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Online safety Guides API About

Android and iPhone · runs on your device

Mobile App Safety Check

Pick the kind of app and the permissions it asks for. We flag the ones that do not fit, then show you how to review everything already on your phone.

Review an app's permissions

Your phone
Which permissions does it ask for or have?

What we test, what we do not, and what we store

Full method →

We test

  • Whether each permission you tick is normal for the kind of app you chose, using a built-in table of typical needs
  • Extra risk when an app was installed outside the official store or came from a message

We do not test

  • The app itself: we cannot scan, download or inspect an app, so this cannot detect malware
  • Permissions you do not tell us about: it only reviews what you tick
  • Whether the publisher is honest: check the developer name and reviews in the official store

What we store

  • Nothing: your choices are analysed in your browser and never sent to us
  • Anonymous usage counts only: which tool was completed and a coarse result category, never what you typed, your IP address or your results. Nothing is sent if your browser signals Global Privacy Control or Do Not Track.

Third parties that see data: None. This tool makes no network request with your choices.

Does this app need those permissions?

Every app asks for access to parts of your phone, and most requests are reasonable: a maps app needs your location, a video-call app needs the camera. Trouble starts when the request does not match the job. A flashlight that wants your contacts and text messages, or a game that asks for accessibility access, is a red flag. This tool compares what you tick with what an app of that kind normally needs and explains each mismatch.

The permissions that deserve the most suspicion

  • Accessibility service (Android). It lets an app read the screen and tap or type for you. Legitimate for screen readers and some password managers, and the most abused permission in banking malware.
  • Notification access. Reads every notification, including one-time codes from your bank.
  • SMS and call history. Reads codes and messages. Few apps outside messaging and banking need it.
  • Display over other apps. Lets an app draw fake login screens on top of real ones.
  • Device administrator and install other apps. Makes the app hard to remove and lets it add more apps.
  • Keyboard with full access. A keyboard can see everything you type.

This website cannot see your apps

A web page cannot list the apps installed on your phone or read their permissions. That is why this tool asks you to tick what you see. You do the looking, on your phone, using the steps below; the tool helps you judge what you found.

How to review the apps already on your phone

Steps below were checked against Google's Android Help and Apple Support pages on 30 October 2026. Menu names differ between phone makers and software versions; if yours do not match, search your phone's Settings for "permission".

Android (Google Pixel and most Android phones)

  1. By permission: Settings, Security & privacy, Privacy, Permission manager. Tap a permission type (Location, Camera, Microphone, Contacts, SMS) to see which apps have it, then tap an app to change it. For location, camera and microphone you can choose "Allow only while using the app", "Ask every time" or "Don't allow".
  2. By app: Settings, Apps, pick the app, then Permissions. Under "Unused app settings" you can turn on "Pause app activity if unused" to remove permissions from apps you stop using.
  3. Camera or microphone for all apps: Settings, Security & privacy, Privacy, Privacy controls.
  4. Open Settings, Accessibility, and check the installed or downloaded services. Turn off anything you do not recognise.
  5. Open Settings, Apps, Special app access (or Advanced) and review Notification access, Device admin apps, Display over other apps and Install unknown apps.
  6. Open Google Play, your profile, Play Protect, and run a scan. Remove apps you no longer use.

iPhone and iPad

  1. Open Settings, Privacy & Security, and go through Location Services, Contacts, Photos, Camera and Microphone to see which apps have each. Apple's guide for your iOS version, "Control access to information in apps on iPhone", shows the exact options.
  2. Turn on App Privacy Report in the same menu (iOS 15.2 or later). It starts collecting only once turned on, covers the past 7 days, and shows which apps used which sensors and which domains they contacted.
  3. Open Settings, General, VPN and Device Management, and remove profiles or VPNs you do not recognise.
  4. Use Safety Check in Privacy and Security to review what you share with other people and apps.

Signs a device may be compromised

None of these proves anything on its own, but together they deserve attention: apps you do not remember installing, battery draining unusually fast, unexplained data use, pop-ups outside your browser, settings that change by themselves, or security alerts for accounts you did not touch. If several appear, remove suspicious apps, update the system, change important passwords from a different device and consider a factory reset after backing up your own photos and files.

What this tool cannot do

It cannot scan an app or tell you whether the developer is honest. A malicious app can ask for only ordinary permissions, and a legitimate one can ask for unusual ones. Combine this check with the publisher name, the number and age of reviews, and the source you installed from.

Last reviewed 2026-10-29. Found a mistake? Report a correction (how we handle them).

Fix it and learn more

App permissions explained for Android and iPhoneWhat camera, location, contacts, microphone and other app permissions really allow, which to refuse, and how to review and remove them on Android and iPhone.What to do if you clicked a phishing linkClicked a suspicious link or typed a password on a fake page? Follow these steps in order: what to change, check and report, and what can wait.Strong passwords and two-step verification, made simpleSecure your accounts: unique passwords with a password manager, two-step verification starting with email, and how to end a stolen session.

Also check your…

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Frequently asked questions

Can this detect malware on my phone?

No. It reviews permissions you tell it about. It cannot scan or inspect apps. Use your phone's built-in protection, such as Google Play Protect, and install only from official stores.

Why is the accessibility permission treated as so risky?

It gives an app near-complete control of the screen. Banking malware uses it to read codes, tap buttons and approve payments. It is legitimate for genuine accessibility tools, so only grant it to apps built for that purpose.

Are iPhones safe from malicious apps?

The App Store's review makes harmful apps rarer, but not impossible, and scams arrive through messages, fake profiles and phishing rather than apps. Permissions still matter on iPhone, so review them in Privacy and Security.

What should I do if an app has permissions it should not?

Turn the permission off and see whether the app still works. If it refuses to run without it, or you do not recognise the app, uninstall it and change the passwords of accounts you used on that phone.

Is my choice sent to you?

No. Everything is analysed in your browser. We only count that a check was completed.