How to turn off location tracking on your Android
Stop Android sharing your location: turn off the main switch, per-app permissions, Location Accuracy and Timeline, and delete the history Google saved.
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- Use location is the one switch that stops apps reading your position.
- Timeline and Location Accuracy are separate settings; turning off one does not turn off the other.
- Give each app only the access it needs: most apps work fine with approximate location.
- Emergency calls are the exception, and that is by design.
How to turn off location tracking on Android: the short answer
Open Settings, tap Location, and switch off Use location. That is the whole job for the main switch, and it takes ten seconds. With it off, no app on your phone can read your position. Maps cannot navigate, and weather apps cannot find your town. It is blunt. It stops everything at once, including the apps you actually want to use. Most people do better with the finer controls below.
Location tracking on Android is not one switch. It is four settings in different places, and each one does a different job. The main switch controls the phone. App permissions control each app. Location Accuracy controls how precisely the phone works out where you are. Timeline controls whether Google keeps a history of where you have been. Turning off one leaves the others running, which is why people turn location off and still find their movements saved.
Before you start, know what will break. Turning off location does not stop your phone working. Calls, texts and most apps carry on. Anything that needs to know where you are will ask for it again, or stop working until you turn it back on. Your phone can still show local results from your internet address. Emergency calls are the exception: your phone can still share your location with the emergency service.
- Open Settings and tap Location. Switch off Use location at the top. If you cannot see Location, look under Privacy or Security and privacy.
- Go to Location, then Location services, and turn off Google Location Accuracy. On some phones it is called Improve Location Accuracy.
- Also turn off Wi-Fi scanning and Bluetooth scanning there. Both can locate your phone even when Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are off.
| At a glance | Answer |
|---|---|
| Main switch | Settings > Location |
| Stops apps | Use location off |
| Timeline default | Off unless you turn it on |
| Precise vs approximate | Android 12 and later |
| Still shared | Emergency calls |
| Local results | IP address still gives a rough area |
What Android location tracking actually is: four separate switches
Your phone works out where you are from several sources at once. GPS is the most precise source in open sky. It degrades indoors or between buildings, where the phone falls back on Wi-Fi and cell signals. Google calls the combination Location Accuracy, and it is a separate setting from the main location switch. When it is on, your phone shares nearby Wi-Fi and tower details with Google for a faster, sharper fix. When it is off, that sharing stops, though the phone can still use Wi-Fi and cell signals on its own for a rougher position.
Apps get your location through permissions. Each app can be set to always know where you are, only while you are using it, only when you say so, or never. Android 12 and later adds a second choice: precise or approximate location. Approximate location gives the app a general area rather than your exact street. A weather app works fine with that. A navigation app does not. You set it in the same place as the permission.
Timeline is the history keeper. When it is on, your precise location is regularly saved to your device, even when Google apps are not in use. The on-device Timeline switch is off by default for new accounts, but older accounts that opted in may still have it on. The setting and the saved history live in different places. Deleting the history is a separate step, covered below.
| Setting | Where it lives | What it stops |
|---|---|---|
| Use location | Settings > Location | Every app reading your position |
| Google Location Accuracy | Location > Location services | Wi-Fi and tower data sharpening your fix |
| Wi-Fi and Bluetooth scanning | Location > Location services | Location fixes when Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are off |
| Timeline | Google Account Activity controls | Google keeping a history of where you have been |
| App location permissions | Location > App location permissions | One app at a time; precise or approximate |
Turn off the main switch and the accuracy helpers
Start with the main switch, because it does the most. Open the Settings app and tap Location. At the top, switch off Use location. On some phones, Location sits under Privacy or Security and privacy instead. The names vary by maker. The switch itself is always called Use location or Location. Once it is off, apps cannot get your position at all. Open Maps to test it: it will ask you to turn location back on.
Next, turn off the helpers that sharpen your fix. Go to Settings, then Location, then Location services. Turn off Google Location Accuracy, also called Improve Location Accuracy on some phones. With it off, the phone stops sending nearby Wi-Fi and cell data to Google. Fixes are slower and less precise as a result. In the same place, turn off Wi-Fi scanning and Bluetooth scanning. Those two let your phone work out where you are from nearby networks, even with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth off. Turning them off stops that quiet route.
