Your iPhone makes use of info out of your cell service, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS to pinpoint its location, and because you nearly all the time have your telephone on you, your location as nicely. That info could be helpful for lots of issues, corresponding to letting others know the place you might be or discovering your telephone when it’s misplaced. Other instances, it’s simply extra knowledge that companies and corporations acquire about you, creating privateness issues.

The excellent news is you’ll be able to tighten your controls in order that apps are solely accessing your location when it’s crucial.

Toggling your location settings can differ from telephone to telephone, relying on what mannequin of iPhone you may have and what model of iOS it’s operating. The following instructions had been examined on an iPhone 11 operating iOS 15; should you’re operating a unique model of iOS, there shouldn’t be a lot distinction.

Turn off location entry for particular apps

Location knowledge is helpful for some apps (for instance, if you wish to order meals) and crucial for others, like maps or ride-shares. However, if an app asks in your location and also you don’t really feel it wants the information, you’ll be able to disable location companies for that app. Here’s how to try this.

• Open Settings.
• Go to “Privacy” > “Location Services.”
• “Location Services” will almost definitely be switched on. Unless you need to utterly lower all location companies off (see under), go away it alone
• Scroll right down to discover a record of all of the apps that allow location companies. Each itemizing will present the app’s title and the kind of permission it has: “Never,” “When Shared,” or “While Using.” “When Shared” refers back to the choice “Ask Next Time Or When I Share.” Meanwhile, “While Using” will normally imply “While using the App,” however it could typically additionally discuss with “While Using the App or Widgets.”
• If you need to change a selected app’s entry to your location knowledge, click on on the app itemizing.

If you click on “While Using the App,” then that app can have entry to your location both when it’s open or when it’s in use within the background.

For extra methods to restrict location entry, click on on “System Services” on the backside of the “Location Services” display. Here, you’ll be able to toggle location entry for quite a few issues, together with Wi-Fi, time zone, emergency calls, and Apple News and App Store adverts which can be related to your location.

To the left of a number of the service toggles, you may even see a small arrow. A hole arrow means the merchandise could have entry to your location beneath sure situations; a purple arrow means the merchandise has just lately used your location, whereas a grey arrow means it used your location someday within the final 24 hours.

To verify whether or not your telephone continues to be amassing location knowledge, go right down to the very backside of the “System Services” display and toggle the swap on for “Status Bar Icon.” This will show an arrow on the high of your display when an app in your telephone is accessing your location.

If you need to actually go off the grid, you’ll be able to disable location companies to forestall your telephone from amassing any location knowledge in any respect:

• Open Settings.
• Go to “Privacy” > “Location Services.”
• Toggle the “Location Services” swap to off.
• You’ll get a discover telling you that, whereas Location Services might be disabled for all apps, it’ll quickly come on-line should you use the “Find My iPhone” and report your telephone misplaced. Select “Turn Off.”

If you may have an iPhone 11 or later

If you may have a telephone designed with Apple’s U1 chip — corresponding to an iPhone 11 or later — and have disabled location companies for particular apps, it’s possible you’ll discover that you simply nonetheless typically see the arrow. According to Apple, it’s because these fashions use extremely wideband expertise, which Apple says is regulated, so the telephones use location companies to find out in the event that they’re in an space the place extremely wideband use is restricted.

The iPhone requests location knowledge when location preferences are set on an app-per-app foundation, so switching off location companies in your telephone total will cease these location requests since your telephone gained’t be capable to acquire any location knowledge.

Share your location with people

If you’re strolling alone at evening otherwise you’re in an Uber by your self, you may want a pal or member of the family to know your location in actual time. If you may have iOS 13 or later, you need to use the Find My app to share your location with household and buddies.

• Open “Settings.”
• Go into “Privacy,” and ensure “Location Services” is switched on.
• Go again to the primary “Settings” menu and faucet in your title on the high.
• Select “Find My.”
• Toggle “Share My Location” in order that it’s on.
• Then go to the Find My app. If that is your first time utilizing the app, it’ll ask you whether or not you need it to entry your location. Choose both to “Allow While Using App,” “Allow Once,” or “Don’t Allow.”
• You could get a display explaining that “Find My” can be utilized with an AirTag or for AirPods, and that there are apps for the watchOS as nicely.
• On the map display that seems, choose “People” on the backside of the display.
• Click the button that claims “Start Sharing Location.”
• In the “To:” discipline, sort in both the telephone quantity or title of your pal or member of the family.
• If the individual you choose has a telephone quantity that isn’t related to an iPhone, you’ll be notified with a pop-up. (But you’ll be able to nonetheless share your location.)
• Tap “Send,” then choose both “Share for One Hour,” “Share Until End of Day,” or “Share Indefinitely.”

It will then begin sharing your location. In order to change it off, click on in your contact’s title within the “Find My” app beneath “People,” then faucet “Stop Sharing My Location.” Confirm by clicking on the “Stop Sharing Location” button that pops up.

Send recurring notifications

You can have your telephone ship out recurring notifications as nicely. These are helpful in order for you your pal or relative to know when a you get to a location (or don’t get there).

• In the “Find My” app, faucet the “People” tab on the backside of the display.
• Select the individual you need to ship notifications to (it needs to be any individual you’re already sharing your location with).
• Scroll down till you see “Notifications” and tab “Add.”
• A pop-up from the underside offers you the choice to inform that individual. Select it.

You can notify the individual whenever you arrive at or go away a selected location, and ship the notification simply as soon as or each time you arrive or go away (for instance, if you wish to let any individual know every single day whenever you get dwelling from work).

Share by way of Messages

You can share your location by Messages as nicely:

• Open a dialog in Messages.
• Tap on the contact title after which click on “Info.”
• This offers you the choice to “Share My Location,” which offers you the choice to “Share for One Hour,” “Share Until End of Day,” or “Share Indefinitely.” Click a kind of to start out sharing.
• If you need to cease sharing, click on “Stop Sharing My Location” the place “Share My Location” was. A button labeled “Stop Sharing My Location” will pop up. Click on that.

Update September seventeenth, 2021, 10:15AM ET: This article was initially printed on December twelfth, 2019, and has been up to date to account for variations in iOS and in obtainable companies.