Its time for mobile privacy reset!...

You might probably forget which permissions you’ve given to what apps - or you may simply change your mind about how much you want an app to know about you - so it is worth doing a quick mobile privacy health check regularly

If you’ve updated your Apple phone or your Android to the latest version - iOS 14 and Android 11 respectively - hope you noticed that the updates come with enhanced privacy controls.

These new versions allow us an easy way to check, and change, the personal information and phone features that individual apps can access.

So how about taking this opportunity to do a mobile privacy health check of personal and work phones now?

It’s always good to take a few minutes to check the privacy settings in your digital life and ensure that they’re where you want them to be. Even if you’re running earlier OS versions - or don’t have a smartphone at all! -

Before you start

Nowadays the smartphones come with more storage so you might have loads of apps installed, don’t worry: you can check some of the most important permissions for all of them in one go.

Or else you can focus on the apps you use most. there is a new feature in Android 11 which will reset all “sensitive” permissions automatically if an app is not used for a few months. So don't worry if you forget to change permission on old App

Always ask your self when providing access to information or feature for an installed app. You may be noticed that some application ask more information which is not required for the app at all. If the calculator App asks you using your camera and knowing your location, do you really want to give them or do you really want to install such app ?.

Most of such app covertly collect as much information as possible from you and monetise through a data broker. So If in doubt, don’t bother trying to tune up its privacy settings or get rid of it!

The top five things to check

For iOS 14 you can manage all your privacy settings through Settings > Privacy.On Android 11, the location of the Privacy section varies from device to device, so you may need to look around for the settings pages. However, the Android Permission manager page lets you see all app permissions in one place.

1. Location services

This is one of the most important permissions to check and both iOS and Android offer a centralized one-click block option that covers all apps. They have also made it easier to find out which apps already have permission to know where you are - you may be surprised how many apps ask for this permission by default. On iOS 14 and Android 11, you can see which apps have access to location services in a single list. The wording used varies slightly, but both give you three options for each app: always allow, never allow, and only while the app is in use. With iOS 14 small arrows now appear alongside an app in the list or on the home screen when the app is in use to let you know if a location service is being or has been accessed by that app. This is a helpful extra indicator to remind you of the permissions you’ve granted.

2. Tracking

By tracking we don’t mean monitoring your physical location, as in (1) above, but rather keeping track of what you do and where you go online while using your phone.Tracking is a new feature available in iOS 14 (but not in Android 11) - it’s a centralized setting that allows you to bulk-block apps from requesting permission to track you online.Tracking information is gold dust to advertisers who want to know which apps and websites you visit before and after you use their app so they can learn more about you and better target their advertising.If you want to keep that information to yourself, turn to track off (although be aware that apps may still try to track you even if you say no).

3. Camera

Access to your camera gives apps a deeply personal insight into your physical as well as the digital world.Images can also reveal additional information about you, for example when and where a picture was taken.While iOS 14 adopts a binary allow/block approach, Android 11 is a little more granular with allow all the time and allow only while the app is in use options as well as block all the time.On updated Apple devices, a green spot on the home screen will alert you if an app is accessing your camera.

4. Microphone

Just like the camera feature, this is a critical check for both physical and digital privacy.You don’t want third parties picking up sound and conversations without your knowledge and approval.Check your apps and turn the microphone off wherever an app doesn’t need to access it.Helpfully, Apple devices show an amber warning spot next to the battery indicator at the top of the home screen whenever an app is using the microphone.iOS 14 amber warning spot on the home screen when the mic is in use. (Pointer icon shows the location is on, too.)

5. Bluetooth

Bluetooth can be a huge convenience, but you might not want to have Bluetooth connectivity turned on for all apps all the time.If you’re running iOS 14, it’s also worth checking the access settings for local networks.If you have the Local Network feature enabled for an app it can connect to other devices on the LAN, such as other people’s laptops or a printer at the coffee shop, which might not be what you want.iOS 14 Local Network screen. (No Android 11 equivalent.)

Summary

Mobile privacy is about understanding which apps have access to information or features they don’t need and remove those permissions.

This will help you to protect your personal information better and to defend yourself against cyberthreats that abuse legitimate-looking apps to gather intelligence about you.