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To stop an app from accessing your location in the future, change its location permission in your phone’s settings. Then turn off any separate visit-history feature in the app or account. If places have already been saved, delete them through that history feature: revoking permission does not erase records already stored.
Choose the control that matches what you want to stop
| Control | Scope | What it changes | What it does not do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phone location permission | One app’s access through the phone’s Location Services | Limits or blocks future access; an in-use-only permission can preserve location features while the app is open | Does not delete places the app already saved |
| Precise Location | An app on iPhone or iPad, where the option is available | Reduces how exact the location shared with that app is | Does not stop location access altogether or erase history |
| App or account visit history | A particular app feature or account service, such as Google Maps Timeline | Can stop that feature from automatically saving future visits, depending on its settings | Does not necessarily stop other location collection by the company’s services |
| History deletion | Records held by the app or account whose history controls you use | Removes selected or stored past records where deletion is offered | Does not, by itself, prevent new records from being collected |
These controls are separate. For example, turning off an app’s background access is not the same as disabling its history feature, and neither is the same as deleting past visits. Location-based functions such as navigation, geofencing, or nearby recommendations may stop working or become less useful when access is restricted.
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Stop an app from accessing location on iPhone or iPad
- Open Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services.
- Tap the app you want to change. Choose Never to block its access through Location Services. If you still need location while using the app, choose While Using the App instead, if offered.
- If the app’s settings show Precise Location, turn it off to share a less exact location rather than a precise one.
Apple says apps must request permission to use Location Services. When an app has background access, iOS may periodically remind you and show the locations it has accessed on a map. For Apple’s explanation of permissions and location controls, see About privacy and Location Services on iOS, iPadOS and watchOS.
Check Apple’s own location records separately
Per-app permission does not control every Apple location feature. Significant Locations & Routes is a system feature that keeps track of recently visited places and routes. Apple Maps also has Visited Places, a separate optional feature with its own retention setting. Apple says Visited Places is end-to-end encrypted and lets users adjust how long places are retained. See Apple Maps & Privacy for details.
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Apple also documents location-based functionality for Maps in its Location Services settings. Review those settings if you want to limit Maps-specific location features, rather than assuming a third-party app permission controls them. Apple describes system location handling in Location Services & Privacy.
If an app has already recorded places, find its own history or account controls and delete records there. Changing an iPhone permission does not remove history held by the app.
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Stop an app from accessing location on Android
- Open the target app’s App info or Permissions screen, then open Location. You can usually reach App info by pressing and holding the app icon and selecting its app-information option, but the route and wording vary by phone maker and Android version.
- Choose Don’t allow to block location access, or select an in-use-only option if you need location while actively using the app and that choice is available.
- Open the app’s own settings and look for visit recording, location history, or similar controls. Turn off the relevant feature separately.
- To remove visits already saved, use the app’s or account’s history controls.
Background location is distinct from location access during ordinary app use, and many apps do not need location when you are not using them. Android’s developer guidance explains this distinction at Access location in the background. Exact Settings labels and paths are not identical on every Android phone.
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Google Maps Timeline can save visits and routes when it is enabled. Google says Timeline is off by default and can be disabled in Activity controls. You can also review, edit, or delete saved visits and routes. The setting screens may look different between accounts because Timeline changes can roll out gradually. Google’s instructions are in Manage your Timeline data and How Google keeps your Timeline data private.
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Turning off Timeline stops Timeline’s automatic saving; it is not a universal switch for Google location data. Google says location information may also be saved through use of other Google sites, apps, and services. If you want to reduce those records too, review Web & App Activity and other relevant activity controls in your Google Account. Google explains the different ways location information can be used at How Google uses location information.
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What to expect after changing the settings
- Future app access: A restrictive phone permission blocks or limits that app’s access through the phone’s location service. It does not necessarily disable location features inside other apps or services.
- Past visits: Delete saved records through the history controls for the app or account that holds them; permission changes alone do not clear them.
- Less precise sharing: Turning off Precise Location, where available, gives an app a less exact location, not zero location access.
- Emergency use: Apple notes that emergency location information may be used when you place an emergency call even if Location Services is off. Do not treat a single setting as disabling every location use by the phone.
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