Privacy & Security

Which Apps Can See Your Location? How to Check and Turn It Off

By Priya Lindqvist / November 10, 2026

Quick answer: On both iPhone and Android, your phone keeps a list of every app that has asked for your location. On iPhone, open Settings, then Privacy & Security, then Location Services. On Android, open Settings, then Location, then App location permissions. Pick the lowest setting that still lets the app do its job: “While using” for most apps, “Never” or “Don’t allow” for the rest, and “Always” only for the rare app that truly needs it. Menus vary by version and phone maker, but the idea is the same. The whole audit takes about five minutes.

Key takeaways

Location access is a per-app setting, so you can say yes to your maps app and no to your flashlight app.
“Always” lets an app collect location in the background. For most apps, “While using” is enough.
Turning off “precise” location gives an app only your approximate whereabouts, which is plenty for weather and many other apps.
Location sharing with friends and family is a separate switch from app permissions, so check both.
The FTC has taken action against data brokers that sold precise location data collected through apps, which is why it pays to be picky.

Why your location is worth guarding

Your location is not just a dot on a map. Over weeks, it shows where you live, where you work, which doctor you visit and where you spend your weekends. That is why the FTC describes location data as sensitive.

In a 2024 order, the FTC said one data broker collected precise location through apps that used its software kit (called an SDK, short for software development kit, which is code that app makers add to their apps). The FTC said the data was tied to advertising IDs and sold for uses such as advertising and brand analytics. It said such data can reveal where people live, whom they spend time with, what medical care they seek and where they worship. In a separate alert, the FTC described the market for phone location data as hard to see into, which makes it difficult to know who holds your information.

The FTC also said the broker built custom audience groups for marketing, and alleged that one contract involved people who visited certain medical facilities. The takeaway for the rest of us is simple: an app that does not need your location has no good reason to collect it, and every extra app is another place your data could end up.

You do not need to panic. You just need to know that “allow location” is a real decision, and it is yours to make.

What the choices mean

Apple and Google use slightly different labels, so here is the translation.

Setting	What it does	When to pick it
Never (iPhone) / Don’t allow (Android)	Blocks the app from using your location	Apps with no reason to know where you are, such as games, calculators and most shopping apps
Ask next time or when I share (iPhone) / Ask every time (Android)	The app asks each time it wants your location	Apps you use occasionally, such as a store locator
While using the app (iPhone) / Allow only while using the app (Android)	Access only while the app, or one of its features, is on screen	Maps, rideshare, weather, food delivery
Always (iPhone) / Allow all the time (Android)	Access even when the app is in the background	Rarely. Think of a family safety app you chose on purpose
Precise location on	The app gets your exact spot	Turn-by-turn directions, rideshare pickups
Precise location off	The app gets only an approximate area	Weather, news, local search

Two small details are worth knowing. On iPhone, the status bar may turn blue while an app is using your location under “While using.” On Android, apps set to ask every time may let you share your precise location for a single session with a location button. Both are handy for one-off needs, like finding a pharmacy once.

Apple notes that when Precise Location is off, an app receives only your approximate location. Google describes precise location as a toggle you can turn on or off once an app has location access.

The five-minute audit

Grab your phone and a drink. Here is the plan, one minute per step.

Minute 1: Open the list

iPhone: Settings, then Privacy & Security, then Location Services. Make sure Location Services is on if you want maps to work, then scroll through the apps.

Android: Settings, then Location, then App location permissions. Apps are grouped as allowed all the time, allowed only while in use, ask every time, and not allowed.

Minute 2: Fix the “Always” group

Look at everything set to Always. Ask yourself: does this app need to know where I am when I am not looking at it? If the answer is no, switch it to While using.

Minute 3: Cut the unnecessary

Find the apps that make you say “why does this have location?” Set them to Never or Don’t allow. If something breaks, you can switch it back in a few seconds.

Minute 4: Check precision

Tap into apps you keep, and turn Precise Location off wherever an approximate area is enough. On Android, you can also see whether an app asks for approximate or precise location under its Permissions screen.

Minute 5: See who actually used it

On Android 12 and 13 and up, the Privacy dashboard (under Settings, then Privacy or Security and Privacy) lists apps that used a permission such as location. Google’s help page says it covers the last 24 hours on Android 12 and the last 7 days on Android 13.

On iPhone with iOS 15.2 or later, you can turn on App Privacy Report under Privacy & Security. Apple says it shows how many times and when apps accessed sensitive data such as location, over the past 7 days, and that the data stays encrypted on your device. It only starts collecting after you switch it on, so check back in a few days.

Location history and timelines

App permissions are one thing. A saved history of where you have been is another.

On Android, Google’s Timeline saves visits and routes. Google’s help page says that when Timeline is on, your precise device location is regularly saved to the device, even when Google apps are not in use. It also says Timeline is off by default, that each signed-in device keeps its own Timeline, and that you can delete all of it or just parts. An optional encrypted backup can be stored on Google’s servers.

Here is the catch Google spells out: turning off or deleting Timeline does not necessarily remove all location data. If Web & App Activity is on, other location information, such as general-area location and IP address details, may still be saved as you use Google services. Review that setting in your Google Account too.

On iPhone, Apple’s iPhone User Guide lists a “Clear location history” page under Maps, so look there for Maps history. I could not read the details of that page, and menus vary by version, so search the Settings app for “location” if you cannot find it.

Sharing your location with people

This is the one people forget. An app permission controls what software can see. Location sharing controls what people can see, and it can stay on for years.

iPhone

Apple’s help page says you can share in Find My or in Messages, for one hour, until the end of the day, or indefinitely. To stop with one person, open Find My, tap People, choose the person, tap More, then tap Stop Sharing My Location. You can also tap Hide Location to hide yours only for the rest of the day. To stop with everyone, open the Me tab and turn off Share My Location. Apple says the other person is not notified, and that stopping in one app stops sharing across all apps.

Android

Google’s page says to go to your Google Account, choose People & sharing, then Location Sharing, then Manage Location Sharing. Pick the person and tap Stop. To pause everything, the page points to your device Settings.

A practical tip: set a calendar reminder for every six months to review who you share with. Old roommates, former partners and people you no longer talk to are easy to miss.

Your 10-item checklist

Open the app location list on your phone.
Switch every unnecessary “Always” app to While using.
Set apps with no clear need to Never or Don’t allow.
Turn off precise location where approximate is fine.
Check Android’s Privacy dashboard, or turn on iPhone’s App Privacy Report.
Review Timeline or location history, and delete what you do not want.
Check Web & App Activity in your Google Account if you use one.
Review everyone you share location with, and stop old shares.
Look at the apps you no longer use, and delete them.
Repeat the audit after major updates or new app installs.

Frequently asked questions

If I turn location off for an app, will it still know roughly where I am?

The app can no longer use your phone’s location feature. It may still keep data it collected earlier, and you may still type in an address or city yourself, so turning it off is a block going forward, not an erase button.

Does turning off Location Services break my phone?

Not permanently. Apple’s checklist notes that some features may not work as expected when it is off, and maps and rideshare apps clearly need it. You can switch it back on whenever you need it.

Does “While using” mean the app can only see me when it is open?

Apple says it allows access only when the app or one of its features is visible on screen. Android describes it as using location only while you use the app.

Will the other person know if I stop sharing my location?

Apple says the person is not notified when you stop sharing in Find My. They will notice your pin is gone if they look, so be ready for questions.

Before you decide

You do not have to be a privacy expert. Do the audit once, tighten the obvious ones, and put a reminder on your calendar. If an app insists on “Always” without a good reason, that is useful information about the app.