Troubleshooting

04/09/25

10 min

Does the iPhone Track Your Location?

Sometimes we have some situations in our lives when we urgently need to find our phone or locate the phone of our loved one or family member. Then the "Find My iPhone" function comes to the rescue. By the way, the Number Tracker application has similar functionality, where you can track by number.

Sometimes we have some situations in our lives when we urgently need to find our phone or locate the phone of our loved one or family member. Then the "Find My iPhone" function comes to the rescue. By the way, the Number Tracker application has similar functionality, where you can track by number. 

It's no secret that a lot of phones are "eavesdropping" on us right now. First of all, this is done for more personalized advertising, but one way or another, the device breaks into our privacy. Read more about digital privacy. 

the shocked man who found out that the phone was tracking his location

How Does Apple View This?

Apple takes the privacy of its users seriously. The iOS 16 update has added a lockdown mode to protect you from the most sophisticated digital threats. It limits some of the features and capabilities of your iPhone to minimize exposure to potential risks. However, it is important to mention more than that.

Using "Find My iPhone", you can find the approximate location of Apple devices and items marked with AirTags tags. Every iPhone owner is already a member of this network. To search for a device, it must be online and the Locator application must already be configured on it. 

Well, You Probably Still Have a Question.

Is it possible to completely disable GPS on your iPhone? Yes, of course! To do this, disable location services in the privacy and security settings.

How Does It Work?

The function works using a secure Bluetooth signal that can detect other nearby Apple devices and read the location of the phone. When another iPhone detects a lost item, it anonymously sends its approximate location to Apple's servers. This information will then be available to the user in Find My.

Circumstances

"Find My iPhone" features

Need to find a person

If your loved one or a family member is missing and not answering their phone, you can find their device on the map.

Device Loss

If you have lost your phone or cannot find it, log in to the app and mark the device as lost. 

Erase information

If your device contains a lot of personal or other confidential information, and another person has access to it, you can remotely erase the information.

Device theft

If your device is stolen, you can track the criminal by GPS in the app.

Screenshot from an iPhone with a notification from the locator.

Your iPhone can also send a notification if it detects an unknown tracking device, such as AirTag, moving with you. These alerts indicate that someone is tracking your iPhone's location by secretly placing their AirTag near you, such as inside your bag or car. This feature is enabled by default. 

So, if you've received a lot of tracking notifications through the Find My app lately, there's a high chance that someone is tracking your iPhone's location. Don't torture yourself with thoughts of "how to freeze my location on Find My iPhone", but really think about disabling tracking.

A complete list of devices with the ability to use this feature: iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple Watch, AirPods headphones, or Mac computer.

Why Should This Feature Be Abandoned?

The feature can be very useful and life-saving in emergency situations, however... how often do you encounter similar circumstances? 

We hardly use this feature in our daily lives. Most often, it causes tension in people. Each of us has the right to a private, confidential life and certainly wants it. Surely each of us has been thinking about how can I pause my location on Find My iPhone.

As for the Risk Groups

This is especially true for the older generation, who did not grow up with a phone in their hands and did not get used to the idea that modern technology is everywhere and monitors our every move. What can we say about the thing that we keep next to us all the time?

In addition, some people are alarmed and worried that someone can track their location. Especially for personal gain or with a threat to security. The thought "is someone watching me?" it can be a serious cause for concern. Some people may be more susceptible to anxiety, and the thought of tracking their location can cause serious complications. They're not used to share their location. 

An elderly man, terrified of being followed

The Main Reasons for Disabling "Find My iPhone":

  • You are an introvert. It's great when you communicate closely with your friends and they can always see your location. However, if you are an introvert, then you need to spend a lot of time alone with yourself. 

Disabling the feature will ensure your privacy and confidentiality. You don't have to think anymore: how to pause location on Find My iPhone without they knowing or without it showing. Besides, how to pause location on Find My iPhone for one person (for example, your girlfriend or boyfriend). 

  • You are an anxious person. Unfortunately, anxiety has long been a "trend" in our world. Many people are suffering from it now. And to reduce your stress and anxiety, you need to know how to freeze location on Find My iPhone without turning it off.

