Apple Account

iCloud Backup → On (review what is included)

iCloud Backup is useful for restoring your device, but it includes a broad set of data by default. Review which apps back up to iCloud under Settings → [your name] → iCloud → Manage Account Storage → Backups and disable any apps that do not need cloud backup.

Advanced Data Protection for iCloud → On

This enables end-to-end encryption for most iCloud data categories, including backups, Photos, Notes, and more. Without it, Apple holds the encryption keys and can access some data if compelled. Enabling this means only your trusted devices can decrypt the data.

Regional note: since February 21, 2025, Apple no longer offers Advanced Data Protection to new users in the United Kingdom, following a UK government demand for access to encrypted data. If you are in the UK and did not already have it on, the option will not be available to you. Data that is always end-to-end encrypted, such as iCloud Keychain passwords, Health data, iMessage, and FaceTime, is unaffected.

Settings → Privacy & Security → Analytics & Improvements → Share iPhone Analytics → Off

Stops sending daily diagnostics, usage data, and crash logs to Apple.

Share iCloud Analytics → Off

Prevents Apple from collecting analytics about how you use iCloud services.

Improve Siri & Dictation and Improve Siri & Apple Intelligence → Off

Improve Siri & Dictation controls whether audio and transcripts of your Siri and Dictation requests are stored and reviewed by Apple. On newer versions, Improve Siri & Apple Intelligence also lets Apple store and review samples of your Siri, Dictation, and Translate interactions to train its AI models. Siri still works with both off; Apple simply does not keep your samples for product improvement.

Share with App Developers → Off

Stops sharing your app usage data and crash reports with third-party developers.

Settings → Privacy & Security → Apple Advertising → Personalized Ads → Off

Apple shows ads in the App Store, Apple News, and Stocks. Turning this off means those ads will not be targeted based on your behavior, demographics, or interests. You will still see ads, but they will be contextual rather than personalized.

Settings → Siri → Siri & Dictation History → Delete Siri & Dictation History → Delete periodically

Apple associates Siri requests with a random identifier rather than your Apple Account, but it still retains transcripts for a period. Deleting this history removes stored interactions from Apple's servers.

Settings → Privacy & Security → Tracking → Allow Apps to Request to Track → Off

Automatically denies all app tracking requests. Apps will not be able to ask for permission to track you across other apps and websites.

App Privacy Report → On

Found under Settings → Privacy & Security → App Privacy Report. This provides a summary of how apps use the permissions you have granted - including which apps have accessed your location, photos, camera, microphone, and contacts, and which domains they contact. Reviewing this periodically helps identify apps that access more data than expected.

Settings → [your name] → iCloud → Private Relay → On

Available with an iCloud+ subscription. Private Relay routes your Safari browsing through two separate relays so that no single entity - including Apple - can see both who you are and what sites you visit. It does not cover non-Safari traffic or all network requests.

Settings → Mail → Privacy Protection → Protect Mail Activity → On

Prevents email senders from knowing when you open a message, learning your IP address, or determining your location. Apple loads remote content privately in the background, masking your activity from tracking pixels.

Hide My Email → Use when signing up for new services

Available with iCloud+, this feature generates unique, random email addresses that forward to your real inbox. Using it for sign-ups and forms means your real email address is not exposed. You can deactivate any forwarding address independently if it starts receiving unwanted messages.

Settings → Screen Time → Content & Privacy Restrictions → Set Apple Intelligence features you do not use to Don't Allow (iOS 27)

Turn on Content & Privacy Restrictions first if it is off. This menu lets you block individual features such as writing assistance, image creation, and extensions like ChatGPT, and it is where you can switch back to the older Siri ("Siri Classic") if you do not want the new one. Since there is no master switch in iOS 27, it is the most complete way to limit Apple Intelligence.

Settings → Siri → App Access → [app name] → Review, and turn off Learn from this App for sensitive apps

This page controls how Siri learns from the way you use each app to make suggestions. It does not control whether Siri can read an app's content; that is decided by Settings → Apps → [app name] → Search → Show Content in Search, which you can turn off for apps such as banking, health, or journaling apps to keep their content out of Siri's reach.

Settings → Privacy & Security → Apple Intelligence Report → On (if you use Apple Intelligence)

Requests that are too complex for on-device processing are sent to Apple's Private Cloud Compute servers rather than a third party. Turning on the Apple Intelligence Report gives you a log of which requests were sent off-device and processed this way.

Sign in with Apple → Prefer over creating new accounts where available

Sign in with Apple creates a unique relay address for each service and does not share your real email unless you choose to. It also does not allow the service to track you across other apps. When a service offers Sign in with Apple alongside other login options, it is generally the more privacy-preserving choice.

Settings → [your name] → Sign-In & Security → Sign in with Apple → Review apps → Review periodically

Check which apps and services use Sign in with Apple. You can revoke access for services you no longer use, which stops them from authenticating with your Apple Account.