How to see which apps can access your photos on iPhone
A permission says what an app may do. App Privacy Report shows what it actually did.
In short
Go to Settings › Privacy & Security › Photos to see every app that has asked for your photos and the access each one has. To see when apps actually used that access, turn on App Privacy Report in Settings › Privacy & Security: it shows the past 7 days of access to Photos, Camera, Location and more, and is stored only on your iPhone.
Key takeaways
- The Photos list only shows apps that have asked for access.
- App Privacy Report records only from the moment you turn it on.
- Using the camera is a separate permission, listed under Camera.
Check which apps have photo access
- Open Settings › Privacy & Security.
- Tap Photos.
- Review the list. Tap an app to see its current level and change it, or remove its access.
An app appears here only after it has asked. Apps that use Apple’s system photo picker never need to ask, so they don’t appear at all: they only receive the photos you choose, each time you choose them.
Check the camera too
Taking photos and reading your library are two different permissions. Settings › Privacy & Security › Camera lists the apps allowed to use the camera, and a green indicator appears on screen whenever an app is using it. While you are there, Microphone and Location Services are worth the same quick look.
See what apps actually did with App Privacy Report
- Go to Settings › Privacy & Security.
- Scroll down and tap App Privacy Report.
- Tap Turn On App Privacy Report.
The report starts empty, because it only records from the moment you turn it on. After a few days of normal use, Data & Sensor Access shows how many times, and when, each app accessed Photos, Camera, Location, Contacts and other sensitive data over the past 7 days. Network Activity lists the web domains each app contacted over the same period.
The report’s data is encrypted and stored only on your iPhone. Turning the report off clears it.
What to look for
- Apps you don’t remember installing, or no longer use.
- Apps with full access that only ever needed a photo or two.
- Photo access at times when you weren’t using the app.
If someone else set up your iPhone, or had access to it and knows your passcode, Apple’s Personal Safety User Guide suggests reviewing these settings to make sure nothing was changed without you. Safety Check can also reset the privacy permissions of every app in one go.
What these settings can’t tell you
Permissions are about apps. They don’t show who opened the Photos app on your unlocked iPhone, and they don’t limit what someone who knows your passcode can browse. For photos that need protecting from people rather than apps, keep them behind a separate lock: Latent, for instance, encrypts them in a vault that opens with its own pattern or password, not your iPhone passcode.