Your AI assistant can do a lot more on your phone than just answer questions now. Depending on your phone and the settings you have turned on, it may be able to work with things such as your contacts, messages, location, camera, microphone and other apps.
That can be useful when you want it to send a message, make a call, find something or help with what is on your screen. But it is also worth knowing exactly what you have given it access to.
The good news is that you can check these permissions yourself.
What can an AI assistant access?
What your assistant can access depends on the phone, app and features you use.
On Android, Gemini can work with Google apps and connected apps, and some features can use contacts, messages, notifications, location, the camera and microphone. Gemini can also control certain phone settings when it is set up as the device’s assistant.
On iPhone, Siri and Apple Intelligence can work with information on your device to answer requests and perform tasks. Apple says some Siri requests are processed on the device, while some requests use Apple’s servers or Private Cloud Compute.
That does not mean your AI assistant automatically has access to everything on your phone. The permissions and features you have enabled matter.
How to check AI permissions on an Android phone
If you use Gemini on Android, start with the Google app because Gemini’s Android assistant features are hosted by the Google app.
Go to:
Settings → Apps → Google → Permissions
You can see which permissions the Google app has and change them. Depending on your phone, these can include things such as the microphone, camera, contacts, phone and location.
You can also check Gemini’s connected apps and services.
Open Gemini → your profile picture → Connected Apps.
Here you can review which Google services or other connected apps Gemini can work with and disconnect ones you do not want to use.
Google says Gemini can use connected apps and services to complete requests, such as working with Gmail, Maps or other Google services.
Check whether Gemini can read your notifications
This is one setting worth checking.
Gemini can read and reply to some Android notifications when you give the Google app notification access. This can include messages that appear in your notifications.
If you do not want Gemini to work with your notifications, check your Android notification access settings and turn off access for the relevant service.
Check what Siri and Apple Intelligence can access
On an iPhone, go to:
Settings → Privacy & Security
You can review permissions for things such as:
- Location Services
- Contacts
- Microphone
- Camera
- Photos
- Calendars
- Bluetooth
You can open each section and see which apps have access.
Apple also has an App Privacy Report that shows how often apps have accessed information such as your location, photos, camera, microphone and contacts over the previous seven days.
For Apple Intelligence and Siri specifically, some features are designed to work with information already on your device. Apple says personal information used for certain on-device suggestions stays on the device, while some Siri and Apple Intelligence requests may be processed through Apple servers or Private Cloud Compute.
Do you need to turn everything off?
Not necessarily.
If you want Gemini to call someone, send a message or work with your contacts, some permissions are needed. If you want an assistant to understand your location or what is on your screen, it may also need access to that information.
The better approach is to check what you actually use.
If you never use voice commands, for example, you may not need microphone access. If you do not want an assistant working with your contacts, you can review that permission and turn it off.
Keep in mind that turning off a permission can stop some features from working.
Check your AI settings every now and then
AI assistants are getting more capable, and new features can add new ways for them to work with your phone.
That makes it worth checking your permissions from time to time instead of setting them once and forgetting about them.
You do not need to stop using AI to keep control of your phone. Just take a few minutes to see what your assistant can access and keep the permissions you actually need.