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Is Acrobat Reader Safe?

Acrobat Reader privacy label · by Adobe Inc. · checked November 2026

  • Tracks you
  • Recently updated
App Privacy label Developer-reported · checked November 1, 2026
Used to track you
1type
Linked to you
9types
Not linked to you
0types

None declared

Short answer

It depends on how you feel about tracking: Acrobat Reader declares data used to track you. The sensitive items are contacts and user content. In total the label lists 9 data types; 47% of pdf editors we checked declare tracking.

At a glance

Acrobat Reader privacy in one look

Data exposure on the label
Used to track you
  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4

Built only from the developer's App Store label. It describes disclosure, not tested behaviour.

Verdict from the label
Tracks you

Acrobat Reader's developer reports using identifiers to track you across other companies' apps and websites.

Try it

Did Acrobat Reader ask for something?

Pick the permission prompt you saw. We compare it with what Acrobat Reader's developer declared.

It asked me for access to…
Tap a prompt to compare it with the label.
Not on the label

Location is not on Acrobat Reader's label. That can be fine: data used only on your iPhone does not have to be declared. If the data would need to leave the phone for the feature to work, ask why it is missing.

Matches the label

Acrobat Reader lists User Content on its label, linked to you. Choose Limited Access and pick only the photos you want to share.

Matches the label

Acrobat Reader lists Contacts on its label, linked to you. Limited Access shares selected contacts instead of your whole address book.

Expected — and you can decline

Acrobat Reader declares data used to track you, so expect the “Allow to track?” prompt. Tap Ask App Not to Track; the app must keep working without it.

Not on the label

Health & Fitness is not on Acrobat Reader's label. That can be fine: data used only on your iPhone does not have to be declared. If the data would need to leave the phone for the feature to work, ask why it is missing.

A permission is what the app can reach on your iPhone; the label is what the developer says leaves it. They answer different questions.

Line by line

What Acrobat Reader collects, explained

Data typeWhat it coversWhere to limit it
ContactsSensitiveLinked to you The people in your address book or social graph. Settings › Privacy & Security › Contacts: choose Limited Access to share only selected people, or None.
User ContentSensitiveLinked to you Messages, photos, videos, audio recordings, documents and support chats you create or upload. Settings › Privacy & Security › Photos: choose Limited Access or None; review Microphone and Files access too.
Search HistoryLinked to you Searches you run inside the app. Look for a clear-history or private-search option in the app.
Contact InfoLinked to you Your name, email address, phone number or postal address. Use Sign in with Apple with Hide My Email where offered, and check the app's account and marketing preferences.
PurchasesLinked to you What you have bought or tend to buy. Review in-app marketing settings; subscriptions are listed in Settings › [your name] › Subscriptions.
IdentifiersUsed to track youLinked to you An account ID, screen name, customer number or a device-level ID such as the advertising identifier. Settings › Privacy & Security › Tracking: turn off Allow Apps to Request to Track, or tap Ask App Not to Track when prompted.
Usage DataLinked to you What you tap, open and view inside the app, plus which ads you have seen. There is no single iOS switch. Look for an analytics or personalised-ads toggle in the app's own settings.
Other DataLinked to you Any data the developer did not fit into Apple's named categories. Read the app's privacy policy, linked from its App Store page.
DiagnosticsLinked to you Crash logs, launch times, hang rates and energy use. Settings › Privacy & Security › Analytics & Improvements › Share With App Developers controls what Apple passes on; the app's own crash reporting is separate.
Reading the label

What Acrobat Reader's label means for you

Acrobat Reader's label has 1 type under “Data Used to Track You”, 9 types under “Data Linked to You”. A data type can appear in more than one section when it is used for different purposes — for example, identifiers used for both analytics and advertising.

Tracking is the declaration that most separates apps. It means identifiers from Acrobat Reader can be combined with data from other companies to target or measure ads, or shared with data brokers. On iOS 14.5 and later, the app must ask your permission before tracking you through the advertising identifier; answering “Ask App Not to Track” blocks that identifier and tells the developer you have declined.

The items that deserve the most attention are contacts and user content. Uploading contacts shares other people's details, not just yours.

PDF editors open contracts, tax forms and IDs. Online conversion features can send whole documents to a server. Check which features work offline and whether files are deleted from the server after conversion.

Among the 170 pdf editors in our snapshot with a label, 47% declare tracking, 53% collect data linked to you and 28% say they collect nothing. Acrobat Reader lists 9 data types, more than the average of 2.2 for this group.

Business apps often handle other people's data — clients, colleagues and customers — so what they collect can affect more than you.

On your iPhone

Settings to check for Acrobat Reader

  1. 1

    Tracking

    Settings › Privacy & Security › Tracking. If “Allow Apps to Request to Track” is off, apps cannot ask, and they are told to treat you as having declined. You can also turn it off for this app alone.

  2. 2

    Photos

    Settings › Privacy & Security › Photos. Limited Access lets you pick exactly which pictures the app can see; Add Photos Only lets it save without reading your library.

  3. 3

    Contacts

    Settings › Privacy & Security › Contacts. Limited Access shares only the people you select instead of your whole address book.

  4. 4

    Sign-in

    When creating an account, Sign in with Apple can give the app a relay address from Hide My Email instead of your real one.

  5. 5

    Lock the app

    On iOS 18 and later, touch and hold the icon and choose Require Face ID. Anyone who picks up your unlocked phone then needs your face, fingerprint or passcode to open it.

