iOS 18 enables users to choose which contacts an application is allowed to access on iPhone. The operation is easy to mount.
iPhones are detailed enough to let you decide what data your applications receives. You can make apps have no other choice but to stop tracking you, they cannot gain access to your location, your microphone, your camera but before iOS 18 when an app wanted to access your contacts, you could either allow them to access your entire contact list or you can outrightly deny them an access. Information sharing to some contacts used to be unavailable but with this last major update, you can now configure access to them.
What are the repercussions when applications are allowed to synchronize all contacts?
They’ve repeatedly claimed that once you allow an app-site-service access to your data it swallows it whole in an attempt to get as much information as it can to store on its server. It is essential to note that there are variations – some of the apps don’t violate users’ confidentiality as much as they gather data. But many popular apps don’t do this; instead, the announcements seek to impose the app’s full set of features and scope of action on the user throughout the application.
With the aim of linking you up with your friends, social apps especially, including; Gmail, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, etc. These apps request you to allow them to access your contact list. Once this is sanctioned, all contacts are pulled and then the apps are privy to all your information. This may prove useful to reconnect with individuals they may have fallen out with, however, it may prove to be negative.
The people in your address book have not agreed to let their data be sold to various companies that in turn sell the data to advertisers but the advertisers have obtained their emails and or phone numbers and they have an idea of the contacts. Let’s say you just wanted to meet a couple of friends on social media; everyone in your contacts will automatically be suggested as friends to each other, involuntarily.
That is why it is most advisable to narrow down possibilities of outside access to one’s data as much as possible. If you want to use an app in order to communicating with one or two persons only, you should be able to filter these particular contacts for that app. Apple iPhone users can do exactly that with iOS 18.
Explaining how to share fine contact data in iOS 18
The only way I am aware of to allow certain apps limited access to contacts is in the Settings app of iOS 18. To do this, you have to first upgrade to the iOS 18 beta version which has not been released to the public yet. Perhaps it is best if performed on another device because then, a beta can bring in instability to a phone.
Then, go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Contacts. The next step would be the list of recognizable apps. It’s then doable to scan it, find the said app, and click on Limited Access. On this new page go to the top right corner and click on the Edit button. You will then open a list of all your contact in the I-bar. The ones you wish to allow the app to use, tap on Done button next to the options.
Otherwise, you can follow going to Settings > Apps and then select app you want and after that press Contacts button on the second screen. This is less problematic but this button is only available once an app has asked for permission to access your contact list, or, in the case of this picture, when you’ve already said no to the request for permission to access your contact list. After visiting the Privacy page that is targeting Contacts, choose Limited Access and proceed as in the previous case.
