The Secret Setting That Stops Apps from Tracking Your Location
Your phone knows where you sleep. It knows where you work, which route you drive, and which coffee shop you visit on Tuesday mornings. That picture is built from location data, and far more apps collect it than most people realise. A shopping app does not need your exact street to show you a sale. A photo editor does not need to know where you were standing. A game has no business following you around town after you close it.
The fix is not a single hidden switch, even though plenty of videos promise one. The real control is a set of per-app choices that Android has offered since Android 10 and refined in Android 11, 12, 13 and 14: precise or approximate location, access only while you use the app, one-time access, and a separate decision for background tracking. Most people never open this screen. The apps they installed years ago still hold the broad access they were granted on day one.
I ran this exact audit on my own phone before writing this guide. A weather app held precise location. A shopping app held background access it had never needed. A social app I open twice a month could follow me all day. Ten minutes of changes fixed all three, and nothing I actually use broke. This guide walks you through the same audit, step by step, with the exact menu names to tap and what to check after each change.
The Secret Setting: Three Location Choices Android Hides in the Permission Screen
Open the location permission for any app and you will see the same set of choices, whether the phone is a Pixel, a Samsung Galaxy, or a Xiaomi. The screen asks how much location the app may use, and when. Three decisions sit on that one screen, and together they decide whether an app can follow you at all.
The first decision is precision. Approximate location tells an app roughly where you are, within a few kilometres. That is enough for weather, news, and local offers, and it hides your street, your building, and your daily route. Precise location hands over your exact coordinates, down to a few metres. Maps, navigation, and ride pickup need that level of detail. Most other apps do not.
The second decision is timing. “Allow only while using the app” gives location while the app is open on screen, then stops the moment you leave it. “Ask every time” forces a prompt on each use, which suits apps you open rarely. “Allow all the time” lets the app read location in the background, even when you have not touched it for hours. That last option is the one that quietly builds a picture of your day.
The third decision is a single toggle on the same screen: the precise location switch. Flip it off and the app drops to approximate data even while you use it. The three choices combine into a ladder. Deny is the strictest rung, then one-time access, then while-in-use with approximate data, then while-in-use with precise data, then always-on access at the top. Most apps belong on the lower rungs.
Precise location vs approximate location: what each one reveals
Precise location comes from GPS, Wi-Fi signals, and Bluetooth beacons working together, and it can place you within a few metres. That is what a navigation app needs to guide a turn, and what a delivery rider needs to find your door. Approximate location uses cell towers and a rough Wi-Fi fix, and it places you somewhere inside an area a few kilometres wide. A weather app only needs that much to pick the right forecast. A news app only needs it to pick the right city edition.
Think of it as the difference between handing someone your home address and telling them which part of town you live in. One lets them find your front door. The other only tells them your general area. For most apps, the general area is plenty.
While using the app, one time only, and always: what each choice means
“Allow only while using the app” is the workhorse setting of this whole guide. Location flows while the app is in the foreground, and the tap stops when you switch away. A delivery app can track your order while you watch it, then loses access when you close it. A ride app can find your pickup point, then stops following you after the trip ends.
“Ask every time” is stricter and suits apps you open once in a while. Each launch brings a small prompt, and that friction is a feature: it reminds you the app wants your position, and you decide fresh each time. “Allow all the time” is the setting to treat with suspicion. It exists for a short list of legitimate uses — navigation apps that guide you with the screen off, family safety apps, and fitness trackers that record a run — and almost nothing else belongs there.
Where to find the setting on Samsung, Pixel and Xiaomi phones
On a Pixel, the path is Settings > Privacy > Permission manager > Location. On Samsung phones running One UI, it is Settings > Privacy > Permission manager > Location, or Settings > Apps, then pick an app and tap Permissions > Location. On Xiaomi phones running HyperOS or MIUI, it is Settings > Privacy protection > Permission manager, or Settings > Apps > Manage apps, then pick an app and tap App permissions > Location. The menu names shift slightly by brand, but the choices on the screen are the same on every modern Android phone.
Why the default choice is usually the loosest one
When an app asks for location during setup, the prompt often highlights the broadest option first, and the “always” choice sometimes appears in a second screen that many people tap through without reading. App developers benefit from more data, so their prompts are written to encourage a yes. Android 11 and later push back: if you grant “always” and then do not open the app for months, the system can auto-reset that permission and you get a fresh prompt next time. That auto-reset is useful, but it is no substitute for setting the right level yourself on day one.
