Over the years, Apple has introduced many features that put iPhone owners in control over privacy basics like tracking. While some of these features come configured for convenience, others require manual adjustment for maximum protection.
Many of these options are tucked away within the Settings app, making them easy to overlook. Understanding what these features do, knowing when to use them, and learning how to enable or disable them is essential for creating a more private and secure experience on your iPhone.
1
App Tracking Transparency (ATT)
App Tracking Transparency (ATT) is a privacy feature that puts you in control over your data. It requires third-party apps and websites to request your permission before they can track your online activity across other companies’ apps and websites for advertising or data sharing. As such, if you want to prevent apps from tracking your activity across the web, you must enable and set up App Tracking Transparency on your iPhone.
To do this, open the Settings app and go to Privacy & Security > Tracking. You’ll see a toggle labeled “Allow Apps to Request to Track.” Flip it on if it isn’t already, and it will force apps on your iPhone to ask for permission before they can track your online activity across other apps and websites.
You’ll see a list of apps that are currently requesting tracking permissions. Leave the toggle on next to the apps you want to allow tracking and toggle it off for the ones to which you want to deny consent.
Alternatively, if you want to deny tracking permission for all apps on your iPhone altogether, you can do that too. Go to the Tracking settings page, toggle off “Allow Apps to Request to Track”, and choose “Ask Apps to Stop Tracking.”
2
Advertising & Analytics Tracking
It isn’t just third-party apps that can track online activity on your iPhone. Apple also uses information about your activity across its different apps to show personalized ads. Not only that, but it also collects diagnostics and usage data to improve the overall user experience of iOS and its apps.
However, things don’t have to be this way. You can easily turn off these options to stop sharing usage data and other information with Apple.
Head to Settings > Privacy & Security. Here, scroll down, tap on “Analytics & Improvements,” and toggle off the “Share iPhone Analytics” option. Turn off the toggles next to other options too. Your iPhone will no longer share analytics and similar details with Apple.
Now, go back to the previous screen and tap on “Apple Advertising.” Toggle off the “Personalized Ads” option, and you should see fewer personalized ads on your iPhone going forward.
If you previously granted the Camera app access to your location data, it will geotag the photos and videos you take with Location Services enabled on your iPhone. For those unaware, geotagging means your photos and videos include details, such as latitude, longitude, place name, and more, about the location where they were taken.
Although geotagging makes organizing and searching for photos and videos easy, it can compromise your privacy, as anyone can look up their metadata to find out your location information. Thankfully, you can remove location data from your photos and videos before sharing them with someone or putting them online.
To do so, go to the Photos app and open the photo or video whose location data you want to remove. Swipe up or tap the “i” button to reveal its details. Hit “Adjust” next to the location name and select “No Location” to remove the location metadata from the photo or video.
Once done, you can now share the photo or video without worrying about it revealing your location.
If you want to save the hassle of removing location data from your photos and videos, you can prevent your iPhone from geotagging your future captures.
Head to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services. Toggle on “Location Services” if it isn’t already. Scroll down, select “Camera” and choose “Never” under Allow Location Access. This is the nuclear option, and we’d recommend instead just stripping location from any images you share rather than compromising your entire personal collection.
4
Location Services
Just like how you can prevent the Camera app from accessing your location data, you can do the same for other apps, too. This is useful when you think an app’s request for location access isn’t justified, or you want to use an app without giving away your location. You can do this for both third-party and pre-installed apps on your iPhone.
To revoke Location Services access for an app, go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services. Flip the “Location Services” toggle on if it’s off to enable it. Now, scroll down, and you’ll see all the apps installed on your iPhone. Tap on an app to view the kind of location access it has. Choose “Never” if you don’t want it to access your location information at all.
Alternatively, you may choose the “While Using the App” option to allow the app to access your location only when it’s in use.
Remember certain apps can’t function without location access. For others, you can choose between precise or general location data.
5
Significant Locations
Significant Locations is a subset of the Location Services settings in iOS. It’s enabled by default, and it automatically records and keeps a history of your frequently visited places, such as home, office, and the like. Your iPhone does this to give you personalized services like traffic predictions, more accurate photo memories, and relevant suggestions inside certain Apple apps.
Apple says all the collected information is end-to-end encrypted and stored locally on the device, meaning no one, including Apple, can access or read it. However, if you find your movement being tracked invasive and don’t really care about the minimal benefits it serves, you can turn it off.
To disable Significant Locations, head to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services. Toggle on the “Location Services” option, scroll down to the bottom, and tap on “System Services.” Scroll down until you find the “Significant Locations” option and tap on it. You may need to authenticate yourself to proceed further. Do that, flip the switch next to “Significant Locations” off, and select “Turn Off” in the confirmation prompt.
Once done, you can clear all the previously saved locations. Scroll down to the bottom, tap “Clear History,” and confirm the action by tapping “Clear History” on the confirmation prompt.
6
Background App Refresh
Background App Refresh is an iOS feature that allows apps to update their content while running in the background. Doing so enables apps to fetch new data when available so they can show you up-to-date information when you head back into them.
While allowing apps to refresh in the background is beneficial, it has certain drawbacks. Firstly, it increases your data usage, which can be an issue if you’re on a limited cellular plan. Secondly, it affects the battery life of your iPhone to some degree, since apps are continuously fetching updates in the background. Lastly, in some cases, certain apps can collect and send data to their servers or tracking companies while running in the background.
If you think an app might be sending your data elsewhere, you can prevent it from refreshing in the background. To do this, go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh. Flip the toggle off next to the app you don’t want to refresh in the background.
By changing the iOS settings above, you can significantly reduce the amount of information your iPhone collects on you and shares with Apple or third-party apps or websites.
That said, these actions alone wouldn’t build a private experience on your iPhone. You should also follow good internet practices to limit being tracked on your device. Some of the things you can do include being mindful of apps you install, using a reputable VPN service, enabling tracking prevention options in your browser, using Hide My Email to avoid sharing your real email address with everyone and, most importantly, keeping your iPhone updated.
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