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Is Phone Drive Safe?

Phone Drive privacy label · by Yew Chen Chung · checked November 2026

  • Collects no data
  • Recently updated
App Privacy label Developer-reported · checked November 1, 2026
Data Not Collected

The developer states that no data is collected from this app.

Short answer

On the label, yes. Phone Drive's developer reports that it collects no data, which puts it among the 36% of file managers we checked with a "Data Not Collected" label. That is a self-declared statement, not an audit, and it does not cover data processed only on your device.

At a glance

Phone Drive privacy in one look

Data exposure on the label
Data not collected
  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
Data not collected

Phone Drive's developer states that the app does not collect any data from this app.

Try it

Did Phone Drive ask for something?

Pick the permission prompt you saw. We compare it with what Phone Drive'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 Phone Drive'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.

Not on the label

User Content is not on Phone Drive'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.

Not on the label

Contacts is not on Phone Drive'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.

Not declared on the label

Phone Drive declares no tracking, so a tracking prompt would contradict its label. Decline it, and consider reporting the mismatch to Apple.

Not on the label

Health & Fitness is not on Phone Drive'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.

Reading the label

What Phone Drive's label means for you

“Data Not Collected” is the cleanest result a label can show. It means the developer states that no data leaves your iPhone in a way the developer or its partners can access for longer than needed to handle a request. Data processed only on your device does not count as collected, so Phone Drive can still read files or photos you open in it.

The statement is the developer's own. Apple reviews apps but does not audit every label, and analytics or crash-reporting libraries added later can make a label out of date. If Phone Drive asks you to create an account, upload files or allow tracking, that would not match a no-collection label — and is worth noticing.

File managers connect to cloud drives, servers and your Files app. The app can see whatever you open in it. Review connected accounts, and remove ones you no longer use from both the app and the cloud provider's security page.

Among the 112 file managers in our snapshot with a label, 45% declare tracking, 51% collect data linked to you and 36% say they collect nothing. Phone Drive lists 0 data types, fewer than the average of 1.5 for this group.

Productivity apps tend to collect the work you do in them — documents, notes and files — so User Content is common. The question is whether it syncs to the developer's servers and how it is protected there.

On your iPhone

Settings to check for Phone Drive

  1. 1

    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.

  2. 2

    Notifications

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

Cross-app tracking

Does Phone Drive track you?

No tracking declared

There is no “Data Used to Track You” section on Phone Drive's label.

Does Phone Drive track you? Full answer and how to stop it →

iOS 18 and later

Lock Phone Drive behind Face ID

  1. Find Phone Drive 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. Phone Drive now asks for authentication every time it opens.

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

From the App Store record

About Phone Drive

DeveloperYew Chen Chung
App Store categoryProductivity (also Utilities)
Latest version8.6.52, released October 2026
First releasedMay 2011
RequiresiOS 15.0 or later
Size131 MB
Age rating17+
Languages15 (NL, EN, FR, DE, EL, IT, JA, KO…)
Bundle IDcom.eightythree.iPhoneDriveFree

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 Yew Chen Chung: Safety Note+ Pro, Safety Note, Phone Drive Pro.

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 Phone Drive 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 Phone Drive's developer: Which of my connected accounts can this app reach?

How it compares

Phone Drive vs similar file managers

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.

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

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All file managers → Who tracks you? A–Z → Privacy label decoder →

Do it now

Your Phone Drive 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. Q1Phone Drive's privacy label says it uses data to track you.
    Right.
    Not quite.

    False: there is no Data Used to Track You section on Phone Drive's label.

  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. Q3An app with a “Data Not Collected” label cannot read any of your photos.
    Right.
    Not quite.

    It can read photos you give it access to. Processing on your device is not collection; only data sent off the phone counts.

  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

Phone Drive privacy FAQ

Is Phone Drive safe to use?
Based on its App Store privacy label, phone Drive's developer states that the app does not collect any data from this app. Whether that is acceptable depends on what you will store in it. The label is developer-reported, not an independent security test.
Does Phone Drive track you?
No. Phone Drive's label has no Data Used to Track You section.
What data does Phone Drive collect?
None, according to the developer's label.
Who makes Phone Drive?
Yew Chen Chung, according to the App Store. It was first released in May 2011 and the current version is 8.6.52.
Can I lock Phone Drive with Face ID?
On iOS 18 or later, touch and hold Phone Drive'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 Phone Drive compare with other file managers?
Across 112 file managers with labels in our snapshot, 45% declare tracking and 36% say they collect no data. Phone Drive lists 0 data types against an average of 1.5.
Which of my connected accounts can this app reach?
The privacy label cannot answer that. Look for it in Phone Drive's privacy policy or support pages, linked from the App Store listing. Review connected accounts, and remove ones you no longer use from both the app and the cloud provider's security page.
How do I delete my data from Phone Drive?
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 Phone Drive on the App Store, as reported by the developer. Checked 2026-11-01. How we collect data · Report a correction