If you use location for some things and not others, leave the main switch on and control the apps instead. But turn off Location Accuracy anyway. You lose a little precision, and maps take a moment longer to lock on. In return, Google stops collecting the Wi-Fi and tower data. For most people, that is the best single trade-off here. It keeps navigation working and cuts the quietest form of tracking.
Take location away from apps one by one
With the main switch on, each app still needs your say-so. Open Settings, then Location, then App location permissions. Your apps are sorted by what they can do now. Tap any app to change it. A maps app needs location while you use it. A shopping app does not need it at all. A weather app works with approximate location. Go through the list once, and be strict.
The four choices mean different things. Allow all the time lets the app read your location even when it is closed. Only a few apps need that, such as a family locator. Allow only while using the app is the right choice for maps and ride apps. Ask every time makes the app request permission on each use. Don't allow blocks it completely. If an app stops working after you change it, change it back.
Browsers deserve the same treatment. Chrome and other browsers can pass your location to websites, and each website can ask for it separately. Open Settings, then Location, then App location permissions, and set your browser to Ask every time or Don't allow. Then open the browser itself and look for Site settings, then Location. Set it to not allow sites to see your location. A website needs permission from both the browser and the site itself. Blocking either one stops it.
Turn off Timeline and delete the history Google saved
Timeline is the one people forget. Open Google Maps, tap your profile picture, then Your timeline, then More, then Settings and privacy, and look for the Timeline switch. Turn it off there. Your Google Account's Activity controls offer the same switch if you prefer the web.
Deleting the history takes a second step. In the same Timeline settings, look for the option to delete your location history. Choose a range: all of it, or everything older than a date you pick. The deletion covers the Timeline history on your account.
Check the other Google settings while you are there. Web and App Activity saves the places tied to your searches and the apps you use, even when Timeline is off. Open your Google Account, then Data and privacy, then Web and App Activity, and look at what is saved. You can turn it off, or turn on auto-delete there too. Google keeps renaming these controls, so the labels may differ slightly. If the labels look different from the ones here, search the settings for Timeline or Location History, and the switch will be nearby.
Myths you can ignore about Android location tracking
The first myth is that turning off location makes your phone untraceable. It does not. Your carrier knows which tower your phone is using, which gives a rough area, not your street. Your internet address also gives away your general area. Turning off location stops apps and Google from getting your precise position. It does not hide you from the network itself. No setting makes your phone invisible. The goal is narrower: stop the apps that do not need to know.
The second myth is that turning off Timeline deletes your history. The switch only stops new entries. The switch and the saved data are separate, and the old entries stay until you delete them. The third myth is that a VPN hides your location. It hides your internet address, so websites see the VPN server's city. It does not stop your phone's GPS, and apps with location permission still get your real position. A VPN and location settings solve different problems. Use both if you want both.
The last myth is that location tracking is all or nothing. It is not. You can keep location on for maps, give your weather app an approximate area, and block everything else. Look at the app list when you install something new, because a fresh app can ask for location the first time you open it. The five minutes you spend now saves you from wondering later which app knew where you were. That is the whole point of these settings: you choose who knows, one app at a time.
Quick answers
Can a shopping app track my location?
Yes, if location is on and the app has permission. A shopping app does not need your position to show you prices, and a weather app works with approximate location. Open Settings, then Location, then App location permissions, and set it to Don't allow or approximate location.
Does turning off location make my phone untraceable?
Not quite. Your phone must stay in touch with your carrier's towers to work, and that alone places it roughly. Turning off location stops apps and Google from getting your precise position, not the network itself.
Does turning off Timeline delete my location history?
It stops new entries, but the old ones stay until you delete them. Open the Timeline settings and delete your location history, choosing all of it or everything older than a date you pick.
Does a VPN hide my location from apps?
No. A VPN hides your internet address, so websites see the VPN server's city instead of yours. GPS still works, and apps with location permission still get your real position. They fix different problems.
How often should I check which apps can see my location?
A quick look at Settings, then Location, then App location permissions every few months keeps it tidy.