How to Access Your App Privacy Reports in iOS 15

Learn how apps are using your data

By
Sam Costello
Sam Costello
Sam Costello
Writer
  • Ithaca College
Sam Costello has been writing about tech since 2000. His writing has appeared in publications such as CNN.com, PC World, InfoWord, and many others.
lifewire's editorial guidelines
Updated on January 19, 2022
Reviewed by
Jon Fisher
Jon Fisher headshot
Reviewed by Jon Fisher
  • Wichita Technical Institute
Jonathan Fisher is a CompTIA certified technologist with more than 6 years' experience writing for publications like TechNorms and Help Desk Geek.
lifewire's editorial guidelines

What to Know

  • To access an App Privacy Report, go to Settings > Privacy.
  • To create App Privacy Reports, you need to enable the feature by going to Settings > Privacy > Record App Activity > set slider to on/green.

As part of Apple's ongoing focus on privacy and giving users control of their data, iOS 15 and higher offer a feature called App Privacy Report. App Privacy Report lets you see what apps have tried to access which of your data, what other systems they've contacted, and more. This article explains how to enable and use the App Privacy Report.

How Do You Access App Privacy Report in iOS 15?

Follow these steps to access your App Privacy Reports in iOS 15 and higher:

  1. Tap Settings.

  2. Tap Privacy.

    Settings app and Privacy in settings highlighted on iOS

  3. Tap App Privacy Report.

  4. The report includes categories such as apps that access your data and sensors, and apps that connect to other services or sites over the internet. Browse the categories and tap an app that you want to see more data about.

  5. Once you're viewing an individual App Privacy Report, you can tap individual lines of the report to see more detail on each aspect of how the app is using your data.

    The Sketch Space app info highlighted in App Privacy Report

Interesting in other ways to protect yourself and your data from intrusive marketers and apps? Check out App Tracking Transparency and iCloud+ Private Relay.

How Do You Turn on Privacy Reports in iOS 15? 

Before you can use App Privacy Reports, though, you need to enable the feature. Here's what to do:

  1. Tap Settings.

  2. Tap Privacy.

    Settings app and Privacy in settings highlighted on iOS

  3. Scroll to the bottom of the screen and tap Record App Activity.

  4. Move the Record App Activity slider to on/green.

    Record App Activity and green toggle switch in iOS 15 settings

    You can download all of your app activity data for your own analysis. Tap Save App Activity to export a NDJSON file of your data that you can use however you like.

FAQ
  • How do I lock my iPhone apps?

    Go to Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions > Allowed Apps. Turn off an app's switch if you don't want to lock it. There are also apps like Guided Access that prevent you from leaving the app you're currently using.

  • How do I change privacy settings for Safari on iOS 15?

    Safari privacy settings can be accessed through the Settings app. For example, to manage your Safari passwords, go to Settings > Passwords & Accounts > Website & App Passwords (for iOS 13 and earlier) or Settings > Passwords for newer versions. Safari also offers a Private Browsing feature to cover your tracks online.

  • How do I protect my private info stored on my iPhone?

    Go to Settings > Privacy to manage the personal information that apps can gain access to, including Location Services, Contacts, and Calendars. Other iPhone security features include Touch ID and Face ID.

Was this page helpful?