Temu, Shein & Co: How to protect your photos, contacts and microphone

Temu, Shein & Co: How to protect your photos, contacts and microphone Shopping apps like Temu, Shein and AliExpress access photos, contacts and the microphone. Here is how to revoke those app permissions on Android and iPhone. Topics: News, Technology, Economy.

Shopping on Chinese marketplaces has become the norm: as Krone reports, around 2.8 million Austrians aged 16 to 74 regularly order from platforms like Temu and Shein. Price is the deciding factor for 46% of them, while 32% cite the huge product range. Far fewer shoppers think about what these apps request in return: access to your photos, contacts, clipboard and microphone — data a store does not need to ship a parcel. This article explains what Temu, Shein and AliExpress can actually see, why consumer protection organisations are sounding the alarm, and how to revoke those permissions on Android and iPhone in a few minutes.

What Temu, Shein and AliExpress can see on your phone

A shopping app genuinely needs very little: a delivery address, an email and a payment method. In practice, Asian marketplace apps ask for far more: access to your photo library, address book, precise location, microphone and clipboard — where everything you copy ends up, including passwords and card numbers.

As Die Presse reports, citing Maximilian Eder, legal expert at the Austrian consumer organisation VKI, the Temu app — unlike most other shopping apps — can take screenshots unnoticed, download and install other apps in the background, and record your precise location. All of it is framed as “service improvement”, but it hands the platform far deeper access to your phone than a store requires.

Some of that access appears because users tap “Allow” in a hurry. On top come behavioural data: time spent in the app, taps, scrolling speed. This is raw material for targeted advertising and personalised “discounts”.

Why the apps get so many permissions

The reason lies in the design itself. The Austrian consumer protection organisation Verein für Konsumenteninformation (VKI) criticises the platforms’ dark patterns: prize wheels, countdown timers, streams of coupons and pop-ups that push users to spend more time and money in the app.

The interface is designed so that users unintentionally give consent — for example, to advertising or the storage of sensitive data.

— Verein für Konsumenteninformation (VKI), Austrian consumer protection organisation

One VKI calculation is telling: creating a Temu account takes three taps, while deleting it takes seven steps and a one-week waiting period. In October 2025, VKI — acting on behalf of the social affairs ministry — filed a class action against Temu with the Vienna Commercial Court, arguing the platform breaches Austrian unfair-competition law and the EU Digital Services Act.

EU regulators are applying pressure from above as well. As the European Commission announced, in July 2025 it preliminarily found that Temu breaches the DSA by failing to assess the risks of illegal products on its marketplace. And according to the European Parliament, in May 2026 the Commission fined Temu 200 million euros. While these proceedings drag on, protecting your data remains your own job.

How to revoke permissions on Android

You can cut off photo and contact access in minutes without deleting the app:

1. Long-press the Temu icon → App info → Permissions (or Settings → Apps → Temu).
2. Set Contacts, Camera, Microphone, Location and Phone to “Don’t allow”.
3. For photos, choose “Select photos only” — the app sees only the shots you mark, not the whole gallery.
4. Close the background-install loophole: Settings → Apps → Special app access → Install unknown apps → Temu → deny.
5. Turn off push notifications — the app loses its main channel for pulling you back.

If you still need the app for orders, keep the minimum: storage (for receipts) and, if you like, notifications. A shopping platform never needs your camera, microphone or contacts.

How to limit access on iPhone

On an iPhone the check takes even less time:

1. Open Settings and scroll down to the Temu app (or Shein, AliExpress).
2. Contacts → None. Microphone → off. Camera → off.
3. Photos → “Selected Photos” — mark only the images you intend to send yourself.
4. Location → “Never” or “Ask Next Time”, and switch off Precise Location.
5. Under Privacy & Security → Tracking, disable permission to follow you across apps.

The orange dot at the top of the screen shows when an app uses your microphone. If it lights up while you are not talking, someone is listening — go back to step 2.

Extra safeguards: sign-in, payments and your account

Permissions are the main line of defence, not the only one. Consumer advocates advise not signing in with Google or Facebook (single sign-on): that links your social profile to the shopping account and lets data flow between them. Create a separate email address for bargain shopping sites.

Second, consider using the web version instead of the app. A browser cannot hand a website access to your contacts, microphone or clipboard, and ordering works just the same. For occasional purchases, it is the simplest option.

Third, payments. Avoid paying in advance by direct transfer: use methods with buyer protection such as PayPal or a credit card. And if fraudsters have already misused your data, our guide to fraud under Austrian criminal law explains what to do. Remember, too, that these platforms operate by their own rules: in 2024 alone, Europe received more than 4 billion cheap-goods parcels from China, and data protection there is your own responsibility.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can Temu read my private messages? The app cannot read your SMS directly — that requires a separate permission shopping apps rarely request. However, according to Die Presse, Temu can take screenshots unnoticed, meaning whatever is on your screen while the app runs may be captured. Avoid opening sensitive data alongside a shopping app.

I already granted every permission. What about data already collected? First revoke the permissions using the steps above — that stops new access. For data already held, you can request deletion: under the GDPR you have a right to erasure (Article 17), and the request goes to the platform’s support team. Deleting a Temu account itself is harder: seven steps and a one-week wait, as VKI has calculated.

Is the web version safer than the app? Yes. A website in a browser gets no access to your contacts, photos, microphone or clipboard, while ordering works almost identically. If you buy a few times a year, there is little reason to keep the app installed.

Is deleting the app better than just revoking permissions? Revoked permissions stop new data collection, but the app keeps working in the background. If you do not plan further orders, the best option is to delete the app and ask support to remove your account and data.

What to do next: a short checklist

Photo, contact and microphone access can be taken away from shopping apps in five minutes — with no need to give up bargain prices. Check today:

• Permissions for Temu, Shein, AliExpress: photos — “selected”, contacts and microphone — denied
• Location — “never” or without precise mode
• Install unknown apps for Temu — switched off (Android)
• Cross-app tracking — switched off (iPhone)
• Sign-in without Google/Facebook, separate email for shops
• Push notifications from shopping platforms — disabled

The European Commission and Austrian consumer advocates are pressuring the platforms, and the VKI lawsuit plus the EU fine show that pressure works. Until the rules catch up with practice, your privacy is protected in your phone’s settings. More practical guides on life in Austria — in our newsletter: short emails once a week, no spam.