If the ability to stop app tracking in iOS 14 is like an attack on the ad industry and a direct crackdown on apps like Google and Facebook in particular, the App Privacy Report is set to tighten the tracking screw even more in iOS 15. With the help of this latest privacy-focused feature, users can track every activity of an app, allowing them to see how often the app uses sensitive permissions and what type of data it may have accessed recently. This guide explains what App Privacy Report is in iOS 15 and how to use it on your iPhone and iPad.
How to Use App Privacy Report on iPhone (2021)
To get started, let’s first go through the basics and understand what the App Privacy Report is and how it works in iOS 15. We also discuss other important aspects such as how to enable and use the feature, how to manage permissions and more.
What Is the App Privacy Report in iOS 15 and How Does It Work?
At WWDC 2021, Apple showcased its App Privacy Report as one of the biggest additions to its arsenal of privacy features in iOS 15. Now that it has become the norm for important features to be rolled out in a later update, the App Privacy Report did not come with the official release of iOS 15, which was released in September. Putting an end to speculation, Apple finally introduced the App Privacy Report in the iOS 15.2 beta.
The App Privacy Report is designed to make monitoring more transparent and ensures that there is no mystery about what an app does behind the scenes. It lets you control how often apps access your sensitive information, such as:
- Persons
- Camera
- Location
- Photos
- Camera
- Microphone
With a detailed report on data and sensor access, app and website network activity, and the most frequently contacted domains in the last 7 days, the App Privacy Report keeps you fully informed about the use of your personal information.
Previously, you could control an app’s access to your sensitive information, but you had no way of knowing how many times your personal information was accessed. Some creepy apps use this ambiguity to use allowed information more often than necessary.
With the App Privacy Report, you can now see how often each app uses the sensitive permissions you previously granted. With the rollout of this feature, there’s a good chance that data-hungry apps will start behaving well. Because they knew that a user could easily spot their greed. That said, check out how you can enable App Privacy Report in iOS 15 on your iPhone.
How to Open App Privacy Report on iPhone and iPad
To access this privacy feature, make sure your iPhone or iPad is running iOS 15.2/ iPadOS 15.2 or later. You can learn how to install iOS 15 beta profile on your iPhone using the linked guide. One on one, follow these steps:
1. Start Settings app on your iPhone.
2. Now select Privacy.
3. Next, scroll down and tap . Application Privacy Report.
4. Finally, “Open the App Privacy Report” button. It will now take some time before you start filling in the data as you continue to use the apps and websites on your iOS 15 device.
If you have, it’s worth pointing out. Turned on “Save App Activity” In iOS 15 or iOS 15.1, the App Privacy Report is already enabled on your device. Therefore, you will immediately see a detailed privacy report on this screen.
Use the App Privacy Report on iPhone and iPad
To make it easier for users to understand the type and amount of data collected, the Application Privacy Report is divided into multiple subcategories. It shows how often an app accesses certain sensitive permissions, tracking third-party data sharing not only by apps but also by websites you visit in Safari. Let’s see how you can make sense of the App Privacy Report in iOS 15:
Data and Sensor Access
The Data & Sensor section shows a list of all apps that access sensors and data granted via privacy permissions. Notifies you when it accesses sensitive information such as apps. contacts, camera, location, microphone, photos and media library.
Application Network Activity
Browse the list of domains that apps have contacted in the last 7 days using App Network Activity. It shows the internal domains used by applications and allows you to find out which third-party services/websites were accessed by the application in the background, including analytics and monitoring tools.
You can tap “.Show All ↓” option to view the comprehensive list of the most active areas that apps on your iPhone communicate with. There is also an option to sort the entire list in alphabetical order. Also, under each app, you can view the list of websites visited within the app.
Website Network Activity
Although Website Network Activity is similar to App Network Activity, it lists all the domains that the websites you visit in Apple’s Safari browser and the apps on your device communicate with. Using this category you can: find different ad trackers and analytics websites that most applications use to gather information
Most Contacted Domains
As the name suggests, the Most Contacted Domains section shows a detailed list of areas that apps have contacted in the last 7 days, including specifically ad trackers, analytics tools, font APIs, and more. Tapping any domain will let you know which apps/websites are pinging that domain, along with timestamps.
How to Share App Privacy Report on iPhone and iPad
iOS 15 also provides a simple way to export the App Privacy Report. So, if you want to share a detailed privacy report with your friends or keep track of your privacy data, you can do so easily.
1. Open the Settings app and Privacy -> App Privacy Report.
2. Next, tap . Share button located in the upper right corner of the screen and select the preferred media.
How to Turn Off App Privacy Report on iPhone and iPad
If you no longer want to save privacy data and display App Privacy Report on your iOS 15 device, you can easily disable it. Note that turning it off will remove all existing data. However, here are the steps to disable the App Privacy Report:
one. Open the Settings app and Privacy -> App Privacy Report.
2. Now scroll down and “Close App Privacy Report” choice.
3. Then a pop-up window will appear like this: “Stop recording app activity? All existing information about app activity will be deleted immediately. You can start re-recording app activity at any time, and information fills in as apps are used.” Faucet OK to confirm and turn off the feature
Manage Privacy on a Per-App Basis on iPhone and iPad
Now you can easily manage privacy permissions on an app-by-app basis in iOS 15 on iPhone and iPad if you find that an app is out of scope or badly accessing sensitive permissions in the background. So you can customize the privacy settings on your device to allow/disable apps from accessing personal information and that’s how it works.
1. Open the Settings app and go to Privacy.
2. You should now see a long list of privacy settings for photos, contacts, LAN access on iOS, camera, microphone, location and more.
3. Next, go to specific settings and allow/not allow an app to access certain data and sensors according to your needs.
Enable and Use App Privacy Report in iOS 15
And that’s it. This concludes our guide on how to enable and use the App Privacy Report feature on iPhone. As a user, we have the right to know who uses our personal information, for what purpose it is used and how often an application accesses this information. The more transparently an application deals with sensitive information, the more reliable it will be. On the contrary, uncertainty can produce nothing but chaos and confusion. What do you think of this new privacy-focused feature in iOS 15? Be sure to let us know in the comments section below.
