Apple holds privacy and security as two of its core values and has some new resources on how to protect your devices, accounts, and personal security. Let’s take a look at the recommended steps to check who can see your iPhone’s location, including how to make sure no one can track you.
Apple has released a new 20-page support guide called “Access to devices and data when personal security is at risk.” Whether you have personal security issues or it’s just the time for a privacy and security check, the steps below are helpful.
These solutions may also help you:
Learn how to check who can see your iPhone’s location, how to adjust your location settings, and more.
How to check who can see your iPhone’s location – and make sure no one can track you
Here’s what Apple recommends:
Complete deactivation of location services
- If you need to disable all possible location and tracking services (temporarily or permanently), go to settings > Privacy
- touch Location services at the top, tap forbidden confirm
- Turn off the switch next to Location Services at the top
- Note that some services will not be able to work with location services turned off
- Apple points out when this option is turned off that “Location services will be disabled for all applications, but your custom location services will be temporarily restored if you use Find My iPhone to activate lost mode.”
What apps can see your iPhone location?
- In the same Settings section (settings > Privacy > Location services) look below
- Remember that you will need the main switching of location services to be activated
- You’ll see a list of apps (Apple apps and third-party apps)
- Touch one to manage individual location services
- You’ll be given the option to allow access to the “Never”, “Ask next time”, “While using the app” or “Always” location.
- Additionally, you can turn off “Precise Location” if you want to grant permission to locate an application, but you want it to be less detailed.
And when you see the Location Services icons in the status bar of your iPhone or in the settings we went through above, here’s what they mean:
Managing location services with Find My
- Into the settings > Privacy > Location services touch Share my location
- You can now turn off the button next to “Share my location,” which will prevent the family and friends you see below from seeing where you are.
- You can also manage how Finding My iPhone works by tapping Find my iPhone
Who can see your iPhone location with Find My?
- Go to Find my app
- Tap a person in the list at the bottom
- Swipe to the bottom of the information card
- Choose Stop sharing my location
- Alternatively, you can do the same from settings > Privacy > Location services > Share my location > Family friends
Who can see your iPhone’s location in third-party apps?
- If you share your location with others in third-party apps, it won’t appear in the main iOS settings
- Go back to settings > Privacy > Location services to see which apps have access to the location
- If you’re not sure if an app has access, you can return it all to “Ask next time” or “Never”
- Regular third-party apps that will have access to your iPhone’s location include, Google Maps, Facebook, Instagram, other social apps, Uber / Lyft, other travel apps, fitness, shopping (keep in mind that unsuspecting apps may have or request access to the location)
Go ahead with protecting your Apple devices
In addition, you can read Apple’s full 20-page guide to device and data privacy here.
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