How to Turn Off Location on iPhone and Android

3 min read  ·  Works on iPhone and all Android phones

Apps track your location by default — for maps, weather, and more. But you can control exactly which apps see your location, or turn it off completely. Here's how.

Turn Off Location on iPhone

1

Open Settings

Tap the Settings app on your home screen — the gray icon with gears.

2

Tap Privacy & Security

Scroll down and tap Privacy & Security. This is where all your data and location controls live.

3

Tap Location Services

Tap Location Services at the top of the Privacy & Security screen. You'll see a list of all apps that have requested location access.

4

Turn off Location Services or control individual apps

Toggle off Location Services at the very top to turn it off for every app at once. Or scroll down and tap each app individually to control it on its own. Most apps work fine with location off.

5

Choose a permission level for each app

For each app you can choose: Never, Ask Next Time, While Using the App, or Always. "While Using" is the safest choice for most apps — they only see your location when you have them open.

6

Stop sharing your location with contacts

Tap Share My Location near the top of the Location Services screen to stop sharing your location with contacts in Find My. Toggle off Share My Location to disable this entirely.

Turn Off Location for Specific Apps on iPhone

1

Go to Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services

Follow the same path as above to get to the list of apps with location access.

2

Scroll through the list of apps

Every app that has ever asked for location access appears here. The current permission level is shown next to each app name.

3

Tap any app to change its setting

Tap the app name to open its location permission screen. You'll see the same four options and a brief description of what each one means for that specific app.

4

Choose Never to block location access entirely

Select Never to stop that app from seeing your location at any time. The app will still work — it just won't be able to use your current position.

5

While Using is the best default for most apps

While Using the App means the app can only see your location when it's open on your screen. This is ideal for apps like Maps, Uber, or weather apps that need location to function but don't need it in the background.

6

Avoid "Always" for most apps

Always means the app tracks your location even when you're not using it. Only grant this to apps you genuinely trust and rely on — like a Find My Friends app or a fitness tracker.

Turn Off Location on Android

1

Open Settings

Pull down the notification shade and tap the gear icon, or find Settings in your app drawer.

2

Tap Location

Scroll down and tap Location. On some Samsung phones this may be listed under Privacy first.

3

Toggle off Use location to turn it off completely

The Use location toggle at the top disables location for every app at once. Tap it to turn it off. A confirmation message will appear — tap Turn off to confirm.

4

Scroll down to App permissions to control individual apps

If you want location on for some apps but not others, leave the main toggle on and tap App permissions. You'll see a full list of apps grouped by permission level.

5

Tap each app and set its permission

Your options are: Allow all the time, Allow only while using the app, Ask every time, or Don't allow. "While using" is recommended for most apps.

6

Turn off Google Location Accuracy and Location History

Back on the main Location screen, tap Location services. Here you can disable Google Location Accuracy (which uses WiFi and cell towers to improve GPS) and turn off Location History so Google stops recording everywhere you go.

Good to know: Turning off location won't affect phone calls or emergency services — emergency services can still locate you if you call 911. Turning off location for Google Maps means you'll need to type your starting location manually instead of using your current position.

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