In iOS 15.2, Apple adds an important privacy feature: the App Privacy Report. This shows you how your iPhone apps handle sensitive data, such as your location, contacts, microphone and photos.
App privacy report
The apps privacy report is a new feature of iOS 15.2, which will be available for download soon. The report makes what apps do with your data more transparent. You not only see how often (and when) an app had access to, for example, your camera and microphone, but also with which domains they made contact.
To enable the app privacy report (requires iOS 15.2 or later), do the following.
- Open the Settings app;
- Tap ‘Privacy’;
- Scroll down and tap ‘App privacy report’;
- Choose “Turn on apps privacy report.”
From the moment you turn it on, the report tracks how apps handle your data. If you already enabled the Record App Activity option after iOS 15, the data was already collected and the new privacy report is automatically enabled.
Four parts
The app privacy report is divided into four parts: ‘Access to data and sensors’, ‘Apps network activity’, ‘Website network activity’ and ‘Most frequently contacted domains’.
1. Sensor data
At the top, you’ll see which apps had access to your camera, contacts, location, Photos library, and microphone. Tapping an app shows you what data they’ve used in the past seven days.
For example, we see that the App Store has had access to our location. By then tapping on the location, you can also see exactly when and how often the app has accessed your location.
2. Network activity of apps
An app can use several internal domains. For example, to send an e-mail, show a video or to build in tracking and analysis tools. Under the heading ‘Network activity of apps’ you will see an overview of domains that have been contacted.
You can tap any app to see which domains have been contacted. If you have installed Instagram, you will see domains such as Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager and Facebook.
3. Website Network Activity
Websites that you visit in a browser such as Safari or Google Chrome can also make contact with other domains. You can see which these are under ‘Network activity of websites’.
4. Most Contacted Domains
At the bottom, you’ll see a list of the domains that apps have contacted the most. The list is usually dominated by various trackers and analysis tools. If you tap on a domain, you can see which apps have contacted this domain – and when.
iOS 15.2 is coming soon. Want to know more about the major interim update? In an article you can read about all iOS 15.2 functions. Also sign up for our newsletter and stay informed about the latest iPhone features!