iQIYI

Is iQIYI safe to use?

The international iQIYI app is safe enough for watching Chinese, Korean and Thai dramas, with no breach or fine on record. Its weak points are advertising and age. Apple's label says it tracks you with identifiers and usage data, the policy turns your phone number or email into advertising IDs, and iQIYI's own rules set a minimum age of 18 for an app the App Store rates 13+. We score it 52/100, about level with Bilibili's international app (51) and well below Netflix (65).

This page covers the app called "iQIYI - Dramas, Anime, Shows", run from Singapore and popular across Southeast Asia: it has about 406,000 ratings in Thailand's App Store and in October 2026 was in the top 50 free entertainment apps in Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines and Singapore. The Chinese app, 爱奇艺, is a separate product with its own policy and record.

What iQIYI collects and who gets it

Apple's label lists identifiers and usage data under "Data Used to Track You". Linked to your identity are contact details, user content, search history, browsing history, identifiers and usage data.

The privacy policy, last updated on 24 November 2024, is clear and detailed, and it is broad. Even visitors who never sign up have their usage, ad identifiers, device data and IP-based location collected. The device data includes the installed-app list, MAC address, Bluetooth address and DHCP details. iQIYI also infers your age range and gender from what you watch.

Advertising is where data leaves the company. The policy says ad partners may collect data through the app or receive device, location, inferred-interest and cookie data from iQIYI, but not your viewing history. It names LiveRamp: iQIYI may create RampID and UID2 identifiers from your phone number or email and pass them on. The policy says iQIYI does not sell personal data, and US residents can opt out of sharing for cross-context ads.

Data is stored in Singapore. The policy adds that iQIYI Group affiliates may be given remote access, or receive data in the countries where their own data centres are, for research and development, storage, security and analytics. iQIYI is headquartered in Beijing, so users should assume group staff in China can reach some of their data.

Security

We found no reported breach of the international app. The policy says its systems hold ISO/IEC 27001, 27701 and 29151 and PCI DSS certifications, that transfers use TLS, and that staff access is restricted. These are the company's own claims; we did not see the certificates.

The group runs the iQIYI Security Response Center (71SRC) for outside researchers, but the site did not let us confirm that iq.com is in scope. The HackerOne page for iQIYI is an unclaimed directory listing that offers no rewards, so it is not a bug bounty. We could not confirm two-step login for iQIYI accounts.

Age limits and content

The age gap is the clearest safety issue. The App Store rates iQIYI 13+, listing infrequent sexual content, violence, horror and drug references, plus ads and user comments. The privacy policy sets a different bar: 18 in principle, 18 in the US, Singapore, Japan and Hong Kong, 20 in Thailand and 14 in South Korea. A parent who trusts the 13+ rating will let in a child that iQIYI itself says should not be there.

Comments under episodes are public, with your nickname and avatar. Regulators have also looked at what iQIYI shows. In September 2026, after a meeting with Malaysia's film agency and the MCMC, iQIYI pulled six aired episodes of the local drama "Madu atau Racun" for re-editing following public complaints. Taiwan barred local companies from acting as iQIYI's agent in 2020, and its partner stopped serving Taiwanese users on 15 October that year, the South China Morning Post reported. Neither case was about privacy, so both are context in our score.

How to use iQIYI more safely

1. Download only the official app. Sites offering free VIP episodes or shared VIP accounts are not iQIYI.
2. Switch off personalised ads and personalised content under My, Settings, Privacy, Privacy Settings, and tap "Ask App Not to Track" on iPhone.
3. Opt out of LiveRamp at liveramp.com/opt_out if you signed up with your phone number or email.
4. Do not hand the app to children under 18; use the device's screen-time limits if teens watch.
5. To delete data or get a copy, email [email protected] from the address on your account.

How we scored it

The regulatory record (83) is the strongest factor: no fine or order, but no major regulator has examined the app either. Privacy (36) is the weakest, because of tracking, LiveRamp identifiers built from your contact details and group access to Singapore-stored data. Scams and harmful content (50) reflects the gap between the 13+ store rating and an 18+ policy. Security (55) has a clean record but no confirmed bug bounty for the international service.