Audit app permissions¶

Apps frequently request more access than they need. A flashlight does not need location data. A game does not need microphone access. Reviewing permissions periodically removes exposure that accumulated during installation.

How to¶

• Android: Settings → Apps → select the app → Permissions → revoke unnecessary ones

• iPhone: Settings → Privacy & Security → review each permission category

Patterns worth questioning¶

• Weather apps requesting SMS access

• Games requesting microphone or camera

• Any app labelled “free” with an unusual number of trackers

For apps that are genuinely untrusted but sometimes needed: Shelter (Android) can sandbox them in a separate work profile, limiting their access to the main device environment.

Apps also change. An update can request new permissions that were not present at install; a review done once does not stay current. Treating the permissions audit as a recurring task, rather than a box ticked on arrival, is the version that actually provides coverage.