To stop Safari websites from using your location on iPhone, open Settings > Apps > Safari, tap Location, and choose Deny. Choose Ask if you want Safari to check with you each time a site wants your location. To block just one site, open it in Safari, tap the Page Menu button, tap Website Settings, and set Location to Deny.
This guide covers blocking location for every website, for a single website, through Location Services, and removing permissions you already granted. The steps follow Apple’s Browse the web privately in Safari on iPhone, Clear your cache and cookies on iPhone, and Manage Location Services settings guides for current iOS.
How to Block Location for All Safari Websites
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap Apps, then tap Safari.
- Scroll down and tap Location.
- Choose Deny to block all sites, or Ask to decide each time.
Result: websites in Safari can no longer get your location. Apple describes the third option, Allow, as letting sites use your location without asking you first, so avoid it unless you trust every site you visit.
On older versions of iOS, Safari is listed directly in Settings rather than under Apps. Sites you have already set individually appear at the top of this screen, so check that list for any you want to change.
How to Block Location for One Website
- Open the website in Safari.
- Tap the Page Menu button on the left side of the search field.
- Tap Website Settings.
- Tap Location and choose Deny.
Result: that site stops asking for your location, while other sites follow your general Safari setting. The same per-site menu also holds the camera and microphone settings. For the camera version of this guide, see whether websites can access your iPhone camera.
This is useful the other way around, too. If you deny location for all sites, you can still set a maps or delivery site you trust to Allow or Ask here. On a computer, you can also block location requests in Firefox.
How to Block Safari Websites in Location Services
Location Services has its own switch for Safari websites. Use this route:
- Open Settings and tap Privacy & Security.
- Tap Location Services.
- Scroll down and tap Safari Websites.
- Tap Never.
Result: Safari as a whole can no longer pass your location to websites. Apple’s Location Services guide also explains that turning off Precise Location for an app shares only your approximate location, which is a middle ground if you still want local search results.
Camera and Microphone Work the Same Way
In Settings > Apps > Safari, Apple lists Camera and Microphone next to Location, each with Ask, Deny, or Allow. If you want to turn off location for apps as well as websites, see How to turn off Location Services on iPhone.
Clear Permissions You Already Gave
Apple says clearing your browsing history and data removes the permissions you granted websites to use your location or send you notifications. It also removes your history, recent searches, and cookies, so you may need to sign in to sites again.
- Open Safari and tap the tabs button, or go to your start page.
- Tap the menu, then tap Clear History.
- Choose how much to clear under Clear Timeframe, then tap Clear History.
Result: sites that had permission must ask again, and your Location setting decides the answer.
Troubleshooting
- Search results still show your old area: Searches can stay tied to the location used before you changed the setting. Clearing website data or setting the region in your search engine can help.
- A site still seems to know roughly where you are: Apple warns that websites may use other ways to estimate your location even with Location Services off. iCloud Private Relay, for iCloud+ subscribers, hides your IP address from websites in Safari.
- You use Chrome or Firefox: these Safari settings don’t apply. Change the browser app’s access in Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services instead.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I choose Ask or Deny?
Choose Deny if you never want sites to see your location. Choose Ask if you sometimes use sites that need it, like store finders, and want to decide case by case.
Does Private Browsing hide my location?
Not on its own. Apple describes Private Browsing as keeping tabs out of your History and off your other devices. It doesn’t mention location, so set Location to Deny or Ask as shown above.
More Safari guides: How to allow cookies in Safari on iPhone, Why can’t I open a private tab in Safari?, and How to turn off cellular data for Safari.
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.