How to Audit Every App Location Permission in Ten Minutes
This is the core of the guide. Set a timer, open the permission screen, and work through the list. You do not need any extra app for this. Everything happens in Settings, and every change takes effect the moment you tap it.
Step 1: Open Settings, then Privacy, then Permission manager, then Location
Start at Settings > Privacy > Permission manager > Location. The screen shows every app on your phone that has ever asked for location, grouped by what it is allowed to do now: allowed all the time, allowed only while in use, asked every time, and not allowed. Tap into the “Allowed all the time” group first. That short list is where the worst tracking lives, and it is usually only a handful of apps.
Before you change anything, take a screenshot of the list. If a change breaks something later, the screenshot tells you exactly what the old setting was, and you can put it back in seconds. That safety net makes the rest of the audit easy to do without worry.
Step 2: Sort the list and question every allowed app
Go through the allowed list one app at a time and ask a single question: does this app need my location to do its main job? Maps, navigation, and ride apps pass the test. A weather app passes only at the approximate level. A shopping app, a social app, a game, a photo editor, or a flashlight app fails it. For every app that fails, tap it and change the setting to Deny right away.
Borderline apps get a different treatment. A delivery app needs location, but only while an order is active. A banking app may want location for fraud checks, but it works fine with while-in-use access. Change these to Allow only while using the app and move on. You will test them in step 4.
What to check after step 2
After you finish the allowed list, open the “Allowed only while in use” group and check the precise toggle on each app. Any app showing precise location that only needs a rough area gets its toggle switched off. Weather, news, local offers, and most shopping apps belong on approximate. The change is instant, and you can test the app right after to confirm it still works.
Step 3: Change borderline apps to Allow only while using the app
Work through the remaining apps with the minimum principle: give each app the lowest level that still lets it do its job. Delivery and ride apps get while-in-use with precise location. Weather and news get while-in-use with approximate location. Social apps that tag posts get while-in-use with approximate location, or Deny if you never tag a place. Games get Deny unless a specific feature, such as a location-based game, genuinely needs it.
For apps you use rarely, choose “Ask every time” instead. The prompt on each launch is a small price for the reminder, and it stops silent tracking between rare sessions. A coupon app you open twice a year has no reason to hold a standing permission.
Step 4: Test each changed app for a day before you tighten further
Use your phone normally for a day after the audit. Open the apps you changed and use their main features: search for a place in maps, place a delivery order, check the weather, post a photo. Most apps work perfectly under the stricter limit, and that tells you the old broad access was never needed.
If a feature breaks, the fix is specific, not a retreat. A delivery app that cannot find your address gets precise location while in use, not always-on access. A ride app that loses your pickup point gets while-in-use access back. A broken feature is useful information: it tells you the app truly needs that level, and you can grant exactly that level and nothing more.
What to check after step 4
After a day, open Settings > Privacy > Permission manager > Location again and look for any app that asked for a higher level. Android shows a small prompt when an app requests more access, and some apps ask again after an update. If an app you tightened asks for background access with no clear reason, that request itself is a warning sign. Deny it, and consider whether the app deserves a place on your phone at all.
Approximate Location vs Precise Location: Which Apps Get Which
Once you know the two precision levels, the next question is practical: which apps get which one? The table below is the cheat sheet I use. It covers the app types most people actually have on their phones, and the setting that keeps each one working while giving away the least.
| App type | Best location setting | Why this level works |
|---|---|---|
| Maps and navigation | Precise, while using the app | Turn-by-turn guidance needs metre-level accuracy |
| Ride pickup | Precise, while using the app | The driver needs your exact pickup point |
| Delivery tracking | Precise, while using the app | The rider needs your door during an active order |
| Weather | Approximate, while using the app | A forecast only needs your general area |
| News and local offers | Approximate, while using the app | City-level data is enough for local content |
| Social apps and photo tagging | Approximate, or Deny | Tagging a city works fine without your street |
| Shopping and coupons | Approximate, or Deny | Store finders work with a rough area |
| Games | Deny, unless the game is location-based | Most games have no reason to know where you are |
Two rows in that table surprise most people. Weather apps are the classic example of an app that asks for precise location and works perfectly without it. I switched my weather app to approximate months ago and the forecast never missed a beat, because a forecast covers a whole district, not a single house. Shopping apps are the other surprise: a store finder that shows the nearest branch works fine with a rough area, and it has no need to record every shop you walk past.
