The most reliable way to stop an app from receiving your location is to change its operating-system permission. On iPhone, go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services, select the app, and choose the least access that still works. On Android, open the Location section of Permission manager (or the app’s Permissions page) and choose Don’t allow, Ask every time, or Allow only while using the app.
These controls stop location data being delivered to that app through the phone’s location service. They do not erase information the app already collected, prevent a mobile carrier or Wi-Fi network from making its own inferences, or disable every kind of advertising measurement. Those are separate privacy questions, covered below.
Choose the smallest permission that does the job
Before changing anything, decide what the app actually needs. A mapping app used for turn-by-turn directions may need location while you are navigating. A weather app can usually work with an approximate area. A game, shopping app, video service, or social app may have no essential reason to know your location when it is closed.
Use this rule:
- Never or Don’t allow for apps that do not need location.
- While Using the App or Allow only while using the app when location is useful only on screen.
- Ask Next Time on iPhone or Ask every time on Android when you want a fresh decision whenever the app requests access.
- Allow all the time only when a feature genuinely depends on background updates, such as continuous navigation or a location-based safety function.
- Turn off precise location when the app needs only a nearby area, not your exact position.
Changing one app at a time is safer than immediately disabling location for the whole phone. A global switch can affect navigation, emergency functions, weather alerts, photo features, time-zone updates, and other services.
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Turn off location for one app on an iPhone
Open the per-app controls
- Open Settings.
- Tap Privacy & Security.
- Tap Location Services. The master switch is at the top, followed by apps that have requested location.
- Tap the app you want to change. The page shows its current access and any options supported by that app.
Pick an access level
Select one of the choices shown:
- Never blocks the app from receiving location through iOS.
- Ask Next Time makes the app request permission again. Choose this when you are unsure whether you will need the feature later.
- While Using the App permits location while the app is open and being used, rather than routine background access.
- Some apps may present broader choices when their functions require them. Read the explanation on the permission screen instead of assuming every app offers identical options.
If an app stops showing nearby results, geotagging, or navigation after you choose Never, return to this screen and grant While Using the App if that is sufficient. You can change the decision at any time.
Use approximate location instead of precise location
Leave location access enabled but switch Precise Location off when an app needs only your general area. Apple describes the approximate area available to apps as about 10 square miles (Apple, 2026). That can be enough for regional weather, local news, or broad content recommendations while avoiding delivery of your exact position.
Apple’s guidance summarizes the choice this way: “To share only your approximate location—which may be sufficient for an app that doesn’t need your exact location—turn Precise Location off.” The switch is on the same app-specific location page, so you can combine approximate location with While Using the App.
Review iPhone background access
When an app has permission to use location in the background, iPhone can display reminders and a map showing places where it used location. Treat those prompts as an audit, not as a reason to approve automatically. If the map shows access you did not expect, open the app’s permission page and reduce it to While Using the App, Ask Next Time, or Never.
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To use the global switch, open Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services and turn Location Services off at the top. This prevents location access through the system for all apps, but Apple warns that important iPhone features can stop working. Use it as a deliberate emergency or privacy measure, then restore individual app permissions when you need essential functions.
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Stop an app from using location on Android
Find the permission manager
Android menu names vary by device manufacturer and Android version. Google documents two common routes:
- Open Settings > Security & Privacy > Privacy > Permission manager > Location.
- If that route is not present, open Settings > Apps > See all apps, select the app, tap Permissions, then tap Location.
Use the search field in Settings for “Permission manager” or “Location permission” if your phone places the controls elsewhere. The important destination is the selected app’s Location permission page.
Select the least access that works
Depending on the phone and app, Android may show these choices:
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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems- Allow all the time permits background access. Keep it only for a feature that must update when the app is not on screen.
- Allow only while using the app limits routine access to active use.
- Ask every time requests a decision each time the app wants location.
- Don’t allow blocks the app from receiving location through Android.
Choose Don’t allow for an unnecessary app. If a feature fails, try Allow only while using the app before considering background permission. Android may also explain why an app requests location; read that explanation, but judge it against what the app actually does for you.
Turn off precise location
On supported Android versions, the app’s Location permission page includes Use precise location. Turn it off when an approximate area is enough. Google describes this as the choice between precise and approximate location. You can leave the app usable while reducing the accuracy of the location it receives.
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Check recent access in Privacy Dashboard
Open Settings > Security & Privacy > Privacy dashboard (the exact grouping can differ), then select Location. Android says the dashboard can show which apps accessed location during the last 24 hours. Tap an app in the list to inspect its permission and change it if the access does not match your expectations.
