How to Stop Apps From Tracking You on iPhone and Android

You talk about hiking boots, and the next app you open shows hiking boot ads. Your phone probably isn’t listening. But apps really are collecting a lot: where you go, which other apps you use, which devices are nearby and a unique advertising ID that links it all together. Much of that data can end up with ad networks and data brokers.

You can’t make tracking disappear completely, but 15 minutes in your phone’s settings cuts most of it. This guide covers the 5 big levers on iPhone and Android, in order of impact.

How apps track you

Apps collect data through a few main channels:

• Advertising IDs. Every iPhone and Android phone has a resettable ID that apps can use to recognize you across different apps and link your activity for ads.
• Location. Precise GPS location reveals where you live, work, shop and worship. Some apps collect it even when you’re not using them.
• Bluetooth and Wi-Fi scanning. Nearby devices and networks can reveal where you are, even with GPS off.
• Permissions. Access to contacts, photos, microphone and camera gives apps more data than many need.
• Software development kits (SDKs). Apps often include third-party code from ad and analytics companies that collects data too.

Location data is especially sensitive. In January 2024, the Federal Trade Commission announced an order banning data broker X-Mode Social, later Outlogic, from selling sensitive location data, after alleging it sold data that could reveal visits to places such as medical facilities and places of worship.

Key takeaway: The 2 settings with the biggest payoff are blocking cross-app tracking (iPhone) or deleting your advertising ID (Android), and cutting background location access. Do those first.

The settings that matter, side by side

Menu names vary a little by phone maker and software version, but the settings live in the same areas.

Step 1: Block cross-app tracking

On iPhone

Apple’s App Tracking Transparency requires apps to ask before tracking you across other companies’ apps and websites. To shut it down entirely:

1. Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Tracking.
2. Turn off Allow Apps to Request to Track.

Apple says that with this off, you won’t see tracking prompts, and any app that asks is treated as if you chose Ask App Not to Track. You can also ask apps you previously allowed to stop tracking.

On Android

1. Go to Settings > Privacy > Ads (on some phones, Security & privacy > More privacy settings > Ads).
2. Tap Delete advertising ID and confirm.

Google says that once the ID is deleted, apps trying to read it get a string of zeros instead. On older Android versions, you’ll see Opt out of Ads Personalization instead. You’ll still see ads, but they’re harder to link to you across apps.

Step 2: Cut location tracking

Location is the most revealing data your phone has, so be stingy with it.

1. Review every app’s location access. On iPhone, go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services. On Android, go to Settings > Location > App location permissions.
2. Use Never or Don’t allow for apps that don’t need location, like games, shopping and flashlight apps.
3. Use While Using for apps that do, like maps, weather and ride-sharing. Very few apps need Always.
4. Turn off precise location for apps that only need a rough area, like weather or local news.
5. On Android, turn off Wi-Fi scanning and Bluetooth scanning in location services if you don’t need them. These let the system scan for networks and devices even when Wi-Fi or Bluetooth is off.

Sharing your location on purpose with family is different from apps quietly collecting it. Our guide on how to share your location with family covers the safe way.

Step 3: Limit Bluetooth and nearby devices

Bluetooth access lets apps detect beacons in stores and other nearby devices, which can reveal where you are. On iPhone, review Settings > Privacy & Security > Bluetooth and turn off any app that doesn’t connect to a gadget you own. On Android 12 and later, Bluetooth scanning falls under the Nearby devices permission, which you can review under each app’s permissions.

Keep Bluetooth on for things you use, like earbuds, watches and car audio, but there’s no reason a shopping app needs it.

Step 4: Audit every permission

Next, look at what each app can reach:

• Contacts: apps uploading your address book share your friends’ data too.
• Photos: iPhone lets you share only selected photos; Android offers similar partial access on newer versions.
• Microphone and camera: only for apps that clearly need them, like video calls.
• Local network: only for apps that control devices in your home.

Then check what apps are actually doing. On iPhone, turn on App Privacy Report in Settings > Privacy & Security to see which apps accessed your data and which domains they contacted. On Android, the Privacy dashboard shows which apps used location, camera and microphone recently. If you’re curious whether a smart speaker is listening too, see are smart speakers always listening.

Step 5: Clean up apps and accounts

• Delete apps you haven’t used in months. No app, no tracking.
• Turn on automatic permission removal for unused apps on Android.
• Review your Google and Apple account privacy settings, including ad personalization and activity history.
• Limit in-app tracking through each app’s own privacy settings, especially social media apps.
• Use a privacy-focused browser or tracker blocking for web browsing, since app settings don’t cover websites.

Turn off ad personalization at the account level

Phone settings limit what apps share, but Apple and Google also personalize ads using your account activity. 2 quick switches help:

• iPhone: go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Apple Advertising and turn off Personalized Ads. Apple then stops using your account information to target ads in its own apps, like the App Store and News.
• Google: open My Ad Center from your Google Account and turn off Personalized ads. You’ll still see ads in Google services, but they’re based on less of your activity.

While you’re there, review saved activity like Google’s Web & App Activity and Location History (now Timeline) and set auto-delete if you want history kept for a shorter time.

A VPN hides your traffic from your network, but it doesn’t stop apps from collecting data you’ve given them permission to collect. Our guide on whether you need a VPN explains the difference. If your data is already out there, removing your info from people-search sites is a good next step.

Where to start in 15 minutes

1. Turn off cross-app tracking (iPhone) or delete your advertising ID (Android).
2. Go through location permissions and switch everything you can to Never or While Using.
3. Turn off precise location for apps that only need a rough area.
4. Review Bluetooth or Nearby devices permissions.
5. Delete 5 apps you don’t use.
6. Set a reminder to repeat the review every 3 months, and whenever you get a new phone. Our new phone settings checklist covers the rest.

The bottom line

You can’t stop every form of tracking, but you can make it a lot harder. Block cross-app tracking or delete your ad ID, restrict location to While Using with precise location off, tighten Bluetooth and other permissions, and delete apps you don’t use. Those steps take less time than a coffee break and cut off the data streams that matter most. Several states also give residents rights to opt out of data sales; our state privacy laws guide explains them.

Sources

• Apple Support: If an app asks to track your activity — App Tracking Transparency and the Allow Apps to Request to Track setting
• Google Play Console Help: Advertising ID — how deleting the Android advertising ID works
• Apple Personal Safety User Guide: App privacy features in Apple products — privacy settings, App Tracking Transparency and App Privacy Report
• FTC: Order prohibits data broker X-Mode Social and Outlogic from selling sensitive location data — risks of sold location data