How to turn off location on iPhone [Expert Guide]

Your iOS device is designed with built-in location services. Location tracking and sharing have been proven essential tools for many. These location services become helpful, even necessary, when and if you lose your iPhone or if you use an app that needs to know your location. However, is there something you can do when you don’t want your phone to be tracked and located? Can the phone still be tracked and located even if you turn off location services?

When you turn off location services on your iPhone, you disable them across your device. This is a great way to stop location tracking and help preserve. However, you must remember that turning off your iPhone’s location services may cause some difficulties and issues with apps like Find My or Maps.

There is no need to worry though as there are less extreme and more specific options such as turning off location services only for a certain app or making sure specific people can't track your location. Call 020 7417 1737 for more information.

Here, we will show you how to adjust all the location tracking services on your iPhone.

Can You Turn Off Location on iPhone?

YES, you can easily turn off the location services of your iPhone. Turning off the location services on your phone helps conceal your location. This is important, especially during times when you don’t want third parties to know where you are or be able to track your movement. However, an iOS device like your iPhone may still be tracked through other technological means that reveal its general location.

Here, we will show you how to adjust all the location tracking services on your iPhone to help you enhance your mobile security

How to Do it?

Follow these simple steps to completely disable location services on your iPhone:

1. Open Settings and click on Privacy.

2. You will see a box at the top that says Location Services. If they are turned on, it will say "On."

3. Click on Location Services. A new screen will appear.

4. To turn off location services, then tap the green slider. You will be prompted with a pop-up notification. Click Turn Off.

Note: If you need to turn location services back on again, follow the above instructions to toggle the green slider to "On."

Disable Location for Specific Apps

Here are the simple steps to turn off location services only for selected apps on your iPhone:

1. Launch your iPhone's Settings app and tap Privacy.

2. Select Location Services. Next, scroll through the list of apps and click on the ones you want to change location services settings for.

3. Your options will vary depending on your iOS version and the app you have selected, but you'll generally see two or more of the following: "Never," "Always," "Ask Next Time,” and "While Using the App." Select the one you want to use, then close out of your Settings app.

You need to know the meaning of these location-sharing options to maximize your iPhone experience. Here is what to know about them:

Always: This will grant the app permission to access your location all the time, regardless of whether or not you are using the app.

Never: Disables location services completely while using the app, and this can mean some features are unavailable to you until you update your app's settings.

Ask Next Time: This option tells the app to prompt you each time you open the app so you can grant access on a case-by-case basis.

While Using the App: This automatically enables location services when you open the app and turns them off once you exit it.

All these are part of your location services menu that you can easily access when you either tap significant locations or tap location services or toggle location services.

Disable Location for iOS System Services

It is good to know that system services work in the background on your iPhone. This is to support apps and basic functions, like location-based alerts or your time zone.

Follow the instructions below to turn off location tracking for any of these system services on your iPhone:

1. Open your Settings app.

2. Tap Privacy.

3. Select Location Services.

4. Scroll down to the bottom of the menu list and choose System Services.

5. Toggle which iPhone-based system services and product improvement reporting you want to turn off Location Services for.

6. If you choose Significant Locations you can disable the encrypted feature that tracks your locations and help your iPhone provide location-related data for apps like Maps, Calendar, Photos, etc.

Hide Your Location from iMessage Contacts

Did you know that iMessage also uses location services? Now, you have another option to stop iMessage from locating you and tracking as an easy way to enhance your mobile security.

Below are the simple steps to turn off location services in iMessage on your iPhone:

1. Open your Messages app. Select the message thread of the contact you no longer want to share your location with.

2. Tap their name at the top of the thread and select Info from the drop-down.

3. Select Stop Sharing My Location.

Can Someone Track My Phone if My Location is Off?

In these technologically advanced times, there will always be ways to track your device, whether an iOS or an Android phone, even if your location services are turned off. Many smartphone users may have used some of these apps to find a lost or stolen phone. One good example is the Find My iPhone app which uses Bluetooth to help you find an iPhone even if it’s offline.

Log into your Google account and use Google Maps to check your phone’s location history if you have an Android phone and the Find My app.

Here are four ways how your phone could be tracked:

Cell Towers

There are millions of cell towers all over the world. When using your phone signals travel back and forth to the nearest cell tower as cell carriers can calculate the general area of your phone by measuring the time it takes for a signal to travel back and forth.

Carriers use cell tower triangulation for more accurate readings. The cell tower triangulation system combines location data from three cell towers and pinpoints the phone’s location within a 300-meter area.

Public Wi-Fi

An iOS device like a smartphone that has a Wi-Fi-enabled system communicates with Wi-Fi networks within its vicinity even if it’s not connected to one. Your iPhone automatically scans Wi-Fi access points nearby and detects the signal strength.

It is not uncommon for your service provider to ask you to agree to location tracking when you use public Wi-Fi. The same Wi-Fi provider will then record your location whenever you are in one of its hot spots range.

Remember that using public Wi-Fi may not be the most secure and safest way to be connected. It is suggested that you use apps that provide you with better cyber security when opting to use public Wi-Fi.

Cell Site Simulators

Also known as stingrays, cell site simulators copy or mimic cellphone towers. Because these stingrays prompt cellphones to connect to them rather than to legitimate cell towers by transmitting a stronger signal than that from the cell towers, they easily deceive your phone into pinging it, transmitting its location, and identifying information.

In law enforcement, officers and agencies often use stingrays to approximate the location of and track the movement of potential crime suspects. In attempting to connect to a specific individual, cell site stimulators connect data from all phones within the vicinity of the device.

Malware or Spyware

More than just being able to track your whereabouts even if your location settings are turned off, a device infected with malware or spyware can also record your online activities, allow cybercriminals to steal personal information, or slow down your operating system. Malware may at times not provide the most specific data, but its ability to detect the approximate location makes it very effective.

Mobile cyber security is an important issue that affects all of us. Knowing how vital our location services are and how we can use the system to our advantage is a big plus. Knowing how to disable location services not only helps enhance our mobile security but also helps our iPhone’s overall health. Our iPhone's location services menu gives us myriad options on how to manage our location and tracking issues. Call 020 7417 1737 for more information or check out our repair iPhone service offer for more information on how we can help.