Check App Permissions on Your Phone: Photos, Mic, Location

To check app permissions on your phone, open Settings > Privacy & Security on iPhone, or Settings > Security & Privacy > Privacy > Permission manager on Android. From there you can see every app that has access to your photos, microphone, camera, location, contacts and more, and switch off anything that does not need it.

That one check takes about ten minutes and often surprises people. A flashlight app with your contacts. A game with your microphone. An old shopping app still tracking your location in the background. This guide walks you through it on both phones, tells you which permissions matter most, and shows you how to keep the check-up going without doing it all by hand.

Why app permissions matter more than people think

When you install an app, it usually asks for a few permissions. Most people tap "Allow" to get past the pop-up and keep going. The problem is that those permissions stick. An app you downloaded three years ago for a one-time trip may still have your precise location and microphone access today, even if you have not opened it in months.

Permissions are the keys to the parts of your phone that scammers and data brokers actually want:

• Photos — your ID, bank cards, screenshots of passwords, pictures of your kids and home.
• Microphone — can record audio while the app is open.
• Camera — same risk as the mic, plus video.
• Location — where you live, work, sleep, and go on weekends.
• Contacts — your friends' and family's names, numbers and emails, which can feed targeted scam calls.
• Files and storage — everything else saved on your phone.

The good news: both iPhone and Android now make it easy to see what has access to what. You just have to look.

How to check app permissions on iPhone

These steps work on iOS 17 and later. If your menus look slightly different, the wording is close.

1. Open the main privacy menu

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap Privacy & Security.
3. You will see a list: Location Services, Tracking, Contacts, Calendars, Reminders, Photos, Bluetooth, Microphone, Camera and more.

Tap into each one that matters to you. The list shows every app that has asked for that permission and what you granted.

2. Tighten location access

1. Tap Location Services.
2. Go through the list of apps.
3. For each app, choose Never, Ask Next Time, While Using the App, or Always.
4. Turn off Precise Location for apps that only need a rough area (weather, news, most shopping).

Rule of thumb: only maps, ride-share and delivery apps need "While Using." Almost nothing needs "Always."

3. Review photos access

1. Back in Privacy & Security, tap Photos.
2. For each app, pick None, Limited Access, or Full Access.

Limited Access is the one most people should use. It lets you pick the specific photos the app can see instead of handing over your entire camera roll.

4. Review microphone and camera

Tap Microphone and then Camera and look at the list. If a notes app, flashlight, or wallpaper app has mic or camera access, turn it off. You can always turn it back on later if the app actually needs it.

5. Check the App Privacy Report

1. Go to Settings > Privacy & Security.
2. Scroll down and tap App Privacy Report.
3. Turn it on if it is not already.

After a few days, this report shows which apps have used your camera, mic, location, photos and contacts, and which websites and servers they have contacted in the background. It is the closest thing iPhone gives you to an honest look at who is doing what.

6. Review Tracking

Under Privacy & Security > Tracking, you can turn off Allow Apps to Request to Track. This blocks apps from asking to track you across other companies' apps and websites.

How to check app permissions on Android

Menu names vary a little between Samsung, Pixel, Motorola and others, but the path is similar.

1. Open the permission manager

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap Security & Privacy (on some phones, just Privacy).
3. Tap Privacy, then Permission manager.

You will see a list: Body sensors, Calendar, Call logs, Camera, Contacts, Files and media, Location, Microphone, Nearby devices, Notifications, Phone, Physical activity, SMS, and more.

2. Lock down location

1. Tap Location.
2. Go through Allowed all the time, Allowed only while in use, Ask every time, and Not allowed.
3. Move anything from "all the time" that does not need it (most apps do not).
4. Where you can, turn off Use precise location.

3. Review camera, microphone and photos

Tap into Camera, then Microphone, then Photos and videos (or Files and media). For each one, deny any app you do not trust or do not use. Android will warn you if an app genuinely needs that permission to work.

