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How to Check Whether Someone Is Tracking Your Location Through Your Phone

Check location sharing, account and device access, app permissions, and compatible Bluetooth tracker alerts. Learn what each check can—and cannot—tell you.
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Check four separate routes: location sharing with people, access to your Apple or Google account or devices, apps’ location permissions, and a Bluetooth tracker traveling with you. Stalkerware is a separate possibility. No single setting, alert, or scan can prove that your phone is—or is not—being tracked. If someone may harm you for changing settings or removing a tracker, use a safe device to seek help before making changes.

Know which kind of tracking you are checking

Route Where location is exposed What a check can show Important limit
Person-to-person sharing A feature that shares your location with named people Recipients or active shares you can review in the relevant account or app Stopping a share may be noticeable to the recipient.
Account or device access An Apple or Google account signed in on a device someone else can access Devices associated with the account and, depending on the service, account access or sharing settings Checking one phone may miss another signed-in device or account-level access.
App location permission An app allowed to use your phone’s location Which apps have location access and the permissions currently granted A permission review does not establish what a person with account access can see.
Bluetooth tracker A separate compatible tag traveling with you An alert or manual scan for certain supported trackers Alerts cover compatible devices only; no alert does not prove that no tracker is present.
Stalkerware Software installed on the phone that may expose location and other activity Potential warning signs, such as unusual data use or someone knowing private details These signs are not proof, and stalkerware may be hidden or evade detection.

Before changing anything, consider your safety

If an abusive or controlling person may be monitoring your phone, changing a share, password, or app—or removing software or a tracker—could alert them or increase danger. Use a friend’s, family member’s, or other safe device to contact an advocate; avoid using the suspected monitored phone to research or call for help. An advocate can help you plan and preserve evidence before changes. In the United States, the FTC lists the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), by text at START to 88788, and through online chat at thehotline.org. Outside the United States, contact a local support service.

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If you find a tracker and feel unsafe, move to a safe public place and contact law enforcement or someone you trust. Where safe, save alert maps, tracker details, and relevant account or device evidence. Google warns that disabling a tracker can reset some devices and remove information that may be useful to law enforcement, so consider safety and evidence before doing so.

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Check who can see your location

On iPhone: review Find My and other sharing

  1. Open Find My and select the People tab. Review who can see your location.
  2. To review devices associated with your Apple Account, open Find My and select Devices. Look for devices you do not recognize. Also review Family Sharing and other sharing you use, including shared Maps ETAs or shared photos and videos whose location metadata may reveal where they were taken.
  3. To stop a share, use the control for that person or service. Apple cautions that someone may notice sharing has stopped; on older systems, a notice may appear in Messages. Consider whether that could put you at risk before stopping it.

Apple’s Personal Safety User Guide, accessed October 7, 2026, describes these sharing surfaces and account-safety checks. Its instructions can vary by software version.

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On Android: check Google Location Sharing

  1. Open Settings > Location > Location services > Google Location Sharing to review people with whom the account shares location. Menu names can vary by phone.
  2. Check each device where your Google account is signed in. Google says Location Sharing is specific to the account and device, so a check on one handset may not reveal a share on another.
  3. In Google Maps, tap your profile picture or initial, then Location sharing. Select a recipient and tap Stop to end that share.

Google says Location Sharing can be accessed through Maps, Messages, Find Hub, Family Link, and Personal Safety. A recipient may see your name, photo, recent device location, and battery or charging status; they may also receive arrival or departure notifications if they enable them. Location Sharing can work even when Google Maps Timeline is off.

Review account and device access

Apple Account

Review the devices associated with your Apple Account and remove any you do not recognize. Check trusted devices, contact and recovery details, sign-in alerts, and account security. Someone with access to your account may be able to see synced information, which can include Messages and location. Change credentials only with attention to safety if another person could notice the change.

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Google Account

Review your account’s access and security controls as well as Location Sharing on each device where you are signed in. Google’s location-sharing controls do not replace a review of account access or app permissions.

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Check which apps can use your location

On iPhone

Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services, then review apps individually and change access where appropriate and safe. An app’s permission determines whether it can use your location under its settings. Turning Location Services off stops all apps—including Maps—from using the phone’s location, so targeted changes are usually more useful than switching everything off.

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On Android

Review Location settings and app permissions; exact menu labels vary by manufacturer and Android version. Check app access separately from Google Location Sharing: a review of one does not cover the other.

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Check for an unknown Bluetooth tracker

Bluetooth tracker alerts are about certain compatible tags moving with you—not every way a person could learn your location. An alert can also have an ordinary explanation, such as traveling with someone carrying their own tag or having a borrowed item with a tracker.

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On iPhone

Apple says an unknown compatible Find My accessory or tracker that is separated from its owner and seen moving with you over time can trigger an unwanted-tracking notification. Open the alert to view its map, play a sound, check your belongings, and follow the on-screen instructions to disable the tracker if appropriate. Bluetooth and Location Services must be enabled for supported notifications, and compatibility and operating-system requirements apply. Apple’s support page on unwanted-tracking alerts, accessed October 7, 2026, provides the current instructions.

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On Android

Google says unknown tracker alerts support Android 6 and later for compatible Find Hub network trackers, headphones, and Apple AirTags. You can also run a manual scan. On Android 11 and later, a manual scan does not require Location to be on; automated alerts do. If you receive an alert, review the map, use Play sound or Find nearby where available, and save screenshots or identifying details if useful. Google’s Find unknown trackers help page, accessed October 7, 2026, explains the supported devices and response steps.

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Turning off your phone’s Bluetooth or Location, or enabling Airplane Mode, does not stop a separate tracker from sharing its own location. If it is safe to disable the tag, follow its manufacturer’s instructions.

Consider stalkerware without treating symptoms as proof

The FTC describes stalkerware as software installed without the phone owner’s knowledge that may expose location, communications, photos, and online activity. Possible warning signs include unusually fast battery drain, unexpected data use, overheating, unexplained restarts, someone knowing your exact location or private conversations, and another person having had unsupervised access to the phone. These signs do not diagnose stalkerware. Battery or data changes can have other causes, and stalkerware may be disguised under a fake name or designed to evade detection.

A consumer scan or “cleaner” app cannot certify that a phone is free of stalkerware. The FTC’s Stalkerware: What To Know, updated June 2026, warns about detection and removal risks. If you choose to reset or replace your phone, document relevant evidence first if safe. The FTC advises against restoring apps from the old phone’s backup, because that could reinstall stalkerware; a reset or replacement is not a first step for everyone.

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

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