Current:Home > NewsYour iPhone knows where you go. How to turn off location services. -Excel Wealth Summit
Your iPhone knows where you go. How to turn off location services.
View
Date:2025-04-14 07:34:36
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! (23)
Related
- Gen. Mark Milley's security detail and security clearance revoked, Pentagon says
- Suspect in Idaho student stabbings says he was out for a solo drive around the time of the slayings
- Husband of woman whose remains were found in 3 floating suitcases arrested in Florida
- Oregon crabbers and environmentalists are at odds as a commission votes on rules to protect whales
- Global Warming Set the Stage for Los Angeles Fires
- A month’s worth of rain floods Vermont town, with more on the way
- Hyundai, Kia recall 91,000 vehicles for fire risk: ‘Park outside and away from structures’
- Filling Fauci's shoes: Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo is HIV expert and a lot of fun at parties
- What do we know about the mysterious drones reported flying over New Jersey?
- Zimbabwe’s opposition leader tells AP intimidation is forcing voters to choose ruling party or death
Ranking
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
- Arizona reexamining deals to lease land to Saudi-owned farms
- Chairperson of Alabama’s medical marijuana commission steps down
- Wild otter attack leads to woman being airlifted to hospital, 2 others injured
- Nearly 400 USAID contract employees laid off in wake of Trump's 'stop work' order
- Oregon crabbers and environmentalists are at odds as a commission votes on rules to protect whales
- After federal judge says Black man looks like a criminal to me, appeals court tosses man's conviction
- A month’s worth of rain floods Vermont town, with more on the way
Recommendation
Louvre will undergo expansion and restoration project, Macron says
5-year-old girl dies after being struck by starting gate at harness race
Ireland Baldwin's Honest Take on Breastfeeding Will Make You Feel Less Alone
Dua Lipa faces new 'Levitating' lawsuit over use of 'talk box' recording in remixes
Paige Bueckers vs. Hannah Hidalgo highlights women's basketball games to watch
Taylor Swift's remaining surprise songs: What you still might hear on the Eras Tour
How Kobe Bryant's Wife Vanessa Is Honoring Him During Taylor Swift's Eras Tour
Breaking Bad Actor Mark Margolis Dead at 83