Temu (and similar shopping apps)
What the default settings do
Temu asks for a broad set of device permissions during setup and use, commonly including location, photo library access, contacts, and notifications, though the exact set varies by app version and region. Personalized recommendations and ads are on by default, and its referral program, built around inviting contacts for mutual discounts, is a recurring part of the app rather than a one-time prompt.
Independent testing of shopping apps has found Temu’s permission count to sit in the middle of the pack rather than at an extreme, but Temu has still drawn sustained attention from security researchers, consumer advocates, and lawmakers, including regulatory inquiries and at least one US state lawsuit over data practices. None of this means the app is uniquely unsafe, but the defaults merit a closer look than a typical retail app’s.
Shein, another fast-growing China-linked shopping app, has a broadly similar profile: comparable data collected (device identifiers, browsing and purchase behavior, contacts where granted, location), personalized ads on by default, and a similar scrutiny history. The baseline below applies, with only minor wording differences, to Shein’s own settings too.
A reasonable privacy baseline
These settings are split between Temu’s own menu and your phone’s OS-level permissions, since Temu does not expose every control from within the app itself. In-app: Me → Settings → Privacy Settings (wording varies by version). OS-level: iOS Settings → Temu, or Android Settings → Apps → Temu → Permissions.
Device permissions worth reviewing
Contacts → Don't Allow / Deny (iOS: Settings → Temu → Contacts; Android: App info → Permissions → Contacts)
Contacts access powers "find friends on Temu" and invite-based referral features, matching your address book against its user base. Denying this stops the app from reading your contacts; you can still send referral links manually.
Photos and Media → Limited access, or Deny (iOS: Settings → Temu → Photos; Android: App info → Permissions → Photos and videos)
Photo access supports reverse-image search and uploading images for reviews or customer service. If you use these occasionally, iOS's "Limited Access" is a middle ground; on Android, granting access only "while using the app" avoids background access.
Location → While Using the App, or Deny (iOS: Settings → Temu → Location; Android: App info → Permissions → Location)
Location estimates delivery times and localizes deals and pricing. "While Using the App" limits access to when Temu is open; denying it entirely still lets you shop with a manually entered address, though estimates may be less precise.
Personalization and ad tracking
Personalized Ads / Recommendations → Off (Me → Settings → Privacy Settings, wording varies by version)
Temu's in-app privacy settings typically include a toggle for personalized advertising and recommendations based on your browsing and purchase history. Turning it off limits how your activity targets ads and suggestions, though you will still see general, non-personalized promotions.
Allow Tracking → Ask App Not to Track (iOS system prompt at first launch, or Settings → Privacy & Security → Tracking); Android: Opt out of Ads Personalization (Settings → Google → Ads)
On iOS, apps must ask permission before using your advertising identifier to track you across other apps and sites; declining prevents Temu from linking your activity to ad profiles built elsewhere. Android's equivalent is a device-wide Google setting worth enabling regardless of which apps you use.
Notifications and marketing
Push Notifications → Off, or limit to order updates (iOS: Settings → Temu → Notifications; Android: App info → Notifications; also in-app under Settings → Notifications)
By default, Temu sends frequent notifications about deals, flash sales, and price drops alongside order-status updates. Turning notifications off, or restricting categories where the OS allows it, cuts promotional interruptions without affecting order status inside the app.
Marketing Emails → Unsubscribe (link at the bottom of any marketing email, or in-app Settings → Notifications → Email)
Marketing emails are opted in by default at signup. Order confirmations and shipping notices are typically sent regardless, but promotional volume can be reduced via the unsubscribe link or in-app email preferences.
Contacts and referrals
Invite Friends / Find Contacts on Temu → Decline the address-book prompt (appears in-app via the referral or invite feature, separate from the OS contacts permission above)
Beyond the general contacts permission, Temu's referral program actively prompts you to find and invite contacts, powering its "discount for you, discount for them" rewards. Treat this as a distinct decision from the OS permission: accepting it uploads your address book specifically to match against Temu's user base. You can still refer people manually by sharing your code or link.
Account and sign-in
Sign-in Method → Email or phone number, rather than Google/Facebook/Apple (at account creation, or Settings → Account)
Signing in with Google, Facebook, or Apple is faster and means one less password, but it links your Temu activity to that third-party identity and may share basic profile information between the two. A separate email account, ideally with a password manager, keeps your shopping account distinct from your social or Google identity. "Sign in with Apple" is a middle ground, since it can generate a relay email instead of sharing your real one.
Data requests
Request Account Deletion or Data Access → Settings → Account → Delete Account, or email [email protected]
Temu allows account deletion from within the app, and separately lets you request access to, correction of, or a download of your data via its privacy settings page or by emailing its privacy team. Per its published privacy policy, deletion requests can take several business days, some information may be retained where required by law (tax or fraud-prevention records, for example), and your specific rights depend on your location, such as under the GDPR in the EU or state privacy laws in the US.
Trade-offs
- Denying contacts, photos, or location at the OS level may disable specific features (reverse-image search, precise delivery estimates, easy referral matching) without affecting core shopping and checkout.
- Turning off personalized ads and recommendations means product suggestions will be less tailored to your past behavior.
- Declining the invite-friends prompt means sharing referral links manually instead of automatic contact matching.
- A separate email account instead of third-party sign-in means one more password and no automatic profile fill-in at signup.
- Account deletion is not necessarily immediate or complete: data may be retained for legal reasons, and processing can take several days.
- Turning off marketing notifications and emails means missing flash-sale alerts some users find genuinely useful.
Who should not change these settings
- If you regularly use reverse-image search or photo upload for reviews and don’t mind repeated prompts, granting photo access is a reasonable trade for convenience.
- If you actively use Temu’s referral program and want the easiest way to find contacts already on the platform, allowing contacts access serves that purpose.
- If precise delivery estimates and localized deals matter more to you than minimizing location sharing, keeping location on while using the app is defensible.
- If you already use Google or Apple as your primary password manager and prefer fewer accounts to track, third-party sign-in may outweigh the identity-linking trade-off.
- If you rely on flash-sale notifications to catch time-limited discounts, keeping push notifications on is reasonable.