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By Chris Clark, founder of Senior Tech Cafe
Background location is a phone permission that lets an app check where you are even when you’re not using it, and most apps don’t need it. To turn it off, change each app’s location access to While Using the App on an iPhone, or Allow only while using the app on Android.
Have you ever visited a garden center to buy a single bag of potting soil, only to come home and find your phone suddenly showing you ads for competitive lawnmower racing? You start to wonder if your phone is psychic. Or perhaps it’s just gossiping behind your back with the neighborhood appliances.
You’re not alone. Your smartphone is a brilliant piece of technology, but it also has a bad habit of acting like a private investigator. Even when you aren’t using certain apps, they can record your movements, creating a detailed diary of your daily life. It’s like having an invisible shadow that occasionally tries to sell you things.
The good news is that you don’t need to throw your phone into a river to get your privacy back. Here’s how the tracking works, in plain English, and exactly which switches to flip.
The Sneaky Trio of Smartphone Tracking
To stop your phone from tattling on you, it helps to know how it finds you in the first place. It uses three tools at once. GPS satellites spot your phone from space, like a cosmic game of Where’s Waldo. Nearby cell towers give a rough idea of your neighborhood. And Wi-Fi networks fill in the gaps: your phone notices the networks around it even when it isn’t connected, so if it sees your neighbor’s Wi-Fi, it knows you’re sitting in your living room.
Most people think there’s one off switch for all of that. There are really three settings at work:
- Location Services is the main switch that lets apps use all that information to put you on a map.
- Background App Refresh lets apps update themselves while you’re not using them. It doesn’t control location directly, but it helps keep apps awake in the background.
- Location history is where your phone’s own system keeps a running diary of the places you go. Apple calls it Significant Locations & Routes; Google calls it Timeline.
Once you know how this trio operates, stopping them is a piece of cake.
Precise vs. Approximate: The City vs. Street Corner Rule
Before we start flipping switches, let’s talk about how closely these apps are watching you. Smartphones now offer a brilliant feature that lets you choose between “Precise” and “Approximate” location tracking.
Think of it as the difference between telling someone what city you live in versus giving them your exact street address. A navigation app like Google Maps absolutely needs your precise location. Otherwise, it might confidently direct you to turn left into a local duck pond.
However, your weather app or that digital Sudoku game doesn’t need to know which specific armchair you are sitting in. Giving them your “approximate” location is more than enough for them to tell you if it’s raining in your zip code.
How to Stop Background Location Tracking on Your iPhone
Apple has made it fairly simple to rein in your apps, but a few of the best settings are buried where you might not think to look.
- Open Settings, tap Privacy & Security, then Location Services. You’ll see a list of every app that has asked for your location.
- Tap any app marked Always and change it to While Using the App, Ask Next Time Or When I Share, or Never. That stops it tracking you in the background.
- Next, the hidden diary. Go back to the main Location Services screen, scroll to the very bottom and tap System Services, then Significant Locations & Routes. This feature maps out the places you go most. You can tap Clear History to wipe it, and turn it off.
One caution before you switch it off: Apple’s Stolen Device Protection, which makes a stolen iPhone much harder to break into, needs Significant Locations turned on. If you use that feature, clear the history and leave the setting on.
How to Turn Off Precise Location on iPhone
To turn off precise location on your iPhone, open Settings, tap Privacy & Security, then Location Services, tap an app, and switch off Precise Location. The app then gets only your approximate area instead of your exact spot.
Some apps have a real reason to know exactly where you are. A food delivery app like DoorDash needs to find your front door, and a ride-share app like Uber or Lyft needs to know which corner you’re standing on. Maps need it too. But does Instagram really need to know precisely which coffee shop you’re posting that latte from? Your weather app certainly doesn’t.
The only downside is that an app without precise location may be a little less exact. If a delivery app starts guessing the wrong house, switch it back on for that one app.
How to Boot the Snoopers Off Your Android
Android phones have menus that look a little different depending on who made your phone (Samsung, Google, Motorola), and the wording shifts between versions. The steps are the same idea on all of them.
- Open Settings, tap Location, then App location permissions.
- You’ll see which apps are allowed all the time and which only while in use. Tap any app in the all-the-time group and choose Allow only while using the app, Ask every time, or Don’t allow.
- On the same screen, switch off Use precise location for any app that only needs your rough area.
If you’ve never learned how to give apps permissions, don’t worry. It really is as simple as tapping the app’s name and picking a new option.
Next, Google’s memory. What used to be called Location History is now Timeline, and it’s off unless you turned it on. To check, go to Settings, Location, Location services, then Timeline. You can turn it off, delete what’s there, or set it to auto-delete after 3, 18 or 36 months. Your phone doesn’t need to remember that you went to the hardware store three times last Tuesday.
