Twitter is watching how you use your phone — but it can be stopped

Site’s new ‘App Graph’ collects data on what applications users have installed, and will show extra content based on the information

Figures from National College of Training and Leadership disciplinary hearings show that 17 of the 100 hearings held last year stemmed from complaints about the use of social media sites, with 16 of the 17 being banned (PA)

Twitter updated its mobile apps to monitor the other software that users have installed, but provided an easy way out of the change for those worried about it.

The social network says that its ‘app graph’ — a collection of information on what’s installed — will be used to “build a more tailored experience for you on Twitter”. That will include improved ‘who to follow’ suggestions, adding extra tweets or accounts to users’ timelines based on their interests, as well as more relevant ads.

Users that are being tracked will be alerted through an in-app notification. If you have previously opted to ‘Limit Ad Tracking’, then you will be kept out of the program.

The tracking can be turned off on iOS by going to the ‘me’ tab, tapping the gear icon, choosing settings and turning off the option to “Tailor Twitter based on my apps”.

On Android, it can be stopped by tapping the overflow icon, choosing settings, and turning off the same option, which can be found under ‘other’.

The ability to track apps that are running is not unique to Twitter — on both operating systems, apps can send a message to users' phones to ask it to tell them what apps are running at any time.