Apple iOS 26
What the default settings do
iOS 26, released in September 2025 as part of Apple’s shift to year-based version numbers, keeps the privacy foundations of iOS 18 largely intact. App Tracking Transparency still prompts apps before they can track you across other companies’ apps and websites, and Safari’s tracking and fingerprinting protections are now on by default in all browsing, not just Private Browsing.
The bigger change is Apple Intelligence itself. On supported devices, Siri & Search has been renamed Apple Intelligence & Siri, and Apple Intelligence can now hand certain requests off to OpenAI’s ChatGPT through a built-in extension. This is off by default and built with Apple’s usual data-minimization approach, but it is a new data flow worth configuring deliberately. Other defaults are unchanged from iOS 18: analytics are sent to Apple unless you opt out, personalized ads are on by default, and location history is quietly logged unless disabled.
A reasonable privacy baseline
These settings are found in the Settings app on your iPhone. On devices that support Apple Intelligence, some menu names differ slightly from older iPhones; both are noted below where relevant.
Privacy & Security
Tracking → Allow Apps to Request to Track → Off
This automatically denies all tracking requests from apps. When set to Off, apps receive a blank identifier instead of your device's advertising ID. You will not see tracking permission prompts.
Analytics & Improvements → Share iPhone Analytics → Off
Stops sending daily diagnostics and usage data to Apple, including hardware information, OS configuration, and how you use your device. Paired with an Apple Watch, the toggle reads Share iPhone & Watch Analytics.
Analytics & Improvements → Improve Siri & Dictation → Off
Prevents audio recordings and transcripts of Siri, Dictation, and Translate interactions from being stored by Apple for quality review. It also governs whether Apple Intelligence interaction data is shared back for model improvement.
Analytics & Improvements → Share with App Developers → Off
Stops sending crash data and usage statistics from third-party apps to their developers through Apple.
Apple Advertising → Personalized Ads → Off
Apple still shows ads in the App Store, Apple News, and Stocks. Turning this off means those ads are not based on your activity, interests, or App Store searches.
Location Services
Location Services → System Services → Significant Locations & Routes → Off
In iOS 26 this feature has expanded from tracking places you visit to also logging routes you travel. It is encrypted and stored on-device, but disabling it prevents the log from being created in the first place.
Location Services → System Services → iPhone Analytics → Off
Prevents location data from being included in analytics reports sent to Apple.
Location Services → System Services → Product Improvement → Off
Stops Apple from using your location data to improve Apple Maps, routing, and other location-based products.
Per-app location access → Review and set to "While Using the App" instead of "Always" where practical
Most apps work correctly with location access only while they are open. Review the list under Privacy & Security → Location Services and adjust apps individually.
Siri & Apple Intelligence
Apple Intelligence & Siri → Siri & Dictation History → Delete Siri & Dictation History
Removes any Siri interaction data currently stored on Apple's servers. This is a one-time action rather than a toggle. On iPhones that do not support Apple Intelligence, this same option is found under Siri & Search.
Apple Intelligence & Siri → Siri Suggestions & Privacy → per-app "Learn from this Application" toggles → Review and disable for apps you consider sensitive
Siri indexes content from apps to power suggestions and search. You may want to turn this off for banking, health, or messaging apps where the content is personal.
Apple Intelligence & Siri → ChatGPT → Use ChatGPT → Off (off by default)
iOS 26 lets Siri forward certain requests to ChatGPT when a task is beyond what Apple's own on-device and private cloud models can handle. It is off by default and requires no ChatGPT account; Apple obscures your IP address and shares only limited metadata like region, device type, and language. A companion toggle, Confirm ChatGPT Requests, is on by default and makes Siri ask before each handoff rather than doing it silently. Leaving Use ChatGPT off means Siri never sends requests outside Apple's own systems.
Safari
Apps → Safari → Prevent Cross-Site Tracking → On (on by default)
Blocks third-party cookies and cross-site tracking using Intelligent Tracking Prevention.
Apps → Safari → Hide IP Address → From Trackers
Hides your IP address from known tracking domains. If you subscribe to iCloud+, this uses Private Relay. Otherwise it relies on local processing.
Apps → Safari → Advanced → Privacy Preserving Ad Measurement → Off
This feature lets websites measure ad effectiveness without identifying you personally. It is a privacy-respecting approach to ad measurement, but turning it off prevents any ad attribution data from being shared.
Apps → Safari → Advanced Tracking and Fingerprinting Protection → On (on by default in all browsing as of iOS 26)
Previously limited to Private Browsing, this protection now applies across all of Safari by default, reducing how precisely sites can fingerprint your device. Leaving this at the default is reasonable.
Photos
Apps → Photos → Enhanced Visual Search → Off
This lets Photos and Spotlight identify landmarks in your pictures. Apple built it with homomorphic encryption, differential privacy, and a relay that separates your identity from the request, so even when on, Apple is not designed to see your photos or IP address. Turning it off simply keeps all image data on-device, the more minimal choice even though the feature is already privacy-preserving.
Lockdown Mode
Privacy & Security → Lockdown Mode → Off (leave at default for most people)
Lockdown Mode restricts device functionality to reduce the attack surface against targeted spyware, blocking most message attachments, disabling many Safari web technologies, and restricting incoming connections. It is designed for journalists, activists, and others facing state-sponsored threats. Most people should leave it off.
Trade-offs
- Turning off Significant Locations & Routes means predictive commute times in Maps and some Siri location-based suggestions will not work.
- Disabling personalized ads does not reduce the number of ads in Apple apps, only their relevance to you.
- Setting all apps to “While Using” for location may stop some apps, such as weather widgets or fitness trackers, from alerting you in the background.
- Disabling analytics means Apple receives less data to diagnose bugs that may affect your device model.
- Leaving the ChatGPT extension off means Siri cannot answer questions beyond Apple’s own models; you can still open the ChatGPT app separately on your own terms.
- Turning off Enhanced Visual Search means Photos will not identify landmarks in your pictures, even though the feature was built to do so without exposing your photos or IP address.
- Disabling Privacy Preserving Ad Measurement removes a privacy-friendly alternative to more invasive tracking methods.
Who should not change these settings
- If you find Siri’s location-based suggestions valuable, such as travel time estimates, keeping Significant Locations & Routes on is reasonable; the data stays encrypted on-device.
- If you use apps that need background location, such as Find My Friends or home automation, setting those apps to “Always” makes sense.
- If you want Siri to handle harder or more open-ended questions, turning on the ChatGPT extension with “Confirm ChatGPT Requests” left on is a reasonable middle ground.
- If you regularly photograph landmarks or places, Enhanced Visual Search’s privacy-preserving design makes leaving it on a defensible choice.
- If you want to help Apple improve its products, leaving analytics on is a valid choice.
- If you face credible threats of targeted surveillance, Lockdown Mode may be worth enabling despite its restrictions.