When it comes to your iPhone and risky apps, the platform does a fairly decent job of filtering the bad apples from the good apples. But no platform is perfect. It’s still possible for you to be using apps on your iPhone that could be snatching more of your data than you’re comfortable giving.
You may be surprised to learn that these four apps are risky when it comes to your privacy and data. You can choose to delete them and safeguard your phone’s data.
Flashlight
The Flashlight app asks for a number of permissions, such as access to your location, that it logistically has no reason to have. As a general rule, if an app is requesting permissions and you can’t explain how that information would help it do its job, don’t provide the information. Even better: don’t use that app. In the case of iPhone, your device already has a pretty solid built-in flashlight setting.
DoorDash
DoorDash and other food delivery apps have been found to save so much of your data. If you think about it, they need your location and credit card information, but may also access your contacts and use your personal preference information to sell to advertisers.
Games
Be careful with gaming apps. Many of them, including the free ones, rely on your data to make money from advertisers. Games like Angry Birds raised suspicions several years ago, but the problem hasn’t simply gone away.
Siri
Some iPhone users may have given up on Siri years ago after discovering how the service “listens in” on users. But if you’re still using Siri, know that it is constantly listening, collecting data on your likes, dislikes, and interests, AND selling that data to third-party sources. Sure, Siri can provide conveniences — it’s nice to be able ask a question to the air and be given the answer — but its benefits may not outweigh the potential privacy cons.
