An AI app is asking for access to my accounts or documents. What do I check?
First, breathe. The “Allow access” screen is exactly the moment when you are in control — nothing has happened yet. The rule is simple: who made the app, and why does it need this much. And if you have already tapped, the access can be withdrawn at any time, in two minutes, from your account settings.
First steps, right now
- Stop at the "Allow" screen. That is where it says exactly what the app will be able to see or do ("read your emails", "see your files"). Read the list carefully — once you tap, the app really does get everything written there.
- Check who made the app: look it up yourself in the official store (App Store, Google Play) or on the maker's website, look at the company name, the reviews and how long it has existed. If you can't work out who is behind it, don't give it access.
- Compare what it asks for with what it does: give it only the access it needs for the job you want from it. An app that summarises documents has no reason to read your emails or contacts.
- Choose the most limited option when there is one: "only this file/folder", "read only", "only while using the app" — not "access to the whole account".
- Already tapped "Allow" and regret it? Withdraw the access: for Google go to myaccount.google.com/connections, for Microsoft go to your account settings under "Apps and services", for Facebook go to Settings → "Apps and websites". Remove the app from the list — the access stops.
What NOT to do
- Don't give access "to everything" just to get going faster — you can come back and add permissions later, if they are really needed.
- Don't install AI apps from ads or from links received in messages — search for them yourself, by name, in the official store.
- Don't type your email or bank password directly into an AI app. A genuine access request takes you to the official Google/Microsoft page, which shows you what access you are giving — it doesn't ask for your password inside the app.
- Don't connect your work account (company email, client documents) without asking your IT team first.
How to spot it next time
- It asks for far too much for what it does: a "photo generator" that wants access to your emails and contacts has no good reason.
- A maker you can't find anywhere: a website with no contact details, an app that appeared only recently, few reviews or reviews that sound copied.
- It rushes you: "grant access to continue", "today only" offers, pop-ups that keep coming back until you tap "Allow".
- It imitates a well-known app: an almost identical name, a similar logo, but a different maker.
This guide is meant to help you act fast. It does not replace official instructions from your bank, the police or the authorities. When in doubt, call the numbers above.