Review what your phone apps can access
Apps collect permissions over the years: location, contacts, microphone, photos. Ten minutes on your phone cleans most of it up.
Every app asks for something when you install it, and we tap Allow to get on with it. A few years later, a flashlight app still has your location and a game you haven’t opened since 2023 still reads your contacts.
Ten minutes, once or twice a year:
- iPhone: Settings, Privacy & Security. Go through Location Services, Contacts, Photos, Microphone and Camera.
- Android: Settings, Security & privacy, Privacy, Permission manager.
- Set location to “While Using” or off, never Always unless the app truly needs it.
- Give photo access to selected photos instead of the whole library.
- Delete apps you don’t use. It’s the cleanest way to remove their access.
Also check Sign in with Google or Apple, which shows the third-party apps connected to your account. Remove the ones you don’t recognise.