Your iPhone should not make you choose between living normally and being followed everywhere. You can book a GP appointment, check a myGov message, compare flights to Perth, open your banking app at the shops and still refuse a lot of background tracking. The trick is not to turn the phone into a bunker. It is to stop the nosy bits that add little to your day.

This is a lighter privacy pass for normal people. It avoids Lockdown Mode unless you have a specific high-risk reason to use it, because Lockdown Mode can break message previews, web features, shared albums, some attachments and other everyday conveniences. Most Australians are better served by a tidy set of privacy settings they can live with every day.

Start with app tracking

Open Settings, then go to Privacy & Security and tap Tracking. Turn off Allow Apps to Request to Track if you do not want apps asking for permission to track your activity across other companies’ apps and websites.

This is one of the highest-value, lowest-drama privacy switches on the iPhone. It does not stop every kind of measurement, fraud prevention, login detection or advertising. It does stop apps from getting your permission to do the cross-app and cross-site tracking Apple defines under this control.

If you prefer a case-by-case approach, leave the main switch on and review the app list below it. A weather app, shopping app or free game usually does not need permission to track you across other companies’ properties. A niche app you rely on may make a business case for it, but you should treat that as optional, not automatic.

Clean up location access

Go to Settings, Privacy & Security, then Location Services. Do not turn Location Services off globally unless you understand the fallout. Maps, rideshare, emergency features, weather, Find My and photo location tags can all depend on it.

Instead, tap through the app list and make three choices.

  • Never: use this for apps that have no sensible reason to know where you are.
  • While Using the App: use this for maps, transport, delivery, rideshare, parking and local services.
  • Always: reserve this for a small number of apps that genuinely need background location, such as Find My or a trusted safety app.

Then look at Precise Location. Many apps only need your rough area. A weather app can usually cope without your exact street. A navigation app cannot. Your telco app may need location for store finders, outage checks or account security prompts, but it should not automatically get precise background access just because it asks neatly. Turning off precise location for the wrong app is annoying; leaving it on for every app is lazy. Make the choice app by app.

Set Safari to leak less

On newer iPhone software, open Settings, then Apps, then Safari. On older versions, Safari may sit directly in the main Settings list. Under Safari’s privacy and security options, check these first.

  • Prevent Cross-Site Tracking: keep this on. It limits third-party cookies and data used to follow you between websites.
  • Hide IP Address: set it to hide from trackers if available. If you already pay for iCloud+, you may have broader Private Relay options, but you do not need to buy anything for this guide.
  • Fraudulent Website Warning: keep this on. It is a safety feature, not just a privacy setting.
  • Block Pop-ups: keep this on unless a specific government, banking or work site forces you to temporarily allow a pop-up.

Private Browsing has its place, but do not overrate it. It stops Safari keeping those pages in your normal history and can keep private tabs separate from your regular browsing. It does not make you invisible to the site you visit, your employer’s network, your school, your telco or every analytics system on the web.

For sensitive searches, use a private tab and close it when finished. For regular browsing, the bigger win is keeping cross-site tracking prevention on and thinking twice before signing in. If you are logged into a shopping, social, search, banking or government account, that service can usually connect activity inside its own environment. A private tab does not turn a signed-in myGov, Centrelink or Services Australia session into an anonymous one; it mainly keeps that browsing out of your normal Safari trail on the device.

Review microphone, camera and photos

Go back to Settings, Privacy & Security. Open Microphone, Camera and Photos one by one.

For microphone and camera, be blunt. Video meeting apps, camera apps, banking identity checks and messaging apps may need access. A coupon app probably does not need your microphone. If an app breaks later, it can ask again.

Photos deserves extra attention. Where possible, choose Limited Access rather than giving an app your whole photo library. This is handy for marketplace listings, printing apps, social apps and one-off uploads. Full access is convenient, but it can also mean the app sees far more than the one image you meant to share.

Turn on App Privacy Report

Open Settings, Privacy & Security, then App Privacy Report. Turn it on if it is not already enabled.

This is not a magic detector of bad behaviour. Think of it as a diary. After a few days, it can show which apps accessed sensitive permissions such as location, photos, camera, microphone and contacts, and which web domains apps contacted.

Use it for pattern recognition. A maps app contacting location services while you navigate is normal. A simple torch, calculator or wallpaper app repeatedly touching unexpected data deserves a closer look. Do not panic over every domain name; modern apps often rely on payment, analytics, crash reporting, content delivery and login services. Look for mismatches between what the app does and what it touches.

Do not use Lockdown Mode as a lifestyle setting

Lockdown Mode exists for people who may be targeted by unusually sophisticated digital threats. Think journalists handling sensitive sources, human rights workers, political targets, senior executives in hostile disputes, or people with a credible reason to fear spyware-style attacks.

For ordinary privacy housekeeping, it is the wrong tool. It deliberately restricts parts of the iPhone experience to reduce attack surface. That can affect websites, messages, attachments, FaceTime invitations and connected features. If you need it, use it. If your goal is just fewer ad profiles and less casual data leakage, the settings in this guide are the better fit.

What is mostly wishful thinking

Some privacy advice sounds tidy but does not survive contact with daily life.

  • Closing every app constantly is not a serious privacy strategy. It may make you feel in control, but permissions and account settings matter more.
  • Clearing Safari history every night has limited value if you stay logged into the same accounts and accept every cookie prompt without thinking.
  • Using Private Browsing for everything does not make websites forget who you are when you sign in.
  • Denying every permission often just breaks features you actually want. Better privacy comes from giving narrow access to apps that have earned it.
  • Assuming Apple settings stop all tracking is too optimistic. They reduce important categories of tracking, but companies can still measure activity in other ways, especially inside their own apps and services.

A sensible monthly routine

Once a month, spend ten minutes doing a privacy pass. You do not need a spreadsheet or a security ritual. Look for apps you no longer use, permissions that feel too broad, and Safari settings that have drifted after an update or troubleshooting session.

Delete apps you installed for one job and forgot. Remove tracking permission from apps that do not need it. Change location from Always to While Using where possible. Move photo access from full library to limited access where practical. Then check App Privacy Report for anything that feels out of step with how you actually use the phone.

Practical recap

  • Turn off Allow Apps to Request to Track unless you want to decide app by app.
  • Use While Using the App for most location access, and limit Always to apps that genuinely need it.
  • Keep Safari’s Prevent Cross-Site Tracking on.
  • Use Limited Access for photos when an app only needs a few images.
  • Turn on App Privacy Report and check it after a few days.
  • Avoid Lockdown Mode unless your personal risk is unusually high.