Tracking notifications alert you when an app follows your location, contacts, or photos without asking first
Apple added tracking notifications in iOS 14.5 to show you when an app accesses your location, contacts, photos, or microphone in the background — times when you are not actively using that app. The notification appears as a small banner at the top of your screen or in your notification center, telling you which app did it and what it accessed. This is different from permission requests: you may have already said yes to an app using your location, but the notification reminds you that it just did.
These notifications exist because apps can track you without you realizing it. A weather app might check your location every few minutes. A social media app might scan your contacts to suggest friends. A messaging app might access your microphone to listen for voice commands — or sometimes by mistake. The notification is Apple's way of making that activity visible instead of silent.
You cannot turn off tracking notifications entirely without disabling the privacy features that trigger them. What you can do is control which apps send them, or stop the apps from accessing that data in the first place.
Key Takeaways
- Tracking notifications appear when an app accesses your location, contacts, photos, microphone, or camera while you are not actively using it.
- You can remove a notification by revoking the app's permission to access that data in Settings, which stops both the tracking and the alerts.
- Some notifications are unavoidable if you want the app to work — a maps app needs location access, and a messaging app needs microphone access for calls.
- Notifications do not mean an app is doing anything wrong; many legitimate apps check your location or contacts regularly as part of normal operation.
Where tracking notifications appear on your iPhone
Tracking notifications show up in two places. The first is a banner that slides down from the top of your screen when the tracking happens. It stays for a few seconds and then disappears, showing the app name and what it accessed — for example, "Maps accessed your location" or "Facebook accessed your contacts." If you miss it, the notification also appears in your Notification Center, which you open by swiping down from the top of the screen.
The notification does not interrupt what you are doing the way a call or message does. It is designed to be noticeable but not disruptive. If you tap the notification, it opens the app that triggered it, but you can also ignore it and keep using your phone.
Which apps send tracking notifications and why
Any app that accesses location, contacts, photos, microphone, or camera in the background can send a tracking notification. The most common ones are navigation apps like Maps or Waze, which check your location constantly to give you turn-by-turn directions. Social media apps like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok often scan your contacts to suggest people to follow. Messaging apps like WhatsApp or Telegram access your microphone when you make calls or send voice messages.
Some apps access this data more often than you might expect. A fitness app might check your location every few minutes to track your route. A weather app might access your location every hour to update the forecast. A dating app might scan your contacts to see if any of your friends are also on the app. None of this is necessarily malicious — it is how these apps are designed to work. But the notification makes you aware of it.
Less common but still possible: a news app might access your microphone to listen for voice commands, or a photo editing app might access your camera roll in the background to prepare images for editing. These are usually one-time accesses, so you may only see the notification once.
How to stop tracking notifications by removing app permissions
The most direct way to stop a tracking notification is to remove the permission that triggered it. Go to Settings, then Privacy, then select the type of data the app was accessing — Location, Contacts, Photos, Microphone, or Camera. Find the app in the list and tap it. You will see options like "Never," "Ask Next Time," or "Always." Choose "Never" to block the app from accessing that data entirely.
Once you change the permission to "Never," the app will no longer be able to access that data, and you will not see tracking notifications from it anymore. The trade-off is that the app may not work as well. A maps app without location access cannot give you directions. A messaging app without microphone access cannot make voice calls. A social media app without contact access cannot suggest friends. You have to decide whether the app's features are worth the tracking.
If you want to keep the app's features but reduce notifications, you can change the permission to "Ask Next Time." This means the app has to ask you every time it wants to access that data, rather than doing it silently in the background. You will still see notifications, but you will have more control over when the app accesses your information.
Notifications you cannot avoid without losing app features
Some tracking notifications are unavoidable if you want the app to work at all. A navigation app needs constant location access to track your route. A fitness app needs location access to record your workout. A messaging app needs microphone access to make calls. A video chat app needs camera access to show your face. If you want these features, you have to allow the permissions, and you will see the notifications.
In these cases, the notifications are actually useful — they remind you that the app is doing what you asked it to do. If you see a location notification from Maps while you are using Maps, that is expected. If you see a location notification from an app you did not open, that is worth investigating.
How to tell if a tracking notification is a problem
A tracking notification is only a problem if an app is accessing data you did not expect it to access, or accessing it more often than makes sense. For example, a notification that your weather app accessed your location once an hour is normal. A notification that a flashlight app accessed your location is suspicious, because a flashlight does not need to know where you are.
If you see a tracking notification from an app and you are not sure why it needs that access, look up the app's privacy policy or check its settings to see what permissions it has requested. If the app is accessing data it should not need, you can revoke the permission. If the app keeps accessing data even after you deny permission, that is a sign the app may have a bug or may be behaving badly, and you should consider deleting it.
Most tracking notifications are not a sign of anything wrong. They are just Apple making visible what apps do in the background. The notification itself is not a problem — it is a feature designed to give you information.
How to manage notifications without changing permissions
If you want to keep an app's permissions but stop seeing the notifications, you have limited options. iOS does not let you silence tracking notifications separately from other notifications. However, you can turn off all notifications from an app by going to Settings, then Notifications, finding the app, and toggling off "Allow Notifications." This will stop all alerts from that app, including tracking notifications, but you will also miss regular notifications like messages or reminders.
Another option is to use Focus modes, which let you silence notifications during certain times or in certain situations. You can create a Focus mode that allows notifications only from apps you trust, and silence everything else. This does not stop the tracking itself, but it stops the notifications from appearing on your screen.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a tracking notification mean an app is spying on me?
Not necessarily. Most tracking notifications are from apps doing what they are designed to do — checking your location to give you directions, scanning your contacts to suggest friends, or accessing your microphone to make calls. The notification just makes that activity visible. If you see a notification from an app that should not need that data, that is worth investigating.
Can I turn off tracking notifications without turning off the permissions?
Not directly. iOS does not have a setting to silence tracking notifications while keeping the permissions active. You can turn off all notifications from an app, but that also silences messages and alerts. Your best option is to revoke the permission if you do not need the app's features.
Why does my weather app keep sending tracking notifications?
A weather app checks your location regularly to update the forecast for your area. If you see the notification every time it does this, it means the app has permission to access your location in the background. You can change the permission to "Ask Next Time" so the app asks before accessing your location, or change it to "Never" to block location access entirely.
What should I do if an app sends tracking notifications for data it should not need?
Go to Settings, Privacy, and find the data type the app is accessing. Tap the app and change the permission to "Never." If the app continues to try to access that data or behaves strangely, consider deleting it and looking for an alternative.
Do tracking notifications drain my battery?
The notifications themselves do not drain your battery. However, the apps sending the notifications may be using battery by constantly accessing your location or other data in the background. If you notice your battery draining quickly, you can revoke permissions from apps that access location or microphone frequently.