iPhone Safety Check: See Who Has Access in 3 Minutes
Use Safety Check on your iPhone to see which people, apps and devices can reach your location, photos and account, and remove the ones you no longer want, in three minutes.
CasperVPN Team
October 27, 2026
Over time an iPhone collects a lot of quiet permissions: a family member who can see your location, a shared album from an old trip, a laptop you sold that is still signed in to your Apple Account. Safety Check puts all of it on one screen.
1. Open Safety Check
Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Safety Check. It needs iOS 16 or later. You will see two choices: Emergency Reset and Manage Sharing & Access. For a normal review, tap Manage Sharing & Access.
2. Review the people
The first list shows the people you share things with, such as your location in Find My, shared photo albums, shared notes and calendars. Tap a name to see exactly what they can see, and stop sharing anything you no longer want them to have.
3. Review the apps
Next you see which apps can use your location, photos, camera, microphone, contacts and other information. Remove access for any app that does not need it. You can always give it back later in Settings > Privacy & Security.
4. Check your devices
Safety Check then lists every device signed in to your Apple Account. If you see an old phone, a sold laptop or anything you do not recognise, remove it. It is also a good moment to change your Apple Account password if something looks wrong.
5. Know the Quick Exit button
Every Safety Check screen has a Quick Exit button in the corner. It closes Settings at once, which matters if you are reviewing access while someone else might look at your screen.
When to use Emergency Reset
Emergency Reset stops all sharing at once, signs your Apple Account out of other devices and resets app permissions. Use it only if you feel your personal safety is at risk, because it also cuts sharing with people you trust.
What a VPN changes, and what it does not
A VPN encrypts the connection between your phone and the VPN server, so the Wi-Fi network and your internet provider cannot see which sites and apps you talk to. It does not change who you share your location or photos with, and it does not sign other devices out of your account. Safety Check covers that part. More on the limits: What a VPN cannot protect you from.
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CasperVPN encrypts your internet connection with WireGuard, OpenVPN, IKEv2 and CasperCloak, our own protocol, on iPhone and iPad (Mac app coming). Download CasperVPN →
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