Which Apps Are Tracking Your Location?
To see which apps are tracking your location, look for the small arrow at the top of your screen. On an iPhone it’s an arrow, and many Android phones show a similar location icon. It’s your phone’s way of tapping you on the shoulder to say an app is looking at your location. If it shows up when you aren’t using a map or weather app, it’s time for a look.
For the full list, open the same screens as above: Location Services on an iPhone, or App location permissions on Android. Anything marked Always, or allowed all the time, is an app that can track you in the background. If a simple solitaire game wants to know your location 24 hours a day, it’s definitely time to revoke its privileges.
Location You Share With Family
Many people share their location with family for safety and peace of mind, which is a good use of the feature. Sometimes, though, you’d just like to buy a giant tub of ice cream without a text asking what you’re doing at Dairy Queen at 10 a.m.
- iPhone: In the Find My app, tap People, tap a name, and choose Stop Sharing My Location. To stop for everyone, tap Me and turn off Share My Location.
- Android: Go to Settings, Location, Location services, then Google Location Sharing, and tap Stop next to a name.
Apple warns that people may notice when you stop sharing, so a quick heads-up saves a worried phone call.
Will Turning This Off Break My Phone? A Safety Check
A big reason people hesitate to change phone settings is the fear of breaking something important. It’s a fair concern. The biggest one: if you turn off location tracking, will 911 still be able to find you?
Yes. Emergency calls work separately from your app settings. Apple says an iPhone’s location may be used when an emergency call is placed, regardless of whether Location Services is on. Android phones send your location through Emergency Location Service, and your carrier can send it too.
Limiting background location for individual apps, like a flashlight or crossword puzzle, won’t affect Find My on an iPhone or Find Hub (formerly Find My Device) on Android either. Just leave Location Services itself switched on for Find My. That way you can lock down your privacy without losing the ability to locate a phone that has slipped between the couch cushions.
The Battery-Privacy Link (a Hidden Bonus)
Here’s my favorite part about taking control of your location settings: it comes with a reward. Background tracking doesn’t just eat away at your privacy. It eats away at your battery.
Think of background location like a tiny worker inside your phone running on a treadmill. Even when your screen is dark and asleep, that little worker is sweating away, checking in with satellites and draining your power.
Turning off background location lets your phone actually rest when you aren’t using it. How much battery you get back depends on your phone and your apps, but every app you move off Always is one less worker on the treadmill. A win for your privacy, and a win for your battery.
Questions About Background Location
Will Maps and Navigation Still Work If I Turn Off Background Location?
Yes. Turning off background location only stops apps checking where you are while they’re closed. Set your map app to While Using the App, and it wakes up and gives turn-by-turn directions the moment you open it. When you close it, it goes back to minding its own business.
Can 911 Find Me If I Turn Off Location Services?
Yes. Emergency calls are handled separately from location services. Apple says an iPhone may share its location with responders during an emergency call even when Location Services is off, and Android phones send it through Emergency Location Service or your carrier. Limiting everyday apps doesn’t affect that at all.
Does Airplane Mode Stop Location Tracking?
Airplane mode cuts your phone’s cellular connection, so apps can’t send your location anywhere while it’s on. It’s a blunt instrument, though. It also stops calls and texts, and the moment you switch it off, every app goes back to whatever permission it had. Changing app permissions is the better everyday fix.
What Does the Arrow Icon at the Top of My Phone Mean?
The small arrow at the top of your screen means an app is using your location right now or has used it recently. On an iPhone, it appears in the status bar or Control Center. If you see it when you’re not using a map or weather app, check your location settings to find out who’s curious.
How Often Should I Check My Location Settings?
Check your location settings every three to six months, and whenever you install a new app. New apps often ask for your location during setup, when it’s easy to tap Allow without thinking. A quick look through the list catches anything that has wandered into the Always column since your last visit.
Your Next Steps for Peace of Mind
Once you’ve flipped these switches, you can go to the grocery store, the doctor’s office or your favorite secret fishing spot without a dozen tech companies taking notes. Location data is valuable, and some apps sell it on to data brokers, so every app you cut off is one less source.
Take five minutes today with a cup of coffee and open the location list on your phone. Start by changing just three apps from Always to While Using. Then, if you want to go further, turn off personalized ads so the lawnmower-racing ads lose their aim, and see our online safety guide for seniors for the rest of the checklist.
Technology should be a tool that serves you, not a spy that monitors you. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go figure out why my toaster is suddenly asking for my Wi-Fi password. (If yours is too, here are the smart home privacy settings to check.)
