Turn off location on iPhone under Privacy & Security
On iPhone, go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services and switch Location Services off at the top; every app loses your position at once.
Apple's support page (published 22 October 2026) lists the per-app choices on that same screen: Never, Ask Next Time Or When I Share, While Using the App, and Always. Precise Location is a separate switch for each app on iOS 14 and later; turn it off and the app gets a rough area instead of a pinpoint.
iPhone has no Control Center tile for location, so the fastest route is the search bar at the top of Settings: type Location and tap Location Services.
Open Settings
Tap the grey gear icon on the Home Screen or search for Settings.
Tap Privacy & Security
Scroll about halfway down the list; it sits with the other privacy entries.
Tap Location Services
It is the first row. The switch at the top controls the whole phone.
Switch it off, or pick one app
Flip the top switch for everything, or scroll to one app and choose Never. Leave the top switch on if you only want to limit certain apps.
Turn off location on Android with the Use location switch
On Android, open Settings, tap Location and switch Use location off; Google's help page says these steps apply to Android 12 and up, and older versions keep the switch in a similar spot.
Google also describes a shortcut: swipe down twice from the top of the screen, tap Edit, and drag Location into Quick Settings. From then on one tap turns location on or off without opening Settings.
Phone makers rename menus. On some phones Location sits under Security & privacy or Connections; the search bar inside Settings finds it on every model we tried.
Open Settings
Swipe down from the top of the screen and tap the gear, or open Settings from the app list.
Tap Location
If you do not see it, type Location in the search bar at the top of Settings.
Switch Use location off
This stops GPS, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth positioning for all apps on the phone.
Add the Quick Settings tile
Swipe down twice, tap Edit, drag Location into the tile grid. Now you can flip it from any screen.
Turn off location for one app instead of the whole phone
Per-app permission is the better choice for most people: maps and the camera keep working, and the shopping and game apps that have no reason to know where you are get nothing.
On iPhone the per-app list lives under Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services. On Android it is Settings > Apps > the app > Permissions > Location, with the choices Don't allow, Ask every time, and Allow only while using the app.
We think most people over-worry about the device-wide switch and under-use the per-app list. Going through it once takes ten minutes and you only need to do it again when a new app asks.
| Control | iPhone | Android |
|---|---|---|
| Permission for one app | Location Services > app: Never, Ask Next Time, While Using, Always | Apps > app > Permissions > Location: Don't allow, Ask every time, Allow only while using |
| Precise or rough position | Precise Location switch per app (iOS 14 and later) | Location Accuracy (Google Location Services) under Settings > Location; off means coarser fixes |
| Wi-Fi and Bluetooth scanning | No separate switch; Apple says iOS may use Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to place you | Settings > Location > Location services: Wi-Fi scanning and Bluetooth scanning can be turned off |
| Battery shortcut | None specific to location | Battery saver turns off real-time location updates while it is on |
Turn off location on Windows, Mac and inside the browser
On Windows 11 the switch is Settings > Privacy & security > Location; on a Mac it is System Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services; each has a device-wide switch plus a list of apps you can allow or refuse one by one.
Browsers keep their own list. In Chrome go to Settings > Privacy and security > Site settings > Location and pick 'Don't allow sites to see your location'; Edge has the same entry under Cookies and site permissions; Safari on Mac lists it under Settings > Websites > Location.
A website that is refused location falls back to your IP address, which still places you in a city and country. The last section covers what to do about that.
- Find My or Find Hub cannot locate the laptop once location is off
- Time zone may stop updating when you travel; set it by hand
- Weather and news apps show a default city instead of yours
- Sites you already allowed stay on the browser's allowed list until you remove them
Turning off location without notifying anyone is not possible, but nobody gets a push alert
No phone setting turns location off silently inside a sharing app; the other person sees a status such as 'Location not available' instead of your dot, with the time of your last update.
Life360 and Find My both read the phone's Location Services. So the device-wide switch, Airplane Mode, or setting that one app to Never all end the same way on the viewer's screen: your position stops moving and a status line replaces it. We did not find a setting in either app that fakes a live position, and we would not recommend one if we had.
Snapchat, Instagram and TikTok are simpler. Set the app's location permission to Never (iPhone) or Don't allow (Android). In Snapchat also turn on Ghost Mode in the Snap Map settings so your Bitmoji leaves friends' maps.
Turn off Google location history by switching Timeline off
Google's Timeline is off by default; when it is on, your precise position is saved regularly even while Google apps are closed, and you switch it off in your Google Account's Activity controls.
Maps search history is a separate record on the same Activity controls page. You can pause it there and delete entries you already have, one at a time or all together.
On iPhone the equivalent list is Significant Locations, under Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > System Services. Open it, tap Clear History, and switch it off so the phone stops building a new one.
Location off does not change where your IP address says you are
Switching location off stops GPS, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth positioning, but every website still sees your IP address, which places you in a city and country; Google's own help page says search results and ads then use that instead.
To see what your IP says right now, open Teal VPN's what-is-my-ip page at tealvpn.com/what-is-my-ip; it shows your public IP and the location tied to it, with no sign-in. For a second opinion, browserleaks.com shows the same thing. Teal VPN, made by Fxolio LLC, has a Free plan (500 MB a day) and a Pro plan, with apps for Android, Windows, Mac, Linux, Android TV and Chromebook. Connect to one of its 14 server countries and a site reading IP location sees that country, say Canada or Japan, instead of your home town.
Two honest limits. A VPN does nothing about GPS, so a maps app with permission still knows exactly where you stand. And no VPN is guaranteed to connect on every network, though Teal Secure wraps every connection so it looks like ordinary traffic, and the app tries other routes by itself when a network closes one.
- 14
- server countriessame list on the Free plan and Pro, as of 7 November 2026
- 500 MB a day
- Teal Free allowance2 devices, only an email needed
- $36 a year
- Teal VPN Pro$3.00 a month; $7.99 month to month
- 30 days
- money-back windowon paid plans
You can get search results and ads based on information such as your IP address.
Google Account Help, Manage your Android device's location settings
What stops working when location is off, and what still works
Turning location off costs you turn-by-turn directions, lost-phone finding and location sharing, while emergency calls still send your position and the battery lasts longer.
Google's page spells out the losses: Find Hub may not locate the phone, Maps location sharing stops, earthquake alerts stop, and time zone no longer follows you. Cape's test found better battery life and a bit more headroom for the phone once location was off.
Emergency location services and your mobile carrier can still send your position to responders when you call or text an emergency number, with location off. That part is built into the network, not the settings switch.
Still works
- Emergency calls and texts send your position
- Search and ads based on your IP address
- Calls, messages and Wi-Fi as normal
- Apps that only need a rough city from your IP
Stops working
- Turn-by-turn navigation
- Find Hub and Find My for a lost device
- Location sharing in Maps, Life360, Find My
- Earthquake alerts and automatic time zone
Keep reading
References
- Turn Location Services and GPS on or off on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - Apple Support
- Manage your Android device's location settings - Google Account Help
- How To Disable Location Tracking on Any Phone - Cape
Need help with Teal? Contact support.
Questions
How do I turn off location on iPhone?
Open Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services and switch the top toggle off. To limit one app instead, scroll to it in the same list and choose Never.
How do I turn off location on Android?
Open Settings > Location and switch Use location off. Google's steps apply to Android 12 and up; on older versions the switch is in a similar place.
How do I turn off location without notifying someone?
You cannot do it silently inside a sharing app. The other person is not sent an alert, but their screen shows 'Location not available' or a similar status with your last update time.
How do I turn off Life360 location?
Set Life360's location permission to Never on iPhone or Don't allow on Android, or switch location off for the whole phone. Circle members then see a paused or unavailable status rather than your dot.
How do I turn off location on photos?
On iPhone set the Camera app to Never under Location Services so new photos carry no place tag. When sharing an existing photo, tap Options in the share sheet and switch Location off.
How do I turn off Google location history?
Open your Google Account's Activity controls and switch Timeline off; it is off by default. Delete existing Maps history on the same page.
Does a VPN turn off my location?
No. A VPN such as Teal VPN changes the location tied to your IP address, which websites use when GPS is off, but it does not stop GPS, Wi-Fi or Bluetooth positioning on the phone.