Apps that work fine with approximate location
Weather, news, local offers, store finders, and most social apps fall into this group. They use location to pick content for your area, not to guide you to a door. Switch each one to approximate and use it for a day. The content stays relevant, the forecast stays right, and the app loses the ability to place you on a specific street. If an app in this group complains, read the complaint carefully: it usually asks for precise access out of habit, not need.
Apps that genuinely need precise location
Maps, navigation, ride pickup, and delivery tracking during an active order genuinely need precise data. A navigation app cannot guide a turn from a three-kilometre-wide guess. A delivery rider cannot find your building without an exact pin. The key word is “during”: these apps need precision while you use them, not all day. Give them precise access with the while-in-use timing, and they work perfectly while the background stays silent.
How to switch an app to approximate location
Open Settings > Privacy > Permission manager > Location, tap the app, and look for the “Use precise location” toggle near the bottom of the screen. Switch it off. The app keeps its timing choice — while using, ask every time, or always — but the data it receives drops to the rough area level. Check the app right after: open the weather app and confirm the forecast still shows your city, or open the shopping app and confirm the store finder still lists nearby branches.
How to Block Background Location Tracking App by App
Background location is where the real tracking happens. An app with while-in-use access can only see you while you look at it. An app with background location access can check your position at any hour, even at 3 a.m. while the phone sits on your nightstand. Over weeks, those checks draw a map of your home, your workplace, your gym, and your regular routes — and that map is far more revealing than any single location ping.
Android treats background access as a separate decision for exactly this reason. Since Android 10, an app cannot quietly take background access from the normal permission prompt. It must ask for it in a second step, and Android 11 and later show a clear warning when an app requests it. Many people still tap yes out of habit, so the audit below is worth doing even if you set everything else correctly.
How to find apps with background location access
Open Settings > Privacy > Permission manager > Location and tap the “Allowed all the time” group. That group is the complete list of apps with background access. On most phones it holds between two and eight apps. Write them down, then open each one and ask what it does with background data. A navigation app that guides you with the screen off has an answer. A family safety app has an answer. A coupon app does not.
Android also keeps a Privacy dashboard at Settings > Privacy > Privacy dashboard. It shows which apps used location in the last 24 hours and at what time. Check it after a normal day. An app you never opened that still appears in the location list is an app using background access, and it deserves a hard look.
Which apps may keep background access — and which never should
Keep background access only for apps whose core job happens while you are not looking at the screen. Navigation with the screen off, a family safety app, a fitness tracker recording a run, and Find My Device are the honest members of this list. Everything else — social apps, shopping apps, games, photo editors, coupon apps, news apps — should lose it. Change each one to “Allow only while using the app” and test it for a day. In my experience, not one of them breaks.
Be extra strict with apps that make money from advertising. Location data feeds ad targeting, and an ad-supported app has a direct financial reason to want your position around the clock. If a free app with heavy ads asks for background location, that is the moment to deny it and check whether a paid version, or a different app entirely, serves you better.
The background location prompt Android shows and how to answer it
When an app wants background access, Android shows a prompt that explains the app is asking to use location all the time, with a link to the setting. The safe answer is almost always “Deny” on that first prompt. You can always grant it later from the permission screen if a real need appears. Granting it later takes ten seconds. Taking it back after months of tracking does not erase the data already collected, so the cautious answer now is worth far more than the convenient answer.
Google Location History, Location Accuracy and Emergency Location
App permissions are only half the picture. Google runs its own location services on top of them, and those services keep their own records. Two of them deserve your attention, and one deserves to stay exactly as it is.
Google Location History is a timeline of places you have visited, stored in your Google account when the feature is on. It powers the Timeline view in Google Maps, and it is also a detailed record of your movements that lives on Google servers. Many phones have it on by default because it was enabled during setup years ago. Check it now: open your Google account, go to Data & privacy, then Location History. If you do not use Timeline, turn the feature off, then delete the past history from the same screen for a clean start.
If you like Timeline and want to keep it, set auto-delete to three months from the same screen. That keeps recent trips visible while limiting how far back the record reaches. Three months of history is enough to remember a restaurant you liked. Three years of history is a diary you never agreed to publish.
How to turn off Google Location History and delete past visits
Open the Google Maps app, tap your profile picture, then Your Timeline, then the three-dot menu and Location History settings. From there you can switch Location History off and delete the stored visits. The web route works too: open your Google account page, go to Data & privacy, then Location History, and use the same controls. After turning it off, check the Timeline view once: it should stop adding new visits from that day onward, and the old entries should be gone after you delete them.