The dashboard records access; it does not by itself revoke permission. Use the app’s Location page to block or limit future requests.
iPhone and Android controls compared
| Control | iPhone | Android |
|---|---|---|
| Per-app blocking | Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services, then select an app and choose Never. | Permission manager > Location, or Apps > selected app > Permissions > Location, then choose Don’t allow. |
| Foreground-only access | While Using the App | Allow only while using the app |
| Require a new decision | Ask Next Time, where available | Ask every time, where supported |
| Approximate location | Turn off Precise Location | Turn off Use precise location |
| Recent-access review | Background-use reminders can include a map of places where an app used location. | Privacy Dashboard can show location access from the last 24 hours. |
| Global switch | Location Services at the top of the Location Services page | A device-wide Location toggle, with wording and placement varying by manufacturer |
| Menu consistency | Apple’s documented path is comparatively uniform. | Paths and labels vary more across manufacturers and Android versions. |
The names differ, but the privacy model is the same: decide whether the app receives location, when it may receive it, and whether the location must be precise.
What blocking location does—and does not—stop
What the permission change stops
A per-app permission controls location data delivered through the phone’s operating-system location service. Once you choose Never or Don’t allow, that app should not receive new operating-system location fixes through the normal permission path. Foreground-only permission similarly prevents routine background access while preserving an on-screen feature.
What it does not erase
Revoking permission does not delete location that the app already collected. To remove stored history, use the app’s own account, privacy, or data-deletion controls. If you cannot find such a control, consult the developer’s privacy policy or support channel; the operating-system switch alone is not an eraser.
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What networks can still infer
Turning off app location does not make the phone invisible to a mobile carrier, Wi-Fi network, or website. Networks can use connection information such as cell-tower association or IP address to estimate a broad area. Those inferences are separate from the app permission described here, and this setting does not change them.
Why a VPN or hardware blocker is not a substitute
A VPN changes how internet traffic is routed, and a Faraday pouch or GPS blocker interferes with radio signals. None of these products performs the per-app permission change described above. They can also break calls, emergency communications, navigation, or normal connectivity. Start with the built-in permission controls; consider other measures only for a separate, clearly defined threat model.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Location permission is separate from advertising tracking
People often ask whether disabling location stops targeted ads. It may stop that particular app from receiving operating-system location, but it does not automatically stop every advertising or measurement system.
On iPhone, Apple’s App Tracking Transparency setting is separate. For iOS 14.5 and later, an app must ask permission before tracking activity across other companies’ apps and websites for advertising or sharing with data brokers. If cross-app advertising is your concern, review Settings > Privacy & Security > Tracking as well as Location Services. A location permission decision and an App Tracking Transparency decision answer different questions.
On Android, review the app’s disclosures in Google Play’s data-safety and location-sharing sections where they are available. Google notes that developers are responsible for the accuracy of their stated practices, and not every store listing or preloaded app supports every label. Treat those disclosures as information to check, not as a replacement for setting the permission yourself.
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A practical audit you can complete in ten minutes
- Open the location-permission list on your phone.
- Sort mentally into three groups: apps that never need location, apps that need it only on screen, and apps that genuinely need background updates.
- Set the first group to Never or Don’t allow.
- Set the second group to While Using the App or Allow only while using the app.
- For the third group, verify the feature before retaining Allow all the time. If it works with foreground-only access, reduce the permission.
- Turn off Precise Location or Use precise location for apps that need only a general area.
- Review recent evidence: iPhone’s background-use reminders and map, or Android’s Privacy Dashboard for the last 24 hours.
- Check Tracking on iPhone separately if your concern is cross-app advertising.
- Recheck after installing an app, changing phones, or enabling a new feature. Updates can introduce a location-dependent function or request.
Troubleshooting after you change a permission
Navigation cannot find your position
Open the app’s location permission and grant While Using the App on iPhone or Allow only while using the app on Android. If the app needs spoken directions while the screen is locked, it may require broader access; test the feature before granting Allow all the time.
Weather or local results look too broad
Turn precise location back on for that app, or enter a city manually if the app offers that option. Approximate location is intentionally less exact; it is not a malfunction.
The app keeps asking
Ask Next Time and Ask every time are designed to prompt repeatedly. Change the setting to Never or a foreground-only option if you have made a final decision.
The app claims it cannot work without background access
Test the core function with foreground-only permission. Some features, such as continuous trip recording or a safety alert that must operate while the app is closed, may genuinely depend on background access. If the feature is optional, leave background access off and accept that the feature will be unavailable.
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You cannot find the menu
Search Settings for the app name, “Location,” or “Permission manager.” On Android, manufacturer software can rename or regroup menus; the app’s Permissions > Location page remains the relevant control.
Quick Recap
Limits worth remembering
- Permission changes govern future operating-system location delivery; they do not delete an app’s historical records.
- Approximate location still reveals an area, not zero information. Apple’s documented approximate area is about 10 square miles.
- Recent-access dashboards and reminders show activity for a limited period. Android’s documented Privacy Dashboard view is the last 24 hours; an absence from that window is not proof that an app has never accessed location.
- Global location switches can disable useful or safety-critical functions. Per-app changes are the safer default.
- App-store disclosures describe developer-reported practices and may not appear for every app or preloaded service.
- Location permission and advertising tracking are different settings. Review both when both kinds of privacy matter.
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