What Is a Permission Audit?
A permission audit is a review of which apps on your phone have access to sensitive data like contacts, location, camera, and microphone. Guard: App Privacy Audit walks you through the permissions your installed apps request, scores each one for privacy risk, and lets you revoke access directly from iOS Settings.
Why Permission Audits Matter
Every app you install asks permission to access something: your location, photos, contacts, calendar, or clipboard. Most users tap "Allow" without thinking about what data they're actually granting away. A permission audit shows you exactly what you've agreed to and flags the permissions that pose the highest risk. This is especially important for parents monitoring children's devices, professionals handling sensitive client data, and anyone who wants transparency over their digital footprint.
How Guard Performs a Permission Audit
Guard shows you a dashboard of 12 common apps (in the free tier) and displays what permissions each would access if installed on your phone. Each app gets a privacy risk score based on the sensitivity of the permissions it requests. Tap any flagged permission, and Guard deep-links you straight into iOS Settings so you can revoke it without navigating menus. This is not a system-level scanner (iOS sandbox prevents that); instead, Guard educates you with a curated set of real-world apps and walks you through the revocation process step by step.
What You Can Audit
The free dashboard includes permission reviews for popular apps across social media, messaging, navigation, and productivity categories. You see what data each app requests: location, photos, contacts, microphone, camera, calendar, clipboard, and more. Personal Pro tier unlocks real-time alerts whenever an app changes its permissions, a clipboard safety check, tracking app details, and a data exposure profile that shows you exactly what's exposed across all your installed apps. Family tier extends the audit to six family devices with child controls so parents can monitor what younger users are allowing.
Permission Audit vs. Other Security Tools
A permission audit is not an antivirus, VPN, or surveillance detector. It doesn't monitor microphone or camera activity (iOS does not expose that telemetry to third-party apps). Instead, it focuses on app permissions: what each app is allowed to access by design. This sits between the granular control iOS gives you in Settings and the oversight most people actually use. Think of it as a guided tour of your privacy surface, with guardrails to help you make intentional choices rather than reactive ones.
When to Run a Permission Audit
Run an audit whenever you install a batch of new apps, before giving an app sensitive permissions, or on a regular cadence (quarterly is common). Parents should audit children's devices before handing them over. Professionals handling client data should audit at least once a year. Guard makes this frictionless: open the app, check your risk score, and revoke anything that seems too permissive in seconds. As of 2026, permission creep is one of the most overlooked privacy risks on mobile devices, yet it takes minutes to address.
Check your app permissions and privacy risk score in seconds with Guard.
Frequently asked questions
What is a permission audit?
A permission audit is a review of which apps have access to your phone's sensitive data (location, contacts, photos, microphone, clipboard, etc.). Guard shows you the permissions 12 common apps would request and assigns a privacy risk score to each one.
Can Guard scan all my installed apps?
The free tier shows a curated dashboard of 12 common apps. Personal Pro tier adds real-time alerts for permission changes across your device, clipboard monitoring, and a data exposure profile that reveals which of your installed apps are most permissive.
How do I revoke app permissions?
Tap any flagged permission in Guard, and it deep-links you straight into iOS Settings. You can then revoke access without navigating the menu yourself. Guard handles the education; iOS handles the enforcement.
Is a permission audit the same as an antivirus scan?
No. A permission audit checks what apps are allowed to access by design (location, contacts, etc.). An antivirus scans for malware. Guard focuses on permissions; it is not antivirus, VPN, or surveillance detection software.
Why do I need a permission audit if iOS lets me manage permissions?
iOS Settings are granular but scattered across multiple menus and screens. Most users never check them. Guard centralises the audit and scores each permission for risk, so you can see your privacy surface at a glance and act fast.
Does Guard work on Android?
Guard is iOS only. It uses iOS-specific architecture to deep-link into Settings and work within Apple's sandbox model. An Android version is not currently available.