To turn off location on Android, swipe down from the top of the screen and tap the Location tile in Quick Settings, or open Settings, tap Location, and switch the master toggle off.
Location data powers maps, weather, and lost-phone tracking, but it also lets apps and services build a detailed picture of where you go. Android gives you both a quick master switch and fine-grained per-app controls, so you can shut everything down or simply rein in the apps you do not trust. Here is how to do both on current Android versions.
The fastest way: the Quick Settings tile
- Swipe down once (or twice, depending on your phone) from the top of the screen to open Quick Settings.
- Find the Location tile, often shown as a pin or target icon.
- Tap it so it turns gray or shows as off.
That instantly disables location for the whole device. Tap the tile again anytime to switch it back on. If you do not see the tile, tap the pencil or edit icon in the Quick Settings panel and drag the Location tile into view.
Turn off location in Settings
The Settings route gives you the same master switch plus deeper controls.
- Open Settings.
- Tap Location (on some phones it is under Security & location, or Privacy).
- Toggle Use location off to disable it entirely.
On a Samsung Galaxy the path is Settings → Location, with a toggle at the top of the screen. The wording is consistent across most brands, though the menu nesting varies slightly.
Limit location per app instead of turning it all off
Disabling location completely breaks maps, weather, and directions. Often the better approach is to control which apps may use your location and when. In Settings → Location, tap App location permissions (called App permissions on some phones). For each app you can choose:
- Allow all the time: the app can access location even in the background. Reserve this for apps that genuinely need it, such as navigation or Find My Device.
- Allow only while using the app: location works only when the app is open, which suits most apps.
- Ask every time: the app requests permission at each launch.
- Don’t allow: the app never gets your location.
This granular control is the heart of good phone privacy, and it complements broader safeguards such as knowing what a VPN is for masking your network location and using two-factor authentication to lock down your accounts.
Precise versus approximate location
Since Android 12, you can also decide how exactly an app pinpoints you. In an app’s location permission screen, look for a Use precise location toggle.
| Setting | Accuracy | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Precise | Within a few meters (GPS) | Navigation, ride-hailing, delivery |
| Approximate | Wider general area | Weather, local news, store finders |
Switching an app to approximate location lets it keep working while giving away far less about exactly where you are, which is a smart middle ground for apps that do not truly need pinpoint accuracy.
What turning off location does not do
Disabling location is effective against app-level GPS tracking, but it is not a cloak of invisibility. Your mobile carrier can still estimate your position from the cell towers your phone connects to, and websites can guess your rough location from your IP address, which is one reason people combine privacy settings with a VPN. Turning off location also disables Google’s Find My Device, so a lost phone can no longer report where it is. Weigh that trade-off before switching it off for good; many people leave location on but tightly restrict which apps may use it.
Turning off location history and ad personalization
Separate from the device toggle, Google keeps a Location History (now part of Timeline) and uses location for personalized ads. To review or delete this, open Settings → Location → Location services, or manage it in your Google Account under Data & privacy. You can pause Location History and auto-delete stored data on a rolling schedule. Trimming this history is a good companion step to clearing out other stored data on your phone, similar to the cleanup habits in our guide to clearing the cache on mobile devices.
Location off versus airplane mode
People sometimes reach for airplane mode to stop tracking, but the two settings do different jobs. Turning off location disables GPS and location scanning while leaving your calls, texts, and mobile data working normally. Airplane mode cuts all wireless radios, so you lose calls, texts, and internet entirely, and it is meant for flights or saving battery, not privacy. If your goal is simply to stop apps from knowing where you are while staying reachable, the location toggle is the right tool.
Removing location tags from photos
| Goal | Where to change it |
|---|---|
| Stop new photos being geotagged | Camera app → Settings → turn off Location tags |
| Remove location from an existing photo | Google Photos → open photo → info → Edit or Remove location |
Even with device location active for maps, you can keep your camera from stamping GPS coordinates into every image, which is wise before sharing photos publicly. The controls sit in your camera app’s settings and in Google Photos, separate from the main location toggle.
Quick recap
The Quick Settings Location tile is the one-tap master switch, and Settings → Location gives you the same toggle plus per-app permissions and the precise-versus-approximate choice. For most people the smartest setup is leaving location on but limiting apps to “while using the app” and switching non-critical apps to approximate location. Just remember that turning location fully off also disables directions, auto weather, and the ability to find a lost phone.