  • You don't want to become a victim of scams. Modern technology has already gone far enough to use deepfakes to deceive. Location detection can also help them steal from you. In this case, disabling "Find My iPhone" will protect your savings. So, you need to know how you freeze your location on Find My iPhone without them knowing.

Partially Disabling Location Detection

This will help your iPhone to be more personalized. For example, you can prohibit location detection only for certain applications, or, conversely, leave permission only for the navigator, which cannot work well without enabling this feature. 

Location detection makes it possible to set up personal advertising more efficiently and to ensure the normal operation of some applications. The choice depends on your preferences and needs. If it seems to you that a certain application is tracking you, you can ban it. There are some ways to pause your location on Find My iPhone!

Follow These Instructions to Set up This Feature: 

1. Take your iPhone and open the Settings app

2. Click on "Privacy & Security”

3. Next, click on "Tracking". 

Then the list shows apps that have requested permission to track your actions. You can enable or disable the permission for any app in the list. To prevent any apps from requesting tracking permission, turn off the "App Tracking Requests" option (at the top of the screen). With this feature, you can pause location on Find My iPhone without turning it off. 

Screenshot with instructions on how to disable location detection for some applications

Common Mistakes: 

  • Install iOS updates. Problems with location services may be related to bugs or an outdated iOS build. This is the most common reason. 
  • Incorrect configuration of applications or the operating system. Some applications use location data based on network information such as Wi-Fi or mobile communications. If this data is incorrect or outdated, it may cause an error. 
  • If you have multiple Apple devices, the changes may not apply to all devices if they are not compatible or out of sync.
If the problem persists, we recommend contacting customer support.

However, If You Want Complete Privacy so that No One and Nothing Can Track Your Location, Then Follow these Instructions: 

1. Also take your iPhone and open Settings

2. Log in to "Apple ID"

3. Click on "Find My"

4. Next on "Find My iPhone"

5. Finally, turn off the function.

Screenshot with instructions on how to disable location detection

Congratulations, your iPhone is now untraceable. You don't have to wonder anymore, can you pause your location on Find My iPhone.

Recommendations: 

  • Carefully check the settings for each application.

When you disable geolocation services on your iPhone, it's important to do this for each app individually, as some of them may continue to have access to your location unless you change the settings specifically for them.


  • Explore all system services that use the location.

Some applications will not be able to work without GPS. Be attentive!


  • Restart the device after making changes.

Sometimes changes to the settings are not applied immediately due to temporary glitches or errors in the device interface. Rebooting may help. 

  • Understand the consequences of completely disabling location for the operation of certain device functions.

If you have multiple Apple devices under the same iCloud account, changes to location settings on one device may not sync.

Pay Attention!

Some users may not be aware that apps can still use location information even when geolocation is disabled, for example, via Wi-Fi or mobile networks.

If you're still not sure about privacy. For example, your iPhone behaves strangely and emits unexpected vibrations/sounds for no apparent reason. This may be a signal that someone is trying to gain remote access to your iPhone. You need to pause your location on Find My iPhone without it showing!

The presence of covert tracking software, spyware, or monitoring applications may cause vibrations or sounds within their functionality. In addition, most spyware or malware applications usually run in the background to collect your personal information.

So, if you notice an irregular discharge of the battery on your phone or unexplained vibrations and sounds, you can take extreme measures and reset your iPhone's data to factory settings. Neither turning on airplane mode nor disabling Wi-Fi will help here. Also you can try location changer or other apps and services.

However, You Consider the Risks

If you stop to share your location, you reduce the security level of your iPhone. If you decide to return everything back, the algorithm of actions is the same. 

"Find My iPhone" was not designed to harm users anyway. So be careful and be aware of the possible consequences when disabling the feature.

Sources: 

  1. https://support.apple.com/ru-ru/guide/iphone/iph4f4cbd242/ios
  2. https://www.tenorshare.com/change-location/how-to-pause-location-on-find-my-iphone.html
  3. https://support.apple.com/ru-ru/guide/icloud/mmfc0f2442/icloud

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