  6. 6

    Notifications

    Settings › Notifications › Acrobat Reader › Show Previews: When Unlocked keeps message and account details off the Lock Screen.

Cross-app tracking

Does Acrobat Reader track you?

Yes — 1 data type

Identifiers. Apple defines tracking as linking data from this app with data from other companies' apps, websites or offline sources for targeted advertising or ad measurement, or sharing it with a data broker.

Does Acrobat Reader track you? Full answer and how to stop it →

iOS 18 and later

Lock Acrobat Reader behind Face ID

  1. Find Acrobat Reader on your Home Screen or in App Library.
  2. Touch and hold the icon until the quick-actions menu opens.
  3. Tap Require Face ID (or Require Touch ID / Require Passcode, depending on your iPhone).
  4. Tap Require Face ID again to confirm. Acrobat Reader now asks for authentication every time it opens.

The lock is an iPhone feature, so it works whether or not Acrobat Reader has a passcode of its own. It does not change what the app sends to its developer.

From the App Store record

About Acrobat Reader

DeveloperAdobe Inc.
App Store categoryBusiness (also Productivity)
Latest version26.10.00, released October 2026
First releasedOctober 2011
RequiresiOS 18.3 or later
Size556 MB
Age rating4+
Languages19 (CS, DA, NL, EN, FI, FR, DE, IT…)
Bundle IDcom.adobe.Adobe-Reader

The current version shipped in October 2026, so the app is actively maintained and its label is likely current. Labels are updated by developers when practices change.

Also by Adobe Inc.: Adobe Scan.

Read with care

What the label cannot tell you

  • A label is self-reported. Apple publishes the developer's answers and can reject apps that misrepresent them, but it does not independently verify what Acrobat Reader sends.
  • It does not say where data is stored, how long it is kept, whether it is encrypted, or which companies receive it. The privacy policy covers those points.
  • Optional data counts: if a feature lets you add something (a profile photo, a phone number), the type is listed even if you never use the feature.
  • Data handled only on your iPhone is not 'collected', so a no-collection label is compatible with an app that reads your files locally.
  • Third-party sign-in, payment processors and SDKs are supposed to be included, but a label can lag behind a new version.

The question to ask Acrobat Reader's developer: Does editing or converting a PDF upload it?

How it compares

Acrobat Reader vs similar pdf editors

Data types listed on each App Store privacy label
Tracks youLinked to youNot linkedCollects nothing

Fewer types is not automatically safer: a cloud backup app has to collect your files to work. Compare like with like.

Checking another app?

Look up any of our apps in seconds, or put two labels side by side.

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All pdf editors → Who tracks you? A–Z → Apps that collect contacts → Privacy label decoder →

Do it now

Your Acrobat Reader privacy checklist

Tick what you have done
Tick each step as you do it on your iPhone.

Done. You have applied every control the label points to.

Quick quiz

True or false?

  1. Q1Acrobat Reader's privacy label says it uses data to track you.
    Right.
    Not quite.

    True: it lists identifiers under Data Used to Track You.

  2. Q2Apple tests every app to confirm its privacy label is accurate.
    Right.
    Not quite.

    Labels are self-reported by developers. Apple can reject or remove apps that misrepresent practices, but it does not audit each label.

  3. Q3Acrobat Reader collects Contacts.
    Right.
    Not quite.

    True: Contacts appears on its label.

  4. Q4Data “Not Linked to You” is never sent off your iPhone.
    Right.
    Not quite.

    It is collected and sent; the developer says it is de-identified rather than tied to your account or device.

  5. Q5Tapping “Ask App Not to Track” can stop an app from working.
    Right.
    Not quite.

    Apple's rules require apps to work the same whether or not you allow tracking.

Questions people ask

Acrobat Reader privacy FAQ

Is Acrobat Reader safe to use?
Based on its App Store privacy label, acrobat Reader's developer reports using identifiers to track you across other companies' apps and websites. Whether that is acceptable depends on what you will store in it. The label is developer-reported, not an independent security test.
Does Acrobat Reader track you?
Yes. Its label lists identifiers under Data Used to Track You. You can decline at the iOS tracking prompt.
What data does Acrobat Reader collect?
Contacts, user content, search history, contact info, purchases, identifiers, usage data, other data and diagnostics. Of these, contacts, user content, search history, contact info, purchases, identifiers, usage data, other data and diagnostics are linked to your identity.
Who makes Acrobat Reader?
Adobe Inc., according to the App Store. It was first released in October 2011 and the current version is 26.10.00.
Can I lock Acrobat Reader with Face ID?
On iOS 18 or later, touch and hold Acrobat Reader's icon and choose Require Face ID (or Touch ID / Passcode). This is an iPhone feature and works for most downloaded apps, whether or not the app has its own lock. If you don't see the option, update iOS.
How does Acrobat Reader compare with other pdf editors?
Across 170 pdf editors with labels in our snapshot, 47% declare tracking and 28% say they collect no data. Acrobat Reader lists 9 data types against an average of 2.2.
Does editing or converting a PDF upload it?
The privacy label cannot answer that. Look for it in Acrobat Reader's privacy policy or support pages, linked from the App Store listing. Check which features work offline and whether files are deleted from the server after conversion.
How do I delete my data from Acrobat Reader?
Apps that let you create an account must also let you start account deletion from inside the app (an App Store rule since June 2022). Deleting the app from your iPhone alone does not delete data already sent to the developer.
Facts on this page come from Acrobat Reader on the App Store, as reported by the developer. Checked 2026-11-01. How we collect data · Report a correction