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6.4

How to turn off location on iPhone and Android

Give an app your location only while you are using it, and only if the app cannot work without it.

Hand holding smartphone displaying a GPS map application with location data.
Photo: George Sultan / Pexels
Area: InformationFrom age 12Time to learn: 15 minutes

You can turn off location for the whole phone, but the better habit is to set each app to Never or While Using. Turn off precise location where an app does not need it, and stop sharing your location with anyone who no longer needs it.

SafetyIf you think a partner or someone close to you is tracking you, stopping location sharing may alert them. Talk to a domestic violence advocate before you change settings. In the US, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233. In Canada, find a local shelter or crisis line at sheltersafe.ca.

Why it matters

Your location history shows where you live, work and sleep, and apps set to Always can collect it in the background. Turning location off for the whole phone also stops maps and Find My from locating the phone, so for most people it works better to turn sharing off app by app and person by person. On Android, emergency location services can still send your location to responders when you call or text an emergency number, even with location turned off.

How to do it

  1. iPhone, to see everything: go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services. The switch at the top turns location off for the whole phone, and the list below it shows each app.
  2. iPhone, app by app: tap each app and choose Never, Ask Next Time Or When I Share, While Using the App, or Always. Keep Always only for apps that need your location in the background.
  3. iPhone: for apps that need only your general area, such as weather, open the app's entry in the list and turn off Precise Location.
  4. iPhone, people: open the Find My app, tap People, tap a person's name, then tap Stop Sharing My Location. To hide your location from everyone at once, tap Me and turn off Share My Location.
  5. iPhone, everything in one place: go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Safety Check (iOS 16 or later). Use Manage Sharing & Access to review and stop sharing with specific people and apps, or Emergency Reset to stop all of it at once.
  6. iPhone: review Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > System Services, and turn off services you do not need. Leave Emergency Calls & SOS and Find My iPhone on.
  7. Android, whole phone: open Settings > Location and turn off Use location.
  8. Android, app by app: open Settings > Apps, tap an app, then Permissions > Location. Choose Allow only while using the app, Ask every time, or Don't allow. On Android 12 and later, turn off precise location so the app gets only your approximate location.
  9. Google Location Sharing with people: on Android, open Settings > Location > Location services > Google Location Sharing, tap the list of people, and tap Stop next to each person. On any device, you can also go to myaccount.google.com > People & sharing > Location Sharing > Manage Location Sharing. If you use Google Timeline, which saves your precise location when it is on, check it in your Google Account's Activity controls.
  10. Check these lists again every few months and after you install new apps.

Common mistakes

  • Turning location off for the whole phone and leaving it off, which also stops Find My from locating the phone if it is lost.
  • Leaving an app on Always after a one-time use, such as a ride or a delivery.
  • Forgetting people you share with. A former partner or roommate may still be able to see your location in Find My or Google Maps.
  • Setting permissions once and never checking again. New apps ask for your location when you install them, and updates can add new requests, so review the list from time to time.
You can do this when …no app on your phone has Always access unless you chose that on purpose, and you can name every person who can see your location.

Sources

  1. Apple Support: Turn Location Services and GPS on or off on your iPhone
  2. Apple iPhone User Guide: Share your location in Find My
  3. Android Help: Manage your Android device's location settings
  4. Android Help: Change app permissions on your Android phone
  5. Google Account Help: Manage your Location Sharing settings

Sources and numbers last checked . How we check

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