Privacy settings for video chat apps
A video chat app needs your camera and microphone – and often asks for more. Your phone decides how long it keeps that access, and the app decides what other people see. This guide covers both: the phone settings, taken from Apple’s and Google’s help pages, and the privacy and safety tools apps say they offer.
On Android: choose how long the app keeps access
- Google’s help page: Settings > Apps > the app > Permissions. For camera and microphone you may be able to choose “Allow only while using the app”, “Ask every time” or “Don’t allow”.
- “Ask every time” means the app asks each time you open it and can use the permission until you are done with the app.
- To switch off the camera or microphone for every app at once: Settings > Security & privacy > Privacy > Privacy controls.
- Turn on “Pause app activity if unused” so Android can remove permissions from apps you stop using.
On iPhone: review who has access
- Apple’s guide: Settings > Privacy & Security, then tap a category to see the apps that asked for access and switch each one on or off.
- Settings > Privacy & Security > App Privacy Report shows how apps use the permissions you granted and their network activity.
- You can change access at any time after you first allow or deny it.
What apps say they offer
| App | Privacy or safety feature (per the app) |
|---|---|
| Azar | Video Blur pauses video when automated tools detect content against its guidelines; rule-breaking connections are cancelled automatically |
| LivU | Every video chat starts with a blurring filter |
| Camfrog | One-to-one messages are optional and need mutual contact approval |
| CR Video Chat | Mandatory login and verification for all users; reporting and blocking |
| Paltalk | Can run in the background so you can listen to a room – check the microphone indicator if you leave it open |
| YOYO (Featured) | Identity verification for all users; 24/7 automated and human content moderation |
| Kiss Live Chat (Featured) | Per the app: privacy controls (“You choose what to share”), block and report, active moderation |
These are the apps’ own statements from their App Store, Google Play or official pages. We did not test them.
What no setting can protect
- The other person can record their screen. Keep anything you would not want saved off camera.
- Profile photos and usernames travel – use ones you do not use elsewhere.
- Never move a chat to another app or send money at a stranger’s request. The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) warns that scammers soon want to message you “off the platform”.
- If someone threatens to share images of you, the FTC’s advice is: do not pay, cut off contact, block them and report them to law enforcement.
Related pages
- Free video chat apps – What is free and what costs money
- Azar app review – Badge, blur and filters
- FAQ – The short answers
Which camera permission should I give a video chat app?
On Android, “Allow only while using the app” or “Ask every time” keeps access limited. On iPhone, you can review and switch off access per app under Settings > Privacy & Security.
Do video chat apps blur video?
Some say so. LivU says every video chat starts with a blurring filter; Azar says its Video Blur pauses video when its tools detect content against its guidelines.
Which apps verify users?
Per the app, CR Video Chat requires login and verification for all users, and YOYO requires identity verification for all users.
Can I stop all apps using the camera at once?
On Android, yes: Settings > Security & privacy > Privacy > Privacy controls lets you turn off camera or microphone access, per Google’s help page.
Featured apps
Card notes sum up what each app says about itself.
Kiss Live Chat
Web · iOS – Per the app: Video chat 1-on-1 on the web or with the iPhone app.
Livego
iOS – Per the app: iPhone party rooms: video chat plus question & challenge cards.
YOYO
iOS – Per the app: iPhone video chat with real-time translation and moderation.
Featured = our editorial picks, shown first.How we pick