App Permissions Audit Cheat Sheet | Stop Apps Tracking Your Location & Mic | iPhone & Android Privacy | Printable PDF | Digital Download

🔒 Find Out Which Apps Are Watching, Listening, and Tracking You

App Permissions Audit Cheat Sheet

Which Apps Are Listening Right Now?

• You tapped "Allow" on every pop-up just to get past it.
• A free game has access to your microphone.
• Apps you never open still track your location.
• Your whole address book is shared with apps that don't need it.
• You're not sure where the permission settings even are.
• You haven't checked since the day you got the phone.

Every app asks for access, and most of us say yes without thinking. A flashlight doesn't need your contacts and a puzzle game doesn't need your microphone, but once you've tapped "Allow", that access usually stays in place until you take it back.

This one-page cheat sheet walks you through a quick permission audit on iPhone and Android: where to look, which permissions matter most, the red-flag combinations to remove right away, and a short monthly habit that keeps things tidy.

What's inside: four steps, fewer snoops

📱 Where To Look: the exact menus on iPhone (Privacy & Security) and Android (Permission manager), organized by permission type.

🎤 High-Risk Permissions: microphone, camera, location and contacts, with which kinds of apps actually need them and which don't.

🚩 Red-Flag Combinations: simple apps asking for contacts, location or microphone access; "Always" location on apps you don't use for navigation; and free apps combining background activity, location and mic.

✅ Monthly Habit: a quick re-audit and how to read your phone's built-in access report, the Privacy dashboard on Android and the App Privacy Report on iPhone.

Who it's for

• iPhone and Android users who've never checked their permissions
• Parents setting up or reviewing a child's phone
• Older adults who want a simple, guided privacy check
• Anyone who's wondered why an ad seemed to know what they just said

Why it works: it turns a buried, confusing settings menu into a short checklist you can finish in one sitting, and a monthly five-minute habit keeps apps from quietly collecting more than they need.

📄 1-page printable PDF (US Letter) · Instant download · Unlimited personal printing

A Making Sense Of Security guide: free guides and tools at MakingSenseOfSecurity.com

Build Your MSOS Cybersecurity Toolkit

Pair this cheat sheet with:

• Spotting Malicious Apps Cheat Sheet
• iPhone Privacy Settings Checklist
• Android Privacy Settings Checklist
• Phone Location Privacy Settings Card
• Hidden Tracker Detection Checklist
• Turning Off Location Sharing Card

Related Topics

App permissions, Android permissions, iPhone privacy, mobile privacy, phone tracking, app tracking, cybersecurity checklist, smartphone privacy.

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