Google Location Accuracy: what it sends and when to switch it off
Google Location Accuracy improves positioning by using nearby Wi-Fi networks, cell towers, and Bluetooth beacons alongside GPS. It helps maps work indoors and in dense city streets where GPS alone struggles. The trade-off is that your phone shares signal data with Google to build that picture. If you prefer less sharing, open Settings > Location > Location services > Google Location Accuracy and switch it off. Outdoor navigation usually stays accurate with GPS alone, and you can switch the feature back on for a trip into a dense city centre if maps start to struggle.
Why emergency location services should stay on
Emergency Location Service shares your position only during an emergency call, and it exists to help responders find you when you cannot explain where you are. It does not track you the rest of the time. Keep this one service enabled always, at Settings > Location > Location services > Emergency Location Service. Privacy settings should protect your daily life, never block help in the one moment you may need it most.
How to Stop Location Leaks Through Photos, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
Permissions control what apps may ask for. They do not cover every way location escapes your phone. Photos, Wi-Fi scanning, and Bluetooth scanning each leak position through a side door, and each one has its own switch. Close all three and the permission audit actually holds.
Photos are the leak most people miss. A photo carries location tags in its metadata, and a shared photo can reveal exactly where it was taken — your home, your child’s school, a hotel on holiday. That tag travels with the file when you send it through messaging apps, email, or social media. Turn off location tags in your camera app settings first, then check the setting again after every camera app update, because updates sometimes restore it.
Wi-Fi scanning and Bluetooth scanning are the second side door. Android can scan nearby networks and beacons to work out where you are, even when GPS is off and you are not connected to any network. That scanning improves location accuracy, and it also lets your phone be positioned by the networks around it. Open Settings > Location > Location services and switch off Wi-Fi scanning and Bluetooth scanning. Your phone still connects to known networks normally — the switch only stops the background scanning used for positioning.
Turn off location tags in your camera app
Open your camera app, open its settings, and find the location tags option — it is usually labelled “Location tags”, “Save location”, or “GPS tag”. Switch it off. From then on, new photos carry no position data. Old photos already on your phone still carry their tags, so check the gallery before you share anything sensitive. Many gallery apps offer a “Remove location” option on the share sheet, and Google Photos lets you share a link without location data. Use that option for any photo taken at home, at school, or at a place you would rather not advertise.
Wi-Fi scanning and Bluetooth scanning: the hidden location helpers
These two switches sit under Settings > Location > Location services, below the main location toggle. Wi-Fi scanning lets apps and system services see nearby network names to refine your position. Bluetooth scanning does the same with nearby beacons, including the ones in shops and malls that track foot traffic. Turning both off costs you a little positioning accuracy indoors, and it removes a quiet channel that works even when you think location is off. Test maps after the change: outdoor navigation is unaffected, and indoor positioning simply falls back to GPS.
How to strip location from a photo before you share it
Open the photo in your gallery app, tap Share, and look for an option labelled “Remove location”, “Share without location”, or a small location icon you can tap off. In Google Photos, open the photo, tap Share, and check the location option before you send the link. For a photo you already sent, you cannot pull the tag back, so make the check a habit before you tap send, not after. One quick look at the share sheet is all it takes.
Settings > Privacy > Permission manager > Location
App permission > Allow only while using the app
App permission > Precise location > Off
Settings > Location > Location services > Wi-Fi scanning > Off
Settings > Location > Location services > Bluetooth scanning > Off
Camera app > Settings > Location tags > OffThat checklist is the whole guide in six lines. Save it, print it, or keep it as a note on your phone, and run through it once a month. Location privacy is not a one-time fix. It is a short routine, and the routine is what keeps the settings honest.
Location privacy connects to wider phone safety. Learning about settings you must turn off for maximum privacy helps you review other sensitive permissions the same way. Camera, microphone, contacts, and files deserve the same audit you just gave location. A full permission review beats a single location fix, because an app that cannot track your position can still read your contacts if you let it.
New Apps: Set Strict Location Permissions on Install Day
New apps ask for location during setup or first use, and that moment is the best time to set a strict limit. A strict choice on install day prevents months of silent tracking, and it takes only seconds per app. The habit matters more than any single setting, because the average phone gains several new apps a year and each one arrives with its hand out.
When the prompt appears, read it before you tap. Some prompts bundle location with other permissions. Some use friendly wording to encourage full access. Read the exact access level requested, not the friendly sentence above it. A prompt that asks for background location deserves extra scrutiny: deny background access unless the app explains a clear need in plain words, not marketing language.
