To turn off location on iPhone, open Settings, tap Privacy & Security › Location Services, and turn off Location Services. To turn it off for just one app, stay on that screen, tap the app, and choose Never. You can also pick While Using the App or turn off Precise Location if you only want to limit what an app sees.
These steps follow Apple’s Turn Location Services and GPS on or off, About privacy and Location Services, and Manage Location Services settings pages and apply to current versions of iOS. Below you will find how to turn location off everywhere, for one app, and for system services, plus what still works without it and how to reset location settings.
How to turn off Location Services for everything
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap Privacy & Security, then tap Location Services.
- Turn off the Location Services switch at the top, then confirm.
Result: apps can no longer use your location from Location Services, in the foreground or the background. Apple notes this limits how well many Apple and third-party apps work, such as Maps directions and weather for your current area.
How to turn off location for one app
- Go to Settings › Privacy & Security › Location Services and make sure Location Services is on.
- Scroll down and tap the app.
- Choose an option: Never, Ask Next Time Or When I Share, While Using the App, or Always. Some apps offer only two choices.
Result: the app follows the setting you picked right away. Choose Never to block it completely.
What each option means
- Never: the app can’t use your location.
- Ask Next Time Or When I Share: the app asks each time, and you can choose Allow Once, While Using App, or Don’t Allow.
- While Using the App: the app gets your location only when it or one of its features is on screen.
- Always: the app can use your location in the background too. iPhone reminds you from time to time and shows a map of where the app used it.
- Go to Settings › Privacy & Security › Location Services.
- Tap the app.
- Turn off Precise Location.
Result: the app gets your general area instead of your exact spot. That is often enough for weather, news, or store apps.
How to turn off location for system services
- Go to Settings › Privacy & Security › Location Services.
- Scroll to the bottom and tap System Services.
- Turn off the services you don’t need, such as location-based suggestions.
Result: iOS stops using your location for those features. Leave Find My iPhone on if you want to be able to locate a lost phone.
How to stop sharing your location with people
Location Services controls apps, not people. (Sharing with people is covered in how to share your location on an iPhone.) To stop sharing your location with family and friends in Find My and Messages, go to Settings › Privacy & Security › Location Services › Share My Location and turn off Share My Location.
What happens when Location Services is off
- Maps can’t show where you are or give turn-by-turn directions from your spot.
- Apple notes that apps and websites may still estimate your location in other ways and that your location may still be used for emergency calls.
How to reset location settings
To put every app back to asking for permission, go to Settings › General › Transfer or Reset iPhone, tap Reset, then tap Reset Location & Privacy. Apps stop using your location until you allow them again.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know when an app is using my location?
Apple says an arrow icon appears in the status bar or Control Center when an app is using Location Services. A blue pill in the status bar means an app is using it in the background.
Does turning off location save battery?
It can help a little, because apps stop checking your location. If battery is your main concern, try setting apps to While Using the App instead of turning everything off.
Related: How to see and clear iPhone location history, How to stop Safari websites from using your location, and How to see which apps can access your photos.
If you’re tidying up other iPhone settings, you can also block a channel in Apple News so stories from that source stop showing in your Today feed.
Want to limit what Maps shares with other apps? See how to check extension permissions in iPhone Maps.
Matthew Burleigh has been writing tech tutorials since 2008. His writing has appeared on dozens of different websites and been read hundreds of millions of times.
After receiving his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science he spent several years working in IT management for small businesses. However, he now works full time writing content online and creating websites.
His main writing topics include iPhones, Microsoft Office, Google Apps, Android, and Photoshop, but he has also written about many other tech topics as well.