iPad · Privacy & Security

Manage app permissions, App Privacy Report, and Safety Check

Settings → Privacy & Security is where every permission an app has ever requested — Location, Camera, Microphone, Photos, Contacts, and more — is grouped and individually reviewable, alongside tools like App Privacy Report that show what apps actually did with the access you granted.

How to open Privacy & Security

  1. Open Settings → Privacy & Security.
  2. Tap "App Privacy Report," then "Turn On App Privacy Report."
  3. Check back after a few days to review which apps used which permissions and contacted which domains.

What you should know

  • Open Settings → Privacy & Security and tap any category (Location Services, Camera, Microphone, Photos, etc.) to see and change which apps currently have access.
  • Open "App Privacy Report" and tap "Turn On App Privacy Report" to start logging how often each app used its granted permissions and which network domains it contacted over the last seven days.
  • Use "Safety Check" to quickly review or reset everything shared with people and apps — useful when ending a relationship, lending a device, or after removing someone from Family Sharing.
  • Open Screen Time → Content & Privacy Restrictions for an additional layer of controls, separate from per-app permissions, that can lock down changes to privacy settings themselves.

App Privacy Report only starts logging from the moment you turn it on — it has no historical data from before you enabled it.

Why it matters

Permissions granted once during an app's first launch are easy to forget about — reviewing them periodically is the main way to catch an app that's still accessing your location or microphone long after you stopped actively using it for that purpose.

Best practices

  • Review Location Services permissions every few months and set apps to "While Using the App" instead of "Always" unless background location is genuinely needed.
  • Turn on App Privacy Report if you install apps from outside your usual trusted set, and check it periodically rather than only when something feels off.
  • Run Safety Check before selling, giving away, or lending an iPad for an extended period.

Common problems and fixes

An app keeps re-requesting a permission you already denied
Fully close and reopen the app, or check Settings → Privacy & Security → [Category] directly — some apps re-prompt each launch when a permission is off rather than remembering the denial silently.
App Privacy Report shows no data
Confirm it was turned on under Settings → Privacy & Security → App Privacy Report — it only logs activity going forward, not retroactively.

Tips and tricks

  • The small orange or green dot in the top-right corner of the screen means an app is actively using the microphone or camera right now — swipe down from the top-right to open Control Center and see which app it is.

Frequently asked questions

Can I see which apps accessed my location today?

Yes — Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services shows a small arrow icon next to any app that's used location recently, and App Privacy Report gives a fuller history once enabled.