What to tap when a new app asks for location
Choose Deny for apps that do not need location at all — games, photo editors, note apps, and most shopping apps. Choose “While using the app” for apps that need it sometimes, such as delivery and ride apps. Choose Approximate for apps that need only a rough area, such as weather and news. For apps you will open rarely, choose “Ask every time” so each use brings a fresh decision. The right answer is the lowest level that still lets the app do its job, and you can always raise it later if a feature genuinely needs more.
How app updates can loosen your settings
Updates can add new features that request location, and an update prompt may ask for broader access than the app had before. A photo app that adds a map view, a shopping app that adds store pickup, or a social app that adds nearby friends can each arrive with a fresh location request. Check the permission screen after major updates and restore strict settings if an update loosened them. A post-update check takes under a minute per app, and it catches the quiet widening that an audit once a year would miss.
App analytics are a quieter leak. Some apps send location to analytics partners even with limited permissions, and the control for that lives inside the app, not in Android settings. Open each major app, look for privacy or analytics settings, and switch off location analytics where offered. If an app offers no control and does not need location, that refusal is your answer: an app that will not let you limit it does not deserve access.
Teach the install-day rule to family members
Family members may install apps on a shared phone, and a child who grants full location to a game creates risk for the whole device. Teach them the same rule: deny first, grant the minimum only when a feature needs it, and ask before tapping “always”. Review all accounts and profiles on a shared device, because a second profile can hold its own permissions. Shared phones need shared permission habits, and a five-minute talk saves a long cleanup later.
Locking sensitive apps adds protection after permission audits. Learning about how to lock any app without third party apps helps you protect maps and social apps on a phone other people pick up. A locked app keeps its location history private on a shared phone, and the lock works together with strict permissions as a second layer.
Location Privacy Mistakes That Undo Your Settings
A good audit can be undone by a handful of habits. These are the mistakes I see most often, and each one has a simple fix.
- Granting precise location to every app that asks for it, instead of checking whether approximate data would do the job.
- Leaving background location on for shopping and social apps, which lets them build a map of your day after you close them.
- Forgetting Google Location History after fixing app permissions, so the timeline keeps recording even though the apps stopped.
- Sharing photos with location tags still attached, which hands your position to anyone who receives the file.
- Turning off emergency location while trying to improve privacy, which blocks help in the one moment it matters most.
- Auditing location once and never checking new app installs, so each new app quietly restarts the tracking.
- Trusting the “always” prompt during setup, instead of reading the exact access level the app is asking for.
Finding a lost phone still needs some location tools, and privacy should never mean losing that safety net. Learning about the setting you must enable before your phone gets lost balances privacy with recovery. Find My Device needs location to help you, so keep that trusted service enabled while you block every other tracker on the phone.
FAQ About Android Location Tracking
What happens if I deny location to every app?
Maps and navigation will ask for location each time you open them, and ride and delivery apps will need you to type an address by hand instead of detecting it. Everything else keeps working. Weather apps can use a saved city instead of your position, news apps fall back to a default edition, and games never notice. Denying everything is a valid starting point: grant access back only to the apps that prove they need it, one at a time.
How do I know which apps track my location in the background?
Open Settings > Privacy > Permission manager > Location and look at the “Allowed all the time” group — that is the full list of apps with background access. Then open Settings > Privacy > Privacy dashboard and check the location section for the last 24 hours. Any app you never opened that still appears there used background location, and that entry is the proof you need to change its setting.
Why does my weather app still work with approximate location?
A forecast covers a whole district, not a single house, so the app only needs to know your general area to pick the right forecast. Approximate location places you within a few kilometres, and that is more than enough for temperature, rain, and wind. If your weather app shows the wrong city after the switch, check that the app is using your current area and not a saved city from an old setting.
Can apps track my location when location permission is denied?
A denied app cannot use GPS directly, but it can still guess a rough area from your IP address, from the content you view, or from nearby Wi-Fi networks if scanning is left on. That guess is city-level at best, not street-level. Switch off Wi-Fi scanning and Bluetooth scanning under Location services, review ad settings in your Google account, and the rough guess gets weaker still. Denial plus the scanning switches together is what makes the protection real.
Your Location Privacy Checklist: What to Do Today
You do not need to finish everything in one sitting. Work through this short checklist today, and the rest of the month takes care of itself.
- Open Settings > Privacy > Permission manager > Location and list every app with background access.
- Change every shopping and social app to “Allow only while using the app” and switch precise location off for weather and news apