Current:Home > FinanceYour iPhone knows where you go. How to turn off location services. -Achieve Wealth Network
Your iPhone knows where you go. How to turn off location services.
View
Date:2025-04-13 10:36:32
Google knows more about you than your best friends. That includes (if you have the right settings enabled) where you go and even the pictures you take at that location.
You have to check out this map. It’s stunning to see your history laid out in one spot.
Apple users, you’re not immune. Your iPhone tracks the places you go most. Here’s how to access the secret map tracking you, plus steps for disabling it.
There are no secrets kept from an iPhone
At least, not in terms of where you have been. Ever wonder how your iPhone can automatically pull up directions to work when you get in the car? Or when you leave for the day, how it knows you are heading home?
It’s part of location services – and a separate and more in-depth thing called Significant Locations.
Check outTech News and Hacks, the free newsletter read by over 500,000 people who want useful tech advice and are tired of tech news meant for only experts and coders. Plus, it’s actually fun to read!
According to Apple, this feature exists so the phone can learn places that are significant to us and therefore be able to provide personalized services, like predictive traffic routing and improved Photos Memories.
That said, it seems like an invasion of privacy and could lead to real problems. If the phone tracks our whereabouts, who else may know about them?
According to Apple, no one. It says the data that goes between your cloud-connected devices is encrypted. Unless someone steals your phone and password, there’s nothing they can do to access it.
Find your Significant Locations
Want to know how to access it and, if you’d like, turn it off? Here are the steps:
◾ Open your iPhone’s settings.
◾ Tap Privacy & Security.
◾ Select Location Services.
◾ Scroll down and tap System Services.
◾ Scroll until you see Significant Locations and tap that.
After entering your password or opening your phone with FaceID, you’ll see a list of locations you’ve visited. Some may seem a bit off to you, but that’s because the location is not always precise.
Tap on a place and it will open a page with more specifics, including a map that shows where it thought you were. It would have you in the area even if it didn’t peg you precisely right.
Still using Temu? Here’s why you need to stop now.
How to protect your privacy
It’s possible to eliminate your Significant Locations history. Here’s how:
◾ Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > System Services, then tap Significant Locations.
◾ Tap Clear History. This action clears all your Significant Locations on any devices signed in with the same Apple ID.
If you don’t want your iPhone to keep track of your whereabouts, you can disable Significant Locations. Here’s how:
◾ Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > System Services, then tap Significant Locations.
◾ Slide the toggle next to Significant Locations to the left to disable the setting.
What about if you have a Google account?
If you’ve used Google Maps for years, there’s probably a startling amount of info about everywhere you’ve gone. Check it out:
◾ When signed in, click on your profile picture, then select Manage your Google Account. Or go to your Google Account page.
◾ On the left, click on Data & privacy.
◾ Under “History Settings,” click on Location History.
◾ At the bottom, click Manage history.
You’ll see a map with details like your saved home, work locations, and trips. You can search by year or down to a specific day in the Timeline box in the top left corner.
Pick a date from a couple of years ago just for fun. You’ll see a blue bar if a trip was recorded. Click a day to see everywhere you went, down to the time and mileage.
Maybe you enjoyed the walk down memory lane. Or perhaps it gave you the creeps. You can adjust your settings to stop Google from tracking all your trips.
◾ Go back to your Google Account page.
◾ On the left, click on Data & privacy.
◾ Under “History Settings,” choose Location History. Click Turn off.
Keep your tech-know going
My popular podcast is called “Kim Komando Today.” It’s a solid 30 minutes of tech news, tips, and callers with tech questions like you from all over the country. Search for it wherever you get your podcasts. For your convenience, hit the link below for a recent episode.
PODCAST PICK:Lazy girl job viral trend, Instacart price jacking & Space Force satellites
Plus, Reggie needs a marketing solution to get his small biz off the ground. I give him my advice. A woman's wedding dress accidentally gets donated to Goodwill – here's how internet sleuths got it back. The reason your phone can track your steps and how to know which side of the car your gas tank is on.
Check out my podcast “Kim Komando Today” on Apple, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast player.
Listen to the podcast here or wherever you get your podcasts. Just search for my last name, “Komando.”
Learn about all the latest technology on the Kim Komando Show, the nation's largest weekend radio talk show. Kim takes calls and dispenses advice on today's digital lifestyle, from smartphones and tablets to online privacy and data hacks. For her daily tips, free newsletters and more, visit her website.
veryGood! (387)
Related
- The White House is cracking down on overdraft fees
- Everything you need to know about solar eclipse glasses, including where to get them
- Why ex-NFL player Shareece Wright went public with allegations he was sexually assaulted by Tiffany Strauss
- 2024 SAG Awards: Carey Mulligan Reveals What She Learned From Bradley Cooper
- Louvre will undergo expansion and restoration project, Macron says
- Don't fret Android and iPhone users, here are some messaging apps if service goes out
- Brooklyn preacher goes on trial for fraud charges prosecutors say fueled lavish lifestyle
- United Airlines is raising its checked bag fees. Here's how much more it will cost you.
- Newly elected West Virginia lawmaker arrested and accused of making terroristic threats
- When does 'The Voice' Season 25 start? 2024 premiere date, time, coaches, where to watch
Ranking
- New Mexico governor seeks funding to recycle fracking water, expand preschool, treat mental health
- United Airlines is raising its checked bag fees. Here's how much more it will cost you.
- Vigils held across U.S. for nonbinary Oklahoma teen who died following school bathroom fight
- Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt have a 'Devil Wears Prada' reunion at SAG Awards
- Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie return for an 'Encore,' reminisce about 'The Simple Life'
- Don't fret Android and iPhone users, here are some messaging apps if service goes out
- List of winners at the 30th Screen Actors Guild Awards
- 2024 SAG Awards: Josh Hartnett Turns Attention to Oppenheimer Costars During Rare Interview
Recommendation
Juan Soto praise of Mets' future a tough sight for Yankees, but World Series goal remains
Jon Hamm and Wife Anna Osceola Turn 2024 SAG Awards into Picture Perfect Date Night
Trump's civil fraud judgment is officially over $450 million, and climbing over $100,000 per day
Why do we leap day? We remind you (so you can forget for another 4 years)
Moving abroad can be expensive: These 5 countries will 'pay' you to move there
The NFL should be ashamed of itself that Eric Bieniemy has to coach in college
Shane Gillis struggles in a 'Saturday Night Live' monologue which avoids the obvious
What's the best place to see the April 2024 solar eclipse? One state is the easy answer.