How to Disable Location Tracking on Your Phone

Edited 1 week ago by ExtremeHow Editorial Team

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In today's digital age, your smartphone has the ability to track your location using a variety of technologies such as GPS, Wi-Fi, and cellular networks. While location tracking can be useful for navigation, finding nearby places, and social connections, it can also pose privacy concerns. If you want to regain control of your privacy, it's important to know how to disable location tracking on your phone. This guide explains step-by-step how to do so on both Android and iOS devices.

Understanding location tracking

Location tracking is a feature built into modern smartphones that uses a combination of GPS, Wi-Fi, and cellular data to determine your device's location. Apps and services use this information for a variety of purposes, such as providing directions, weather updates, location-based reminders, and targeted advertising. However, if you're concerned about your privacy, you may want to limit how much of your location is tracked and shared.

Disabling Location Tracking on Android Phones

Android phones have extensive options for controlling location settings. Follow these steps to disable location tracking:

Turn off location services completely

1. Open the Settings app on your Android device.
2. Scroll down and tap Location.
3. Turn off the switch next to Use location. This will disable all location services on your device.

Note: Disabling location services will prevent all apps and services from accessing your location. If you want to retain location services for specific apps, you can selectively control permissions.

Control per-app location permissions

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap Apps & notifications or Apps.
3. Select the app for which you want to manage location permissions.
4. Tap Permissions.
5. Tap the location.
6. Choose one of the following options:
   • Allow all the time – The app can access your location even when it’s not in use.
   • Allow only while using the app – The app can only access your location while it's open and in use.
   • Deny – The app can’t access your location at all.

By controlling per-app permissions, you can ensure that only trusted apps have access to your location information.

Disable Google Location History

Google tracks your Location History across all devices connected to your Google Account. To turn off this feature:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Scroll down and tap Google.
3. Tap Manage your Google Account.
4. Select the Data & personalization tab.
5. Under the Activity controls section, tap Location History.
6. Turn off the switch next to Location History.

Disabling Location History will prevent Google from saving your activities. You can also delete any location data it has already collected from this section.

Disabling location tracking on iOS devices (iPhone and iPad)

Apple devices offer a variety of options for managing and disabling location tracking. Follow these steps to control your location settings:

Turn off location services completely

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Tap Privacy.
3. Select Location Services.
4. Toggle the switch at the top to turn off all location services.

Note: Disabling location services will prevent all apps and system services from accessing your location. You may want to customize settings for individual apps instead.

Control per-app location permissions

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap Privacy.
3. Select Location Services.
4. Scroll through the list of apps and tap the app you want to configure.
5. Choose one of the following options:
   • Never – The app is not allowed to access your location.
   • Ask next time – the app will ask for permission the next time it needs access.
   • While using the app – The app can access your location only while it is open and in use.
   • Always – The app can access your location at any time (this option may not be available for all apps).

By customizing per-app permissions, you can ensure that your location is only shared with trusted apps.

Disable Significant Locations

Apple tracks the places you visit most often to provide location-based system services. To turn off Significant Locations:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap Privacy.
3. Select Location Services.
4. Tap System Services at the bottom of the screen.
5. Scroll down and select Significant Locations.
6. Turn off the switch next to Significant Locations.

Disabling Significant Locations will prevent Apple from tracking the locations you visit frequently.

Additional tips and ideas

Although the above steps will help you disable location tracking on your smartphone, consider the following tips and best practices to further protect your privacy:

Review app permissions regularly

Periodically review the permissions granted to apps on your device. This will help you ensure that no application has unnecessary access to your location information.

Avoid sharing location on social media

Be cautious about sharing your location on social media platforms. Geotagging photos and status updates can inadvertently reveal your whereabouts and routine.

Use a VPN

A virtual private network (VPN) can help protect your location data by encrypting your internet connection and hiding your IP address. Although this doesn't completely disable location tracking, it can add an extra layer of privacy.

Disable Wi-Fi and Bluetooth scanning

Some devices continue to scan for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth networks even if these services are turned off, which can be used to estimate your location. Disable scanning features to prevent this:

On Android:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Select the location.
3. Tap Wi-Fi & Bluetooth scanning.
4. Turn off both Wi-Fi scanning and Bluetooth scanning.

On iOS:

iOS devices don’t have explicit scanning settings, but keeping Wi-Fi and Bluetooth turned off when not in use can help prevent tracking.

Consider a factory reset

If you think your device has been hacked or you just want to start fresh, consider performing a factory reset. This will erase all data, settings, and apps, and return your device to its original state. Make sure to back up important data before proceeding.

On Android:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Scroll down and tap System.
3. Select the Reset option.
4. Tap Erase all data (factory reset).

On iOS:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap General.
3. Scroll down and select Reset.
4. Select Erase All Content and Settings.

Conclusion

Disabling location tracking on your phone is an important step to protecting your privacy in an increasingly connected world. Whether you use an Android or iOS device, you have several options for controlling how your location data is used and shared. By following the steps in this guide, you can take control of your location settings and ensure that only trusted apps and services have access to your location information.

Remember to regularly review and update your permissions, be careful about what you share online, and take advantage of additional privacy tools like a VPN to enhance your digital security. Taking these measures will help you maintain control over your personal information and enjoy peace of mind.

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