By default, all smartphones track their users – iPhones included. This location data is usually encrypted and should remain private. But they can allow someone of bad faith (your entourage or not) to follow the person’s path. It can help, for example, achieve an adulterous relationship, or another corner of the user’s secret garden.
On iPhone, Apple explains Your devices connected to your iPhone and iCloud keep a history of the places you’ve visited recently, as well as how often and when you visit, so you know the important places in your life. This data is fully encrypted and cannot be read by Apple. They are used, for example, to provide you with personalized services, such as intuitive methods, and to create better memories in photos.”
How to turn off location history on your smartphone
On Android, the timeline function is the one that tracks the user’s location by default. Android allows you to check your travels on a certain date in the popular timeline. Again, this location data allows you to make recommendations about the places you visit most often, but also to give you the ideal time when you should leave home to get to work on time.
Google Photos also uses this data to automatically create albums based on the places you visit. As we can see, this functionality is not purely tracking and is justified by a wide range of contextual recommendations that smartphones and voice assistants can give in 2022. In both cases, it is possible to deactivate this registry – but you need to understand that immediately any disabling will appear in User experience because many features (images, recommendations, etc.) depend on it.
Disable or delete location history on iPhone
On the iPhone, the procedure is very simple:
- go inside Settings>Privacy>Location Services>System Services
- touch important places
- From there you can consult the history and delete it
You can also completely disable the default location service. So :
- go inside Settings > Privacy > Location Services
- disable Location service
Turn off or delete location history on Android
On Android smartphones, the procedure is relatively trivial:
- go inside System > Location > Location Services > Google Location History
- You can then delete the data and completely disable background tracking on your device.
Read also – iPhone – How to stop your smartphone from spying on you
Did you manage to deactivate the infinite registration of your location on your smartphone? Tell us how the disappearance of some features on a daily basis bothers you.
Evan McKenzie is a contributor at Vaughantoday.ca, covering a wide range of topics including local news, politics, business, technology, sports, entertainment, and lifestyle. He focuses on clear, balanced reporting that helps readers stay informed about current events and issues that matter to their communities. His work aims to provide useful information, timely updates, and relevant stories presented in an accessible and reader-friendly way.