Stop apps from tracking your location.: How to Stop Apps From Track...

Most location tracking starts with a simple permission you forgot you granted.

You can take control without deleting every app or turning your phone into a locked-down brick.

The goal is simple: let maps, rides, weather, and safety features work when needed.

Then stop the rest from checking your location in the background.

This guide shows how to review location access on iPhone and Android, reduce precise location sharing, and understand what these settings can and cannot block.

What You Will Change

You will review which apps can use your phone’s location and change the ones that do not need constant access.

On iPhone, that usually means going through Location Services and choosing a tighter permission for each app. Apple lets you choose options such as Never, Ask Next Time Or When I Share, While Using the App, and, for some apps, Always. Apple also lets you turn Precise Location on or off for supported apps. Apple explains these location controls in its iPhone guide.

On Android, the exact wording can vary by phone maker and Android version, but Google documents the same core idea: you can review app location permissions, limit access to while the app is in use, ask every time, deny access, and adjust whether an app gets precise or approximate location. Google’s Android Help page explains app location permissions.

The practical outcome is not total anonymity. It is a cleaner permission setup: fewer apps with background location access, fewer apps using exact location, and a better reason for every permission that remains.

Before You Start

Do this when you have a few quiet minutes, not while you are trying to use navigation, a rideshare app, or a delivery app.

Some apps genuinely need location to work well. Maps, weather, camera tagging, ride-hailing, food delivery, family safety tools, and find-my-device features can all be affected by stricter settings.

The safest approach is to change one group of apps at a time. Start with apps that clearly do not need location, such as games, shopping apps, entertainment apps, or apps you rarely open. Then review apps that only need location while you are actively using them.

Also remember the boundary: turning off app location permission does not remove every possible signal. Apple and Google both treat location permissions as controls for device location access, but websites, networks, account activity, and IP-based estimates can still affect some online experiences.

Requirements

You only need your phone, your unlock method, and a little patience.

For iPhone, you need access to Settings and the ability to open Privacy & Security. Apple’s current support path is Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services. From there, you can review system-wide location access and app-by-app permissions.

For Android, start in Settings and look for Location or App location permissions. Google’s help pages describe paths such as Settings > Location > App location permissions, though labels can vary across Android devices. If your phone has a search bar inside Settings, search for location permissions.

If your phone is managed by an employer, school, or parental-control setup, some settings may be limited. In that case, you can still review what is visible, but you may not be able to change every option.

Step By Step: Stop Apps From Tracking Your Location

1. Open Your Phone’s Location Settings

On iPhone, open Settings, then Privacy & Security, then Location Services. If Location Services is on, you will see a list of apps and their current permission levels.

On Android, open Settings, then Location, then App location permissions. You may see apps grouped by access level, such as apps that can use location all the time, only while in use, or not at all.

Do not rush through this list. The value is in spotting permissions that no longer match how you use the app.

2. Start With Apps That Do Not Need Location

Look for apps where location access feels unnecessary. A game, calculator, streaming app, shopping app, or casual utility usually does not need your exact location to deliver its main function.

If the app has no clear reason to know where you are, set its location permission to Never on iPhone or Don’t allow on Android.

Open the app later if you are unsure. If it asks for location again, you can decide based on the feature it is trying to use, instead of leaving the permission open by default.

3. Change Occasional Apps To While Using

Some apps need location, but not in the background. Weather, parking, travel, local search, delivery, and ride apps often make more sense with access only while you are using them.

On iPhone, choose While Using the App when that option fits the app. Apple’s location guide describes this as allowing location access only while the app or one of its features is visible on screen.

On Android, choose Allow only while using the app for apps that should not keep location access after you leave them. Google’s Android Help explains this option as one of the standard permission choices.

This is the biggest everyday improvement for many people: apps still work when opened, but they do not keep the same level of access in the background.

4. Use Ask Next Time Or Ask Every Time For Apps You Rarely Trust

For apps that sometimes need location but do not deserve a standing permission, use a prompt-based setting.

On iPhone, Apple lists Ask Next Time Or When I Share as an option for location access. That lets you decide again the next time the app asks.

On Android, some devices offer Ask every time. Google documents this as an option that makes the app request permission each time it needs location.

This works well for apps you use occasionally, apps you are testing, or apps that only need location for a specific one-off task.

5. Turn Off Precise Location When Approximate Is Enough

Exact location is not always necessary.

A weather app may only need your general area. A local news app may not need your exact street. A store app may only need enough location context to show nearby branches.

On iPhone, open an app’s location permission screen and look for Precise Location. Apple says you can turn this off to share only approximate location with an app.

On Android, Google explains that supported devices can let you choose approximate instead of precise location for individual apps. If the app still works well with approximate location, keep it that way.

Use precise location for apps where accuracy matters, such as turn-by-turn navigation, ride pickup, emergency-related features, or find-my-device tools.

6. Review App Tracking On iPhone Separately

Location permissions and app tracking permissions are not the same thing.

Apple’s App Tracking Transparency controls whether apps can ask to track your activity across other companies’ apps and websites. That is separate from whether an app can access your device location.

To review it, Apple points users to Settings > Privacy & Security > Tracking. You can stop apps from requesting tracking permission or review existing choices. Apple’s tracking-permission guide explains this control.

This is worth checking, but do not treat it as a replacement for Location Services. Use both screens: one for location access, one for cross-app tracking requests.

7. Check Google Location Settings On Android

Android also has broader location controls beyond individual app permissions.

Google documents settings such as Location Accuracy, which can use signals like GPS, Wi-Fi, mobile networks, and sensors to improve location estimates on supported devices. Google explains Android Location Accuracy in its Help center.

You can review these settings if you want tighter control, but start with app permissions first. App-by-app access is easier to understand and less likely to break useful phone features all at once.

Troubleshooting Common Problems

An App Stops Working After You Deny Location

Open the app and look at what it is trying to do. If the feature depends on where you are, change the permission from denied to while using the app instead of giving it full background access.

For example, a map app can usually justify location while you are using it. A shopping app may only need location when finding nearby stores. A camera app may only need it if you want location tags on photos.

The App Keeps Asking For Location

That usually means the app is trying to use a feature tied to location. You do not have to approve it automatically.

If the request appears during a clear action, such as finding nearby stores or starting navigation, allow it only for that moment if your phone offers that option. If the request appears without a clear reason, keep it denied.

Approximate Location Breaks A Feature

Some features need accuracy. Turn-by-turn navigation, ride pickup, and device-finding tools can be less useful with approximate location.

If a feature behaves poorly after you disable precise location, turn precise access back on only for that app. Keep other apps on approximate access where possible.

You Cannot Find The Same Menu Names

Phone makers can change Android labels, and software updates can move settings. Use your Settings search bar and search for location, app permissions, precise location, or location accuracy.

On iPhone, Apple’s documented path is Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services. If your device uses a different layout after an update, search inside Settings for Location Services.

You Want One Big Switch Instead

Both iPhone and Android let you turn off location at a broader level, but that can affect maps, emergency-related behavior, lost-phone features, weather, and other tools.

For most people, app-by-app cleanup is the better first move. It gives you control without breaking every location-based feature at once.

Alternatives To Changing Every App Manually

If you do not want to review every app today, use a smaller plan.

First, review apps with background or all-the-time access. These deserve the most attention because they can access location outside the moment you are actively using them.

Second, review apps you installed recently. Newer apps are easier to judge because you probably remember why you added them.

Third, review apps you rarely open. If you barely use an app, it probably does not need a standing location permission.

You can also remove apps you no longer trust or no longer use. Deleting an unnecessary app is often cleaner than trying to manage a permission for something that no longer has a place on your phone.

A Simple Permission Rule To Remember

Use this rule when you are unsure:

If the app needs your location only during a task, choose while using. If it only needs your general area, choose approximate. If it does not need location for its main job, deny it.

Save always-on or background access for apps where the benefit is obvious and current. That might include navigation, safety, device-finding, or family-location tools, depending on how you use your phone.

The point is not to make every permission strict. The point is to make every permission intentional.

If you are tightening phone privacy and security, these TechNubo guides are useful next steps:

FAQ

Does turning off location permission stop all tracking?

No. It stops that app from using your phone’s location permission, but it does not remove every possible signal. Websites, networks, account activity, and IP-based location estimates may still affect some services.

Should I turn off Location Services completely?

Usually, start with app-by-app permissions first. Turning off location broadly can affect maps, weather, device-finding features, ride apps, and other useful tools.

Is approximate location enough?

For many apps, yes. Weather, local content, and store-finder features may work with approximate location. Navigation, ride pickup, and lost-device features often need more accuracy.

What is the difference between location permission and iPhone tracking permission?

Location permission controls whether an app can access your device location. Apple’s tracking permission controls whether apps can ask to track activity across other companies’ apps and websites.

How often should I review location permissions?

Review them after installing several new apps, after a major phone update, or whenever an app asks for location in a way that does not match what you are doing.

How to Stop Apps From Tracking Your Location