iPhone Privacy Settings You Should Review Right Now

We are privacy hawks here at the White Hatter. If privacy matters to you, or your kids, there are a few important settings on your iPhone that you will want to check. Some features, especially those tied to Apple’s new AI tools, may be sharing more data than you realize.

Tip: iOS updates can silently reverse some of these settings. Make it a habit to double check privacy settings after major updates.

#1. Disable Apple Intelligence (AI Features)

Apple Intelligence includes features like Genmoji, writing tools, and Siri’s ChatGPT integration. These may send your data to the cloud.

To turn off Apple Intelligence completely:

1. Open Settings

   
   

2. Scroll to Apple Intelligence & Siri

   
   

3. Toggle Apple Intelligence OFF

To turn off ChatGPT specifically:

1. In the same menu, tap ChatGPT under Extensions

   
   

2. Toggle Use ChatGPT OFF

   
   

3. (Optional) Turn Confirm ChatGPT Requests ON to be notified if Siri tries to send info

   
   

For more granular control:

1. Go to Settings → Screen Time

   
   

2. Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions

   
   

3. Tap Intelligence & Siri

   
   

4. Disable individual features like Image Creation, Writing Tools, or ChatGPT

   
   

#2 Turn off Learn From This App

1. Go to Settings → Screen Time

   
   

2. Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions

   
   

3. Tap Intelligence and Siri

   
   

4. Scroll to bottom and tap on App Clips

   
   

5. Toggle off Learn Form This App

#3 Remove Location Data from Shared Photos

Photos can include GPS data, revealing your exact location—like your home or your child’s school.

To remove location from a single photo before sharing:

1. Open Photos

   
   

2. Tap the photo you want to share

   
   

3. Tap the Share icon (bottom left)

   
   

4. Tap Options at the top

   
   

5. Toggle Location OFF

   
   

6. Tap Done, then share the photo

To turn off location tagging for all future photos:

1. Go to Settings → Privacy & Security

   
   

2. Tap Location Services

   
   

3. Scroll to and tap Camera

   
   

4. Set location access to Never

Tip: you can also follow the same process for all the other apps that you don’t want to have access to your location. An exception may be your “Maps App” or “Find My phone App” that you can set to “While Using”

To Turn Off  Significant Location tagging for all future photos:

1. Go to Settings → Privacy & Security

   
   

2. Tap Location Services

   
   

3. Scroll down and tap System Services

   
   

4. Scroll down and tap Significant Locations

   
   

5. Clear history and Toggle Off Significant Locations

   
   

#4 Turn Off Live Photos (Bonus Privacy Tip)

Live Photos capture 3 seconds of audio and video around each image.

To turn off Live Photos:

1. Open the Camera app

   
   

2. Tap the concentric circle icon at the top right until it says Live Off

#5 Turn Off Enhanced Visual Search (Bonus Privacy Tip)

1. Go to Settings

   
   

2. Scroll all the way down and tap Apps

   
   

3. Scroll down and tap Photos

   
   

4. Scroll all the way down and toggle off Enhanced Visual Search

   
   

To make this setting stick:

1. Go to Settings → Camera

   
   

2. Tap Preserve Settings

   
   

3. Toggle Live Photo ON (this preserves your "Live Off" choice each time you open the camera)

   
   

#6 Disable iPhone & iCloud Analytics

These settings send usage and location data to Apple. They often get re-enabled after iOS updates.

To turn them off:

1. Go to Settings → Privacy & Security

   
   

2. Scroll down and tap Analytics & Improvements

   
   

3. Toggle off

   
   

4. Share iPhone Analytics

   
   

5. Share iCloud Analytics

   
   

6. Any other toggles (Fitness+, AR Location Accuracy, etc.)

   
   

#7 Turn Off Apple’s Personalized Ads

Apple tracks your in-app behaviour to serve targeted ads in places like the App Store and News.

To disable:

1. Go to Settings → Privacy & Security

   
   

2. Tap Apple Advertising

   
   

3. Toggle Personalized Ads OFF

This won’t stop all ads but will stop them from being personalized based on your activity.

#8 Turn off App Privacy Report

1. Go To Setting → Privacy & Security

   
   

2. Scroll to bottom and Toggle off App Privacy Report

   
   

#9 Turn off Allow Apps To Track

1. Go To Setting → Privacy & Security

   
   

2. Tap on Tracking

   
   

3. Toggle off Allow Apps To Request to Track

Each of these settings affects how your personal data, and potentially your child’s, is shared or stored. Apple’s defaults favour functionality and personalization, but that often comes at the cost of privacy. Taking a few minutes to adjust these settings gives you more control over what your phone knows, stores, and sends.

Digital Food For Thought

The White Hatter

Facts Not Fear, Facts Not Emotions, Enlighten Not Frighten, Know Tech Not No Tech