1. Disable "Allow Apps to Request to Track"

This is the single most important switch on your iPhone, yet millions of users still leave it on by mistake. When this feature is active, apps can ask for permission to follow your activity across other companies' apps and websites, building a massive database of your habits.

Leaving this on is essentially handing advertisers a map of your digital life. They use your "IDFA" (Identifier for Advertisers) to link your browsing history, purchases, and location data into one cohesive shadow profile. Even if you click "Ask App Not to Track" individually, it is safer to cut off the request mechanism entirely.

Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Tracking. Toggle Allow Apps to Request to Track to the OFF position. This automatically sends a "Do Not Track" signal to every new app you download, saving you from having to deny requests constantly.

2. Block Third-Party AI Data Sharing

New in iOS 19, Apple has cracked down on how apps share your data with external AI models. Many apps now send your usage data to third-party AI services (like ChatGPT wrappers or analytics bots) to "personalize" your experience, often without clear consent.

If you ignore this, your personal chats, notes, or usage patterns could be used to train AI models that belong to advertising companies. This creates a new layer of privacy risk where your data isn't just sold; it is "learned" by an algorithm.

Navigate to Settings > Privacy & Security > AI & Analytics Sharing. Here, you will see a list of apps that have requested access to share data with third-party generative AI models. Turn off permission for any app that does not strictly need it for functionality.

3. Enable Expanded Link Tracking Protection

Marketers love adding long strings of gibberish to the end of URLs. These "tracking parameters" tell them exactly who clicked a link, from which email, and at what time. In previous iOS versions, protection against this was limited.

iOS 19 expands this protection aggressively across Mail, Messages, and Safari Private Browsing. Without this enabled, simply clicking a link in a newsletter can confirm your email is active and tag your device for future retargeting campaigns.

To ensure this is working everywhere, go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Advanced Tracking and Fingerprinting Protection. Set this to "All Browsing" (not just Private Browsing). This strips the spying parameters from links before they even load.

4. Audit Your App Privacy Report

Most users do not realize their apps are phoning home while they sleep. Your weather app might be checking your location 50 times a night, or a calculator app might be pinging an ad server in a foreign country.

The App Privacy Report is your surveillance camera for the apps on your phone. It reveals exactly which domains apps are contacting and how often. If you see an app contacting "ad.doubleclick.net" or similar domains constantly, you know it is draining your battery to track you.

Enable this by going to Settings > Privacy & Security > App Privacy Report > Turn On App Privacy Report. Let it run for a few days, then check back. If you see an app abusing permissions, delete it or restrict its network access.

5. Switch Location to "While Using" and Turn Off "Precise"

Apps often demand your location even when you aren't using them. Worse, they ask for "Precise Location," which pinpoints you to the exact building you are standing in. A food delivery app needs your house number; a weather app does not.

Advertisers pay a premium for precise location history because it reveals where you work, where you sleep, and which stores you visit. This physical-world data is the "holy grail" for building a profile of your spending power and lifestyle.

Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services. Review every app in the list. Change access to "While Using the App" or "Never". For apps that don't need your exact address (like Weather or News), toggle the Precise Location switch OFF.

6. Nuke Significant Locations

Deep in your system settings, your iPhone keeps a log of "Significant Locations" - places you visit frequently, like your home and office. Apple uses this for predictive traffic routing and photo tagging, but it is a store of highly sensitive data.

While this data is encrypted, privacy-conscious users prefer not to have a detailed log of their daily movements stored on any device. If your phone is ever compromised or unlocked, this map provides a complete timeline of your life.

Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > System Services. Scroll down to Significant Locations. Authenticate with FaceID, then click Clear History. You can also toggle the feature OFF completely to stop future logging.

7. Limit Photo Library Access

Stop giving social media apps access to your entire camera roll. When an app asks for photo access, many users blindly tap "Allow Full Access." This gives that app the ability to scan every photo you have ever taken, including screenshots of passwords or private moments.

iOS 19 makes it easier to restrict this, but you must be proactive. Metadata in your photos (time, date, and location) can also be scraped if you grant full library access.

Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Photos. For each app, ensure the setting is on "Limited Access" (or "Selected Photos"). This forces you to manually choose which specific images the app can see, keeping the rest of your library invisible to it.

8. Turn Off Personalized Ads from Apple

It is ironic to block third-party trackers while letting the phone manufacturer track you. Apple has its own advertising platform for the App Store, Apple News, and Stocks. By default, they use your account info to target these ads.

While Apple's privacy policy is better than most, you are still being targeted based on your carrier, device type, and download history. If you want a truly neutral experience, you need to opt out of this first-party tracking as well.

Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Apple Advertising. Toggle Personalized Ads to OFF. This won't reduce the number of ads you see in the App Store, but it stops them from being based on your behavioral data.

9. Use "Hide My Email" for App Signups

Your email address is your unique digital passport. Once an ad network has it, they can track you across the web indefinitely. Using your real email for every random app signup is a rookie mistake.

iCloud+ includes a feature that generates unique, random email addresses that forward to your real inbox. If one of those aliases gets sold to a spam list, you can simply delete it and cut off the tie immediately.

Whenever you sign up for a new app or newsletter, tap the "Hide My Email" option above the keyboard. Later, manage these aliases in Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > Hide My Email. Deactivate any that start receiving spam.

10. Disable Microphone Access for Non-Essentials

The myth that "Facebook listens to your conversations" persists because it feels real. While technically unproven, apps do have legitimate access to your microphone if you granted it years ago for a one-time feature.

An app with microphone permission can technically listen whenever the app is active in the foreground. There is no reason a flashlight app, a calculator, or a simple puzzle game needs access to your audio input.

Head to Settings > Privacy & Security > Microphone. Scan the list ruthlessly. If an app's primary function isn't recording audio or making calls, turn the switch OFF. You can always re-enable it temporarily if you really need to use a voice feature later.