4. Look at the Privacy dashboard

1. Go to Settings > Security & Privacy > Privacy.
2. Tap Privacy dashboard.

This shows a 24-hour timeline of which apps used your camera, mic and location. If you see an app using the microphone at 2:00 a.m. when you were asleep, that is a strong sign to investigate or uninstall.

5. Turn on the green dots

Both iPhone and recent Android versions show a small green or orange dot at the top of the screen when an app is actively using the camera or microphone. If that dot appears when you are not using the camera, swipe down and tap the dot to see which app is responsible.

The ten-minute permission clean-up checklist

Do this once today, then again every three to six months:

• Open your phone's permission manager.
• Set Location to "While using" or "Ask" for everything except maps.
• Turn off Precise location for weather, news and shopping apps.
• Switch Photos to Limited or Selected photos for social apps.
• Deny Microphone and Camera to any app that is not a calling, video, camera or recording app.
• Revoke Contacts access from games and shopping apps.
• Delete apps you have not opened in 90 days.
• Check the App Privacy Report (iPhone) or Privacy dashboard (Android) for surprises.

Red flags when you review permissions

Some combinations are a strong sign to uninstall:

• A flashlight, QR, battery, or weather app asking for contacts or microphone.
• A game asking for location always or SMS.
• A "free" keyboard or wallpaper app with full file access.
• Any app you do not remember installing that has sensitive permissions.
• An app using your mic or camera in the background according to the privacy dashboard.

When in doubt, uninstall. If you actually need the app later, you can reinstall it and grant the minimum.

Get a running phone security score with the Getshure app

Checking permissions once is good. Keeping them clean month after month is where most people give up. That is why we built the phone security score into the Getshure app.

The score looks at your phone's settings and flags weak spots in plain English: risky permissions, missing screen lock, outdated settings, and more. You get a simple number and a short list of steps to raise it. No jargon, no shame, no sitting through a tutorial.

It also pairs with the rest of the app so you can act on what you see:

• Scam Shield flags likely scam and spam calls and helps you block robocalls.
• Encrypted private vault lets you move sensitive photos (ID, cards, medical) out of your main camera roll so apps with photo access cannot see them.
• Data broker removal sends opt-out requests to people-search sites that already have your info.
• Breach check tells you if your email or passwords have shown up in a known data breach.
• Tracker blocking and safer browsing on public Wi-Fi.

No app can block every scam, tracker or data leak. The Getshure app is here to catch more and help you recover faster. It is included with every Getshure protection plan and billed only by Getshure.

Android users can install it from Google Play. iPhone users get the download link in their Getshure order confirmation email. Protection is not active until you sign in with the email used on your Getshure order — the short guide at Getshure App Sign In walks through it.

The plain-English book behind all of this

If you like understanding why an app wants your location and who ends up with it, our hardcover "Don't Get Screwed by AI" ($29) is written for you. No tech-speak, no fear, just clear chapters on how modern scams work, what your phone gives away, and the simple settings that cut your exposure the most. Free US shipping on orders of $40 or more, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Why readers trust Getshure

We are a small American publisher based in Florida and organized as MetaWise Enterprises, LLC in Delaware (file number 10336625). You can verify the company record on Delaware's business search before you spend a dollar with us.

What else you can check today:

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Our domain is new (2026), so there are not years of third-party reviews yet. What there is: a real Delaware company, a US address and phone, written cancel and refund terms, and a human who answers when you call.

Your next step

Spend ten minutes today on your permission manager. Turn off what does not belong. Then, if you want an ongoing read on your phone and a hand with the parts that are hard to do alone, start a Getshure protection plan and install the app. If it is not for you, cancel in one step and request a refund within 30 days.

• Read more about the app: The Getshure App: What It Does and What It Can't Do.
• Learn how we stand behind every order: GETSHURE Refund Policy.
• Want to clean up what's already out there? See How to Remove Your Personal Information From the Internet.
• Worried a password is already exposed? Start with How to Check if Your Email or Password Was Leaked.

Questions? Call us at (754) 812-1679 or email contact@getshure.com. We answer in plain English, and we expect you to check us out before you buy.