- Disabling location services may increase your privacy or extend battery life, but it may also make your phone less convenient.
- You can turn Location Services on or off from the Settings app on iPhone or Android.
- You can control location services globally, or use the Settings app to control location permission for each app.
- Visit Insider’s Technical Reference Library for more stories.
Location Services are among the most important permissions you can grant (or deny) on your phone. Many apps rely on location services to do their job. For example, your Maps app needs permission to use Location Services to know where you are and provide driving or walking directions. Other apps that rely on knowing your location only for certain features may function partially if location services are not enabled.
Whether you use an iPhone or Android device, it’s easy to turn location services on and off globally, or enable location services for specific apps.
How to Enable Location Services on Android
By default, your Android phone enables overall location service, though you need to grant permissions to every app you install. If Location Services has been turned off for your Android phone, you can turn it back on with a few taps. Start Adjustment app and tap location, If it’s off, turn it on use location By swiping the button to the right.
Make sure location services are enabled for your phone to know where you are.
Dave Johnson / Insider
You should also check out individual apps. If you want to make sure that a specific app has enabled Location Services, tap app location permissions And find the app in the list. Tap on app and select Allow only when using the app either ask every time, In general, Allow only when using the app There is a more convenient and more common option.
For best results, apps should be able to access your location.
Dave Johnson / Insider
How to Disable Location Services on Android
If you want to increase your privacy or extend your phone’s battery life, you may want to disable location services – although this will make using your phone substantially less convenient since so many apps rely on knowing it. do where you are. If you want to disable location services globally – so no app can know where you are – get started Adjustment app and tap location, If it’s on, turn it off use location By swiping the button to the left.
You can turn off Location Services for each app on your phone at once.
Dave Johnson / Insider
Alternatively, you can disable location services only for specific apps. On the Location page in Settings, tap app location permissions And find an app in the list. Tap on app and select Do not allow, Alternatively, you can choose ask every time, which means you have to decide if you want to enable location services for that app every time the app is launched. It’s not very convenient, but it’s a versatile option.
How to Enable Location Services on iPhone
If Location Services has been disabled for your iPhone, you can turn it back on with a few taps. Start Adjustment app, then tap privacy, At the top of the page, tap location services And, when disabled, toggle it on by swiping the button to the right.
To turn location tracking on or off, go to Location Services in Privacy Settings.
Dave Johnson / Insider
Location services can also be turned off for individual apps. To make sure Location Services is turned on for a specific app, find it in the list location services When you find the page and app, tap it. Choose an option other than Now never, Most apps will work best when set to while using the appHowever if you want the app to know where you are even when the app is not running, you can choose always,
How to Deactivate Location Services on iPhone
You can disable location services globally for each app on your phone, or just for specific apps. This can enhance your privacy or preserve battery life.
Start Adjustment app, then tap privacy, At the top of the page, tap location services And, if Location Services is on, you can disable them all at once by swiping the button to the left. Confirm that you want to do this by selecting Stop it in the pop-up window.
You can disable location tracking for each app on your iPhone one at a time by swiping Location Services to the left.
Dave Johnson / Insider
Alternatively, you can disable location services for individual apps. on the list of apps location services On the page, find an app for which you want to restrict location services. Tap on app and select never,