Samsung users should always have complete control over their digital privacy on Android. This control includes having full transparency on how installed apps access (and take) our data. Whether we’d like to think about it conscientiously or not, these apps pose a threat to our privacy and personal information. Even our trusty Samsung phones can become vulnerable to cyberattacks, compromising our private information and, worse, having our identity stolen.
It’s up to users to minimize the risks by learning to recognize suspicious app activity. So we’ve built a guide all about how to access and use Samsung Privacy Dashboard, the one-stop privacy and data protection hub for all Samsung users. It’s time to take our digital security into our own hands.
Why use the Privacy Dashboard?
The Privacy Dashboard consolidates your app activity in one place. You can access the Dashboard to view and set permissions and opt-in for data sharing for your installed apps. Since the Dashboard is a hub, you don’t need to open every app from an application manager to get the same information. Instead, you can view everything at a glance in the Privacy Dashboard.
It’s vital to protect your data and privacy, and having a Privacy Dashboard ensures transparency on how apps access your data. When you want to control an app’s permissions and preserve your privacy and security, visit the Dashboard frequently. The Dashboard discloses the list of (permitted) apps accessing private data, including when it happens and how often.
Types of data and information apps can access
Apps collect information like call logs, contacts, location, internal hardware (camera and microphone), and body sensors. However, not all the collected data is required for these apps to function. This is why you should customize your Privacy Dashboard settings to keep some of this info private.
How to access Samsung Privacy Dashboard
The hub handles all your security and privacy settings. From the Dashboard, you can edit and manage permissions to revoke access on a per-app basis while monitoring these apps’ data usage. In this example, we use a Samsung Galaxy S23 running One UI 5.1. The steps still apply to other devices running One UI 4.0 and Android 12.
- Open the quick panel and tap the gear icon to navigate to Settings.
- Tap Security and privacy. Older devices may have Privacy as the tappable option instead of Security and privacy.
- Tap Privacy.
- Select View all permissions to see a detailed overview.
While on the Permission usage screen, you can swap between Permissions and Apps. The Permissions tab breaks down the data into categories, and tapping it shows a list of apps that accessed that data set sorted by date and time. On the other hand, the Apps tab lists all the apps and how they interact with your data (recorded in a 24-hour and 7-day history). So if your app uses too much, too often, you may want to wipe it clean from your App Drawer.
If you need to learn how apps interact with each given permission, tap the circle “i” icon on the Permission usage page.
How to access and edit permissions in Samsung Privacy Dashboard
The first stop for protecting your data is using the Permission Manager within the Dashboard. From there, you can control an app’s access to your information. The Permission Manager sorts data by type, and tapping a category displays a list of apps with allowed permissions. You can deny permissions from the same page, so here’s how to get started.
- Open the Samsung Privacy Dashboard via Settings > Security and privacy.
- Tap Privacy.
- Tap Permission manager.
- Scroll down the permission list and tap a category. From this page, you can allow or deny permissions (or turn off sliders for notifications).
To preserve your privacy and protection, any apps that are unused for a few months will have all permissions turned off.
Where is the Privacy Dashboard?
Not all (older) Samsung devices have an up-to-date Privacy Dashboard. Samsung launched the Privacy Dashboard with One UI 4.0 when the Galaxy S21 series came into the market. Phones running Android 12 or later have access to a similar Privacy Dashboard.
Keeping sensitive information private on mobile
It’s no secret that phones these days store sensitive information, whether it is our login credentials, a collection of personal emails and documents, or saved online banking details. None of that is safe. So it’s up to us to keep this info away from prying eyes, and Samsung has some tools in its bag to get us there.
The Samsung Secure Folder stores all personal and sensitive information using Knox’s security platform. Any item stored in these folders stays encrypted. Also, the Samsung Secure Folder app lets us use PINs, passwords, or biometric locks for another layer of security. Data-conscious users may want to get on the bandwagon and use this app before it’s too late.