How to completely disable location tracking on iPhone and Android

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How to completely disable location tracking on iPhone and Android

Credit: Tom’s Guide

There’s a reason why applications ask for permission to use your location so regularly, even if they work well without it. Many firms, such as Google, rely on your location services to give accurate weather reports or the most recent traffic events. In certain circumstances, applications may just require your location data for market research purposes. If you’re not sure what information you’re transmitting or just want to be anonymous, here’s How to completely disable location tracking on iPhones and Android.

How to completely disable location tracking on iPhone

1. On your phone, go to the Settings app

On your phone, go to the Settings app

Credit: Apple

2. Scroll down and select “Privacy”

Select Privacy

Credit: Apple

3. Select “Location Services”

Location Services

Credit: Apple

4. Scroll to the bottom of the menu and select “System Services.”

System Services

Credit: Apple

5. Now select Significant Locations.

Significant Locations

Credit: Apple

6. Toggle the switch next to Significant Locations.

Toggle Significant

Credit: Apple

7. Finally, touch “Turn Off” on the popup to disable Significant Locations.

Turn Off

Credit: Apple

You may also clear your Significant Locations history by going to the Significant Locations menu and selecting Clear History. This will delete all remembered locations from your iPhone and any other devices connected to your iCloud account.

How to Deactivate Location Services in individual iPhone Apps

1. Scroll down to the Individual Apps area of the Location Services menu and select the row of the app you want to adjust the settings for.

Individual Apps area

Credit: Future

2. Choose one of the following options for location access on the next page:

  • Select Never to prevent the app from tracking your location
  • To ensure that your location is only accessible with your agreement or input, choose to Ask Next Time Or When I Share
  • To allow location access when using an app or widget, choose While Using the App or While Using the App or Widgets
  • Toggle Precise Position off in apps like Google Maps and Apple Maps to prevent your precise location from being accessible
location access

Credit: Future

How to Disable Location Services Completely on iPhone

1. Toggle Location Services off at the top of the Location Services menu

Location Services menu

Credit: Future

2. When you activate Find My iPhone, a banner will appear notifying you that your personalized settings will be restored. Select Turn Off.

Find My iPhone

Credit: Future

How to completely disable location tracking on Android

Turning off location services is the simplest and most direct approach to prevent your phone from monitoring you. However, you will lose access to any applications or functionalities that require location services as a result of this. You may also choose which location services to disable, which applications and when they use your location, and whether or not your location data is saved. All of them have been broken down.

How to Disable Location Services on Android

1. Select Settings and then Location

Select Settings

Credit: Future

2. Toggle To entirely disable location services, use location to off

disable location services

Credit: Future

How to Disable Specific Location Services and Location History on Android

1. Tap Location services from the Location menu

Tap Location services

Credit: Future

2. Select the location service that you want to disable

Select the location service

Credit: Future

3. On the following screen, you’ll see a toggle to disable the setting for Emergency Location Service, Google Location Accuracy, Wi-Fi Scanning, and Bluetooth Scanning. Toggle the button to the off position.

following screen

Credit: Future

4. You’ll be led to a Google Accounts Activity Controls page to turn off Location History. Turn off Location History by scrolling down.

Select Pause from the drop-down menu at the bottom of the next page. Then, on the following page, hit Got It or just X off the page.

Google Accounts Activity Controls

Credit: Future

If Auto-delete is enabled, you may establish a timeframe for your saved locations to be deleted after a certain amount of time. Select a timeframe after tapping Auto-delete. After that, hit Next, and then Confirm.

Auto-delete is enabled

Credit: Future

5. Select Manage history and sign in with your Google Account to erase any previously stored locations. A map and filters will appear, allowing you to pick specific days.

Select Manage history

Credit: Future

6. Tap the trash bin symbol in the bottom left corner of the map to remove all of your histories. Tick the box, then choose DELETE LOCATION HISTORY.

To erase a single day’s location history, go to the trash bin icon and choose the day you wish to delete. DELETE DAY from the message that appears.

DELETE DAY

Credit: Future

7. Tap Google Location Sharing to disable location sharing. On the following page, press the X next to the name of the person with whom you no longer wish to share your location. Note that you’ll have to disclose your location with this individual manually in the first place.

Google Location Sharing

Credit: Future

How to change individual App permissions on Android

1. Tap App location permissions from the Location menu

App location permissions

Credit: Future

2. Update the location permissions for the app you wish to change. Then choose one of the choices below:

  • Allow all the time, so the app can monitor your location the time.
  • Allow location monitoring only while using the app, which limits location tracking to app usage.
  • Every time you use the app, ask if you want it to monitor your location.
  • Allow, which prevents the app from being tracked at all.

3. Turn it off. Use precise location to prevent the app from tracking your exact position

Use precise location

Credit: Future

On a Samsung device, you may disable precise location worldwide by choosing Google Location Accuracy and then turning off the Improve Location Accuracy option.

Samsung device

Credit: Future

Conclusion

When it comes to technology, there is frequently a trade-off between privacy and convenience. The same service that may advise you about a decent restaurant nearby or that shows your boarding permit at the airport automatically can also be used for malicious deeds to completely disable location tracking on iPhone and Android.

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