that both iPhone and Android now give you real controls to push back, and changing a handful of settings takes less than ten minutes.

This guide covers the settings that make the biggest difference, on both platforms, plus the habits that keep tracking low over time.

Start with app tracking permission on iPhone

Apple’s App Tracking Transparency system is the single most powerful privacy control on iPhone. When an app wants to track you across other apps and websites, it must ask first. If you have been tapping “Allow” without thinking, you can review the lot in one place.

Open Settings, then Privacy and Security, then Tracking. Here you will see a list of every app that has asked for tracking permission, each with a switch. Turn off tracking for any app that does not need it, which in practice means almost all of them. You can also switch off “Allow Apps to Request to Track” at the top of the screen. With that off, apps cannot even ask, and the answer is automatically no.

This one change stops apps from linking your activity across different companies’ apps and websites for advertising. It does not stop an app from collecting data about what you do inside that app itself, but it breaks the chain that lets advertisers build a profile of you across the internet.

Use the privacy dashboard on Android

Android’s equivalent is the Privacy Dashboard, found in Settings, then Privacy, then Privacy Dashboard. It shows which apps have used sensitive permissions like location, camera and microphone in the last 24 hours. If a torch app accessed your location yesterday, you will see it here.

Tap any permission to see the apps that used it, then change the permission for any app that surprises you. For most apps, “Allow only while using the app” is right for location, and “Don’t allow” is right for anything that has no business knowing where you are.

On Android, also check Settings, then Privacy, then Ads, and tap “Delete advertising ID”. This resets the identifier advertisers use to recognise your phone. It will not remove ads, but it makes them less tailored to you.

Tame location permissions everywhere

Location is the most revealing data your phone holds. It shows where you live, where you work and which doctor you visit. Yet many apps ask for it when they have no need for it at all.

On iPhone, go to Settings, then Privacy and Security, then Location Services. Work through the list and set each app to “Never” unless it genuinely needs your location to function, like a maps or ride-share app. For apps that do need it, “While Using the App” is usually enough. Avoid “Always” unless you have a specific reason.

On Android, the same review lives in Settings, then Location, then App Location Permissions. Change anything set to “Allow all the time” down to “Allow only while using the app” or “Don’t allow”. Also check whether Precise Location is on for each app: many apps work fine with approximate location, which only narrows you down to a broad area.

Cut off contacts, photos and microphone access

Apps often ask for broad access on first launch, and most people grant it to get past the setup screen. A photo editing app does not need your full contacts list, and a game does not need your microphone.

On iPhone, review these in Settings, then Privacy and Security, where each data type has its own screen: Contacts, Photos, Microphone, Camera and more. For photos, the “Selected Photos” option is a smart middle ground: it lets an app see only the pictures you choose, instead of your entire library.

On Android, open Settings, then Privacy, then Permission Manager, and work through the same categories. Pay special attention to apps with microphone or camera access that you rarely use. Removing a permission never breaks an app permanently: if it genuinely needs the access later, it will ask again.

Change the settings inside the apps themselves

Phone-level controls are only half the story. Big apps have their own privacy settings that control what they record about you, and these sit inside the app or your account page rather than in your phone’s settings.

For Google, open your Google Account, then Data and Privacy, and review Web and App Activity, Location History and YouTube History. Set these to auto-delete after three months, or pause them, to limit how much history piles up. For Facebook and Instagram, look in Settings under Accounts Centre, then Your Information and Permissions, where you can limit off-platform activity data.

It is worth doing this once a year. Companies add new data collection options regularly, and a setting you switched off last year may have been reset by an app update.

Build habits that keep tracking low

Settings alone will not solve everything, because tracking also happens through the browser and through accounts you stay signed into. A few habits help. Use your browser’s private mode when you do not want searches linked to your account, and clear cookies for sites you do not use regularly. Think twice before tapping “Sign in with Google” or “Sign in with Apple” on a random website, since that links your activity to your main account.

Finally, review your permissions every few months. Apps update, permissions creep back, and new apps arrive with broad requests. A five-minute check every couple of months keeps the settings you chose actually working for you.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does turning off tracking remove ads?

No. You will still see ads, but they will be less personalised, because advertisers cannot link your activity across different apps and websites as easily. The ads become more generic rather than tailored to your browsing.

Will apps stop working if I remove permissions?

Most apps keep working fine with fewer permissions. If an app genuinely needs a permission, it will ask again when you use the relevant feature, and you can grant it at that point.

Is approximate location good enough for most apps?

Yes, for most purposes. Weather, news and shopping apps work well with approximate location. Only navigation, ride-share and delivery apps truly need your precise location.