iPhone Photos Permissions: Limited or Full Access?
Choose the smallest photo selection that fits your task. Limited access keeps the rest of the library outside an app’s view; a whole-library scan needs access to the library you want reviewed.
Selected photos and full access
When an app requests Photos-library access, iOS lets you control what it can use. With limited access, an app can inspect the photos and videos you selected. With full access, it can access the library allowed by the system. Permission does not tell you whether an app processes media locally or uploads it: read its privacy policy as a separate check.
Some apps use Apple’s system photo picker instead of requesting library access. Choosing a file in that picker is different from granting ongoing access to the whole library.
Review or change access
- Open Settings on your iPhone or iPad.
- Go to Privacy & Security → Photos.
- Select the app whose access you want to review.
- Choose the available access level or adjust the selected photos. Labels can vary by system version and the permission the app requests.
- Return to the app and check its current source or scan scope.
If the app is not listed, it may not have requested library permission, or it may use a system picker. Start the relevant photo action in the app and read the request before deciding.
What this means for Sensitivity
A scan can only cover the media Sensitivity is allowed to access. A completed scan of selected photos is not evidence about the rest of your camera roll. You can review a limited selection, then inspect other material manually. Sensitivity analyzes media on your device and does not require a Sensitivity account.
Photos access also does not guarantee that every original is already downloaded. Check iCloud availability and missing-item causes if a scan cannot read something.
Change your mind later
You can return to Settings to reduce or remove an app’s access. That changes its future access; it should not be treated as a universal delete command for information an app may already have retained. Check the app’s own storage and deletion controls.
Sensitivity’s privacy policy explains local scan records, protected results and separate usage analytics. Changing Photos permission and changing analytics consent are different actions.
Permission is one part of privacy
Before granting access to any app, check what it does with media, how it protects saved results, whether it needs an account, and how you can export or remove retained data. Keep your device passcode private. No permission choice makes automated detection perfect.