Turn Off Location Tracking on Your Phone for Better Privacy

Smartphones are helpful tools for daily living, but if you allow them, they may access almost all of your personal information, including your exact location. It’s crucial to turn off location when it’s not needed to protect your privacy.

You can unknowingly give your phone permission to track your position and share that information with others when you use a map app to discover the new restaurant your friend suggested or the browser on your phone to check the pricing of something you spotted while window browsing. If you’re not actively using these features, remember to turn off location tracking to limit unnecessary data sharing.

Cellphone tower pings, Wi-Fi access points, Bluetooth, and GPS are just a few of the signals that phones utilize to determine your location.

In order to perform a helpful service, such as directing the Uber driver to your position, your phone occasionally needs to know where you are. In other situations, however, there isn’t much reason to track your whereabouts, which apps, ad networks, or even hackers may then take advantage of. It’s a good habit to turn off location services when not in use to minimize these risks.

“Every location ping, from fitness tracking to navigation, potentially exposes details about our daily habits and activities – which might be risky in the wrong hands,” Keeper Security CEO Darren Guccione stated.

“When location tracking is required, like during navigation, emergencies, or sharing updates with trusted contacts, users should activate it and then immediately turn off location.”

Experts warn that location information may be used to follow abortion clinic visitors. As per David Ruiz, the senior privacy advocate at cybersecurity firm Malwarebytes, “A current, abusive partner could force you into location sharing as a means of control, or a disgruntled ex could use location sharing to stalk someone.”

The following advice can help ensure that location tracking is minimized:

App Permissions

To verify permissions, go to the settings menu on your phone.

To check settings for specific apps, iPhone users can navigate to Location Services under the Privacy & Security tab. Cybersecurity experts advise against allowing apps to utilize your location in the background at all times. Rather, make the app ask before using your location, only use it when it is open, or never allow it to use your location.

You may see small arrows that show which apps have utilized your location while you are in Location Services. Grey denotes the previous 24 hours, whereas purple denotes more recently. You can always turn off location for apps that don’t require constant access.

Privacy on iPhones

To reduce third-party tracking, Apple offers additional tools that may include location data. The Allow Apps to Request to Track toggle is located on the Tracking tab of the Privacy & Security settings on the iPhone. Turning this off will prevent new apps from accessing your phone’s ad identification and immediately reject their requests.

Advertising ID

For better ad targeting, privacy experts advise removing the in-house ad identification on your Apple or Google device, which allows third-party tracking on the majority of devices. Turn off location tracking for personalized ads to enhance your privacy.

Specific or General Location

Both iOS and Android feature options that enable you to opt for precise or general location. You can instruct your phone to just communicate its general location if you don’t want all apps to know this. Turn off location accuracy for all apps on Android phones, or for specific apps on iPhones.

Your Google Account

Checking your Google account is also essential to manage location settings. After an Associated Press article in 2018 revealed that Google was still tracking users’ location data even after they disabled a feature, the company was compelled to improve its transparency. It’s important to review your Location History controls and regularly turn off location tracking in your account settings.

Web Browsers

Try using a web browser that does not save any information about you, such as DuckDuckGo, Firefox Focus, or Ecosia, since popular smartphone browsers like Safari or Chrome may reveal your position.

Find My Device

Apple’s Find My and Google’s Find My Device services can be used to track phones or tablets and recover misplaced gadgets. However, if you think someone is misusing this feature, you can always turn off location tracking in these services.

In conclusion, location services can be convenient but risky if left on all the time. It’s best to turn off location tracking when it’s not necessary to protect your privacy and avoid potential threats.

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