The average iPhone user has at least 60 apps installed on their device.
You might see them to communicate, count calories, and navigate new cities, but companies are stuffing them with sneaky permission requests and hidden trackers to increase their profits. I’m here.
Developers leveraged Apple’s smartphone settings to create profiles of users that could gain access to the websites, travel destinations, and places they visited and sell them to the highest bidder.
These tactics are legal, as the companies behind the apps offer opt-in or opt-out choices by clicking a few menus on your smartphone, but most users don’t know what to look for. No.
We’ll show you how to find the menus you need to turn off these options, and what features will be unavailable when you turn them off.
If you turn off things like location tracking at the iOS level, all apps you install will have to follow the same rules.
This means that in some cases, you don’t need to change settings for every app.
The app uses iPhone settings to track you, but there is a way to turn off the option
Please note before entering the settings
Safety is the biggest concern. Many smartphones use location data to send information to first responders in an emergency.
By changing your settings, you may see options that allow emergency services to circumvent your restrictions.
Some apps, especially those that rely on location or activity data, may not function properly if you disable tracking.
Ride-hailing and fitness tracking apps may not work or may be less accurate.
For apps you use regularly and trust with your data, you can choose to provide access to your location.
3 settings you can change
1. Ad tracking
It’s natural for developers to know what they’re doing with their apps.
But they’ve added the tactic of tracking you between websites and while you’re on the move with your phone, capturing bits and pieces of information to create a detailed profile of who you are.
This allows for more targeted advertising, and many companies share or sell that information to other companies.
This must be changed for each app. You can deny the request the first time you see it, but the apps you use most likely already do so.
Radio host Kim Commando offers advice to help people navigate the world of technology
[設定]>[プライバシーとセキュリティ]>[追跡]Go to Block the app and stop it from asking you questions in the first place.
When turned off: Advertising from big retailers like Facebook and Amazon isn’t going away.
But you’ve taken away one data source that makes them scarily smart about who you are and what you like.
2. Important places
Your iPhone keeps track of the places you visit often.
Apple says this is to help you navigate to your favorite spots faster and make map recommendations smarter.
That’s why Maps shows you recommended places at certain times of the day. It’s all based on your pattern.
To opt out and delete your existing data,[設定]>[プライバシーとセキュリティ]>[位置情報サービス]>[システム サービス]>[重要な場所]access.
When turned off: The results will be less targeted and specific to past behavior.
For example, when you search for coffee, your favorite chain won’t be the first to appear.
When you start navigation mode at the end of a long day at the office, home isn’t the first suggested destination.
3. Location tracking
These are truly the keys to the castle and you are in control.
According to Apple, “Location Services uses device sensors such as GPS and Bluetooth (where available) and the location of crowd-sourced Wi-Fi hotspots and cell towers to determine your device’s location. I will specify.”
A 2022 investigation found that Apple was collecting data while customers used apps, even when customers turned off analytics sharing.
The discovery was made by two developers who discovered that the tech giant was recording users’ every move in the pre-installed App Store, Apple Music, Apple TV, Books, and Stocks apps.
The study comes just over a year after Apple released controversial privacy controls that required iPhone users to give permission to track their app activity for advertising purposes, making them more dependent on advertising. The earnings of many companies and developers that were doing so were dug up.
Please use common sense here. Some apps, like your favorite navigation app, need access to your full location to show you where you’re going.
You don’t need location to get hooked on the latest games. Many apps fall somewhere in between, so use your best judgment.
If you remove permissions, you can always re-grant them.
To change location tracking,[設定]>[プライバシーとセキュリティ]>[位置情報サービス]Proceed to
From here, you can disable location tracking across your iPhone or give permission to specific apps you trust to record where you are at specific times.
When turned off: The app will no longer know where you are, so it will take longer to check in to your social media locations. If you turn off precise location verification, you won’t be able to get turn-by-turn directions in the Maps app.
Remember, you are responsible for making these changes. Decide what’s important to you and your privacy and act accordingly.
