A practical guide to reviewing who has access to your devices and accounts, tidying up your digital footprint, and keeping your personal information where it belongs — with you.
It's easy for device and account settings to drift over time. Here are a few common things that are worth a regular check.
Many apps request location access and then share it in ways you may not have intended — including with other people. It's worth checking which apps can see your location and whether each one genuinely needs it.
Old phones, tablets, and shared devices can stay signed into your accounts long after you've stopped using them. Checking this regularly is good digital housekeeping and takes less than a minute.
Apps running in the background — including ones you may have forgotten about — can affect battery life. Reviewing what's running and removing anything unused is a healthy habit for performance and privacy alike.
If you receive emails about logins or account changes you didn't make, it's worth checking your recent account activity. Most email and social media accounts show a full list of recent logins and locations.
Smart speakers, cameras, and doorbells are often set up by one person but used by a whole household. It's worth knowing who has admin access to each device and reviewing those settings if anything changes.
If you find you're locked out of an account you own, use the "forgot password" option to recover it via your email address. This can happen after a device change or if account details were updated without you noticing.
None of these take long. Working through them occasionally keeps your digital life tidy and your personal information in order.
For Google: go to myaccount.google.com → Security → Your devices. For Apple: Settings → your name → scroll down to see all signed-in devices. Remove anything you no longer use or don't recognise.
On iPhone: Settings → Privacy → Location Services. On Android: Settings → Location → App permissions. Check each app individually — most work perfectly well with "only while using" rather than "always on".
A second email account — kept private — is useful for important correspondence, financial accounts, or anything you'd rather keep separate from your everyday inbox. Use a name that isn't directly tied to you personally.
If you need to change account passwords, do it from a device you're confident is only used by you. After updating, check whether any other apps or services were using the same password and update those too.
For Google: myaccount.google.com → Security → Third-party apps with account access. For Apple: Settings → your name → Password & Security → Apps using Apple ID. Remove anything you no longer use or don't recognise.
It's easy to accumulate apps over time. Scroll through what's installed and remove anything you no longer use. Fewer apps means fewer things with access to your data, camera, microphone, and location.
A regular clear-out of your browser history keeps things tidy and removes stored data from sites you've visited. See below for the quickest way to do this on any device.
Whether it's a fraud concern, an account you can't access, or a situation that feels more serious — these organisations can help.
Free, confidential support available around the clock for anyone who needs to talk through a personal situation, including concerns about privacy, safety, or control at home.
Offers an online chat service, guidance, and a local service finder. Helpful for anyone who wants to talk through a situation confidentially and understand their options.
Confidential support for men dealing with difficult personal situations, including concerns about privacy, accounts, or controlling behaviour from others.
Specialist guidance on device privacy, tracking apps, shared accounts, and smart home devices — practical help for anyone concerned about who can see their digital activity.
If someone has accessed your accounts without permission, used your financial details, or committed fraud in your name — this can be reported to Action Fraud. It's a crime, and it can be investigated.
If you're in immediate danger, call 999. If you can't speak safely, dial 999 and press 55 — the operator will know you need help and cannot talk.
Your digital accounts and devices are yours. If something doesn't feel right about who has access to them, you're entitled to take steps to change that — and there is help available if you need it.