Want More Privacy? Here’s How to Turn Off Location on iPhone

iPhones always know more about us than we might imagine – they track our daily routine, grasp our preferences, and identify locations we have been to. Many apps, as well as the operation system itself, track our movements, without us even realizing it at times. And sometimes, we all wish to get out of surveillance and become invisible to the net.

All in all, personal data can be under control. Fortunately for us, users are free to limit who can access location data and decide when to disable it for good. So, how to turn off location services on iPhone? How to manage phone trackers properly so as to get the best out of this experience in the end? Let us see. 

How to Turn Location Off on iPhone Completely

The first and fastest way to stop your iPhone from tracking you is to disable location services. Mind that some useful features like weather forecasts and maps will also be unavailable. 

To turn off location on iPhone: 

1. Open Settings.

2. Scroll down to “Privacy & Security” (by the end of the list).

3. Tap “Location Services”.

4. Toggle “Location Services” off.

Since then, all the apps that require your precise position will no longer be operating as they should. However, you can always undo this act by going to “Location Services” and enabling it again.

How to Disable Location for Specific Apps

If you do not want to take drastic measures, you can always turn off location tracking for specific applications. It is easy and quick, for it follows almost the same procedure as in the previous section. 

1. Open Settings.

2. Scroll down to “Privacy & Security” (by the end of the list).

3. Tap “Location Services”.

4. Tap an app from the list displayed below.

5. Select “Never” in the “Allow Location Access” section.

6. You can also toggle Precise Location off if you still wish this app to know your approximate position. 

7. Repeat for other applications.

This is a particularly useful feature, as many apps, such as ride-sharing, delivery services, and maps, still rely on positioning access to function properly.

How to Stop Sharing Your Location with Other Users

Sometimes, users may want to keep their location data private but do not wish to hide it from the system. In this case, iOS offers a unique feature to stop sharing location with other users (i.e., friends or family members) on Find My or iMessage.

To stop location sharing on Find My: 

1. Open the “Find My” app.

2. Tap on “Me” (located on the right side of the navigation bar).

3. Find “Share My Location” and toggle it off. 

The situation with iMessage is quite the same: 

1. Open the iMessage conversation with a chosen contact.

2. Tap the contact name.

3. Scroll down and tap “Stop Sharing My Location”. 

By the way, you can also disable tracking via Settings, as we have covered before. Just go to Settings -> Your Name (at the top) -> Find My -> Toggle “Share My Location” off to stop sharing it within the Find My network.  

How to Turn Off Significant Locations

On iOS, there is a feature called Significant Locations that tracks and records places you visit regularly to provide personalized services and recommendations. This is how Apple knows where you live and which places you visit. To hide such essential information from the system (as breaches, as well as theft, are possible), you should: 

1. Open Settings.

2. Scroll down to “Privacy & Security” (by the end of the list).

3. Tap “Location Services”.

4. Scroll down till the end of the list and tap “System Services”.

5. Scroll down and find “Significant Locations” to tap (mind that Face ID or Touch ID is required).

6. Disable Significant Locations.

7. Clear history if you wish to (located at the bottom of the screen). 

How to Use Airplane Mode for Temporary Privacy

How to turn off location on iPhone without notifying others? Any smartphone is equipped with a feature that allows them to temporarily cut off communication with the outer world by turning on airplane mode. When activated, it disables all wireless signals by default, though some services (e.g., Wi-Fi or Bluetooth) can be switched on manually. 

So as to turn on Airplane mode:

1. Open the Control Center (swipe down from the top right corner of the screen).

2. Tap the “Airplane Mode” button (the symbol of an airplane). 

3. Turn Bluetooth and Wi-Fi on if necessary.

Indeed, this should be seen as a temporary, quick solution for those who need privacy right away. But Airplane Mode means lost connections, so do you still need it?

​How to Fake or Spoof Your Location

Finally, if the above-mentioned methods do not work well, you can always try faking your GPS coordinates. However, it carries numerous risks, from those of a technical nature to ethical ones. In order to spoof location on your iPhone, you should install third-party spoofing software via USB or Wi-Fi, jailbreak your phone, or simply use VPN services. The latter seems like the less harmful way to use your phone and fake location at the same time.

Learn how you trick Life 360, for example, and keep your personal data a bit distorted.

Important: Remember that jailbreaking can void your warranty, expose your device to security vulnerabilities, and is generally not recommended for casual users.

Location-Tracking Services Can Do It Better 

Anyway, it is always better to use software that can be easily turned on and off for your own safety and the safety of your loved ones. We recommend that you try a new but advanced application – Number Tracker. It provides one with classic location-sharing opportunities, as well as impressive innovative tools for safety needs (you can disable location sharing anytime, it is free). Here is what may define Number Tracker as a must-have. 

Take control of your location data and let it be shared when you wish to only.

Sources: 

1. https://support.apple.com/en-us/102647 

2. https://support.apple.com/guide/personal-safety/checklist-2-manage-location-information-ips3dbc70436/web