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How to Turn Off Location on Your iPhone

"Learn how to quickly and easily turn off your iPhone's location settings. Follow our step-by-step guide to ensure you have full control of your private data."

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Published Dec 24, 2022

Difficulty: Easy

Duration: 5 minutes

What you'll need: iPhone

  • To turn off location on an iPhone, go to the Settings app and select Privacy > Location Services.
  • Learning how to turn off location on an iPhone can help protect a user's privacy.
  • In this article, you'll learn how to quickly and easily turn off Location Services on your iPhone.

Location services can be an important tool for many iPhone users, offering a variety of features such as Maps and GPS. However, for those who are concerned about privacy or battery life, turning off location services is a great way to ensure that your data is secure and that your phone runs longer. In this guide, we'll explain how to turn off Location Services on an iPhone. We'll go over the steps in both Settings and Privacy menus, so you can make sure that your location data stays private.

how to turn off location on iphone

To turn off location services on iPhone, go to Settings > Privacy > Location Services and toggle the switch to OFF. Location services must be turned off for all apps that you don't want tracking your location.

  1. Open your Settings. Tap the Settings icon on your home screen or in the App Library to open the built-in iOS app.
  2. Select Privacy & Location Services. Scroll down within the main settings menu and tap on Privacy near the bottom of the list.
  3. Tap Location Services. This section controls all of your location-based app permissions and system services. You can toggle them off from this menu if you'd like.
  4. Turn off individual apps or system services. By scrolling through this list, tap any app or service that you would like to disable its access to your location data. This will prevent it from using GPS, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi networks to determine where you're located while using it.
Our takeaway

In conclusion, it is important to know how to turn off your location on your iPhone. Doing this will give you greater control over the privacy of your personal data and keep you safe. It doesn't have to be stressful or a hassle either; if you follow these simple steps, you'll see just how easy it is! Now that you can confidently navigate through the Settings app, take some time to explore all the features available — your phone might just surprise you with all the different things it can do!

FAQs

What is the difference between turning off location services and changing my iPhone settings to Never?

Turning off Location Services on an iPhone means that apps and system services won't be able to access your device's location. Changing the iPhone setting to Never allows you to control which apps can access your device's location and when they can do so.

How do I turn off Location Services on an iPhone running iOS 13 or later?

To turn off Location Services, go to Settings > Privacy > Location Services and toggle the switch next to the app or service you want to disable. You can also customize how that particular app will use your location by tapping it and choosing from the options “Never,” “While Using,” or “Always.”

Can apps still access my location if I turn off all Location Services for an app?

No, if you turn off Location Services for an app, it will not be able to access or track your location. Even if you have set the iPhone settings to “Never”, other apps will still be blocked from accessing your location.

Does turning off Location Services on an iPhone save battery life?

Yes, turning off Location Services on an iPhone can help conserve battery life as your phone won't be constantly using its GPS chip to update your location. This will also result in less data being used.

Is there any way to track someone's location even if they have turned off their Location Services on their iPhone?

No, it is not possible to track someone's exact location if Location Services have been turned off on their iPhone. The only possible way to track someone with an iPhone is by using a third-party tracking service like Find My Friends.

This article was originally published on 24 Dec 2022 but has been regularly updated to keep the information current.
Kyle Crisp
Kyle has been using Apple products for over 25 years. He loves helping people learn how to use their Apple devices.
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