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There are some reasons why location tracking can be useful. Accurate location data can help with navigating with Google Maps for example orimprove your commute dataso that travelling to and from work is easier. You might not be too keen on Google (or others) knowing your every move though, so we’re here with the details you need to know on how to hide your location a bit more effectively or at least to turn tracking off.
How to turn off Google location tracking
If you’re anAndroid useror a fan of navigating your way around with Google Maps then you’re probably aware that Google is tracking your movements. Indeed with default settings, it’s possible tosee a timeline of your movementsright in Google Maps and see all the places you visited and when.
There are numerous benefits to this location tracking. Keeping track of loved ones is an obvious one but also justsharing your location to easily meet upwith friends can be another. This can make it easy to share where you are and quickly get directions to visit people you know.
You might not want Google knowing and tracking every little movement you make though. There might be some privacy concerns for a start.
Luckily it’s relatively easy to turn off location history tracking with just a few clicks. If you’re already logged into your Google account in a browser then you canvisit your activity control center hereand then click to turn automatic tracking off.
Turn off tracking from your phone
It’s fairly easy to turn off location tracking from your phone and you can access the settings to do so in a couple of different ways:
Using the Google App
The Google App on your phone not only lets you search the web but it can also be used to access and control all the data that Google holds about you. Using this app you may turn location tracking off and access various other settings including your history.
Another thing that’s worth noting is it’s possible to turn off the location tracking on your Android phone. Swipe down from the top of the screen to open the notification shade and the quick settings. There you should find a setting marked “location” tap that to turn it off. You will then find that Google isn’t tracking you as accurately, though it will mean that Google Maps isn’t as powerful.
Turning off location tracking with Google Maps
As well as accessing location tracking data via the Google app it’s also possible to do it through Google Maps as well.
Hide location from search
Beyond letting Google track your physical location for navigation in Google Maps it’s also possible to turn off location tracking that’s used in search:
This data is used for results in Google Search, Google Assistant and Google Lens. Turning this location tracking off might mean the results you get from Google are less useful and less personalised, but it’ll give you peace of mind that your location isn’t being tracked.
How to delete location data from Google Maps
As well as turning off location tracking so that you’re not tracked in future it’s also possible to delete the location data that Google already has about you. If you want to delete location tracking data for a particular day or for a certain trip that you took then you can do that with just a few steps via the Google Maps app:
How to delete timeline data from Google Maps
As well as deleting location data from Google Maps on your phone it’s also possible to do it via your location history on a desktop as well. When logged in to your Google account in a browser you may visitGoogle Timelinefor a quick view of all the places you’ve been around the world. You can use this tool to drill down to specific places or dates and then delete parts of the location tracking history.
Use incognito mode to prevent location tracking
If you don’t want to completely turn off location tracking but would like to do some things privately without worrying about being tracked for a while then incognito mode is an option. You probably already know how incognito mode works in Google Chrome - preventing your search activity and website visits from being tracked - this same logic can be applied to Google Maps too.
To turn on incognito mode on your phone:
You can then use Google Maps and your location will not be tracked or shared, your searches in Google Maps won’t be tracked in your history and you won’t need to worry about your location being monitored even if you’re still using Google Maps to navigate your way around.
Stop specific apps tracking your location
Aside from the obvious location tracking you might want to be wary about specific apps tracking your location. Some apps logically need access to your location to help improve search results, personalise the content depending on where you are or help secure your activity in other ways. But it doesn’t make sense for all apps to track your location and on Android phones, you have the power to control access to your location data on a per-app basis.
It’s worth noting that without location tracking some apps might not function as expected or give you the best results, but you may always turn it back on by repeating the above steps and reversing your choices or selecting “ask every time” under the location access options. Then the app will ask permission when you load it.
Turn off location tracking on your phone’s camera
Perhaps one of the most important things you can do in regard to location tracking is to turn off location data on your photos. This is especially important if you’re sharing images on social media as you don’t want to be broadcasting where you are (or where you aren’t) whenever you uploading your phone photos.
To be on the safe side it’s better to disable location tracking on your phone’s camera so that no location data is attached to the photos you are taking.
To do this:
If you useGoogle Photosto upload and keep your camera photos then you may also make some changes in there as well.
If you go into Google Photos you can click on your profile image then “photos settings” and look for location settings in there. This will let you find all photos with stored locations and delete them if you want to stay safe.
