Is There Way To Lock Location Services On

When you first sign in to a new iPhone it'south quite possible you enabled location services and your telephone has been tracking you ever since. And for the most role that might be absolutely fine, but what if you want to take more control over your location data? Thankfully, it's easy to turn off for either the whole phone or for specific apps. Here's how.

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Why would you turn off location services?

A couple of reasons, really. The more obvious one is merely to have more than privacy. If yous've immune every app yous've installed over the years to track your location and so that'southward a lot of services that know exactly where you are at all times. It can be proficient practise to recall more nearly the information you share and make up one's mind whether certain apps or services need that information. If not, it'south time to revoke that access.

The other expert reason is battery life. Sharing your location all the time tin can be a drain on your telephone'southward resource, and if you're staring, panic-stricken at a three% remaining bombardment, knowing yous notwithstanding have an hour to go home, any niggling boost might assistance.

turn-off-location-services-iphone — Privacy is a great reason to manage to your location data.
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Is it safe to turn off location services?

While turning location services off won't harm your telephone in any way, yous tin can restrict services and functionality. Apps like Google Maps and Strava rely on location information to be able to bear witness you where you lot are and track where yous've been. Similarly, Uber won't be able to make up one's mind your location to choice you up. Your camera will work, but information technology won't salvage location data to your photos, so you won't exist able to meet on the map where any shots were taken.

It'll also disable Apple'south Discover My services, so brand certain to exit it on if you lot similar the condom of a partner or friend being able to run into your location every bit you lot're out and about.

Notwithstanding, if you lose your iPhone when location services are disabled and attempt and runway it using iCloud, using the Lost fashion will remotely actuate location services, if your phone has power and is connected to a wireless service.

turn-off-location-services-iphone-2 — The master switch that will turn off all location services across your whole phone.
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How to turn off location services.

In your iPhone, become to Settings > Privacy and at the top you'll see Location Services. Tap information technology.

Right at the top is a master switch, which will disable all location services across the whole of your phone. It's like shutting downward the primary power billow for your dwelling house -- everything will go down. If you're saving battery life or actually neat to avoid anything tracking you, this is the choice to utilize.

Further downwardly, withal, you'll see a listing of all the apps that tin can apply location data. Tapping on each i will give you the pick to decide whether or not to grant it access to your location.

turn-off-location-services-iphone-3 — Information technology's more time-consuming, but it's possible to manage how all apps on your phone utilize your location data.
Andrew Hoyle/CNET

Tap on an app name and you lot'll be presented with four options:

Never: It volition not be able to track your location at all.

Ask Next Time: This allows you to grant permission to use your data but the one time, simply it volition have to inquire you if information technology wants to employ information technology once more in the time to come.

While Using the App: The app volition be able to use your location data only while the app is open on your screen. When the app'south closed, information technology won't be able to track your location in the background.

Always: An app will be able to utilise your location data both when information technology'southward in use and when it's not running at all.

turn-off-location-services-iphone-4 — Practice you lot want an app to track your location all the time or not at all? The choice is yours.
Andrew Hoyle/CNET

Which iPhone apps should take access to my location?

Information technology's up to yous whether you desire your apps to be able to track you all the time, some of the time, or never. For me, a selective approach is best. I let apps like Google Home runway my location all the time as the app connects with my smart abode products: When I leave the house, my security cameras automatically turn on and my heating settings change. But for almost everything else, including Uber, Instagram, Booking.com and even my phone's photographic camera, I only let apps track my location while I'm using them.

Call back that you lot tin e'er get back and change the settings, so don't worry if you revoke admission to an app just to find later that you lot need it -- it'due south simply a case of going back into your settings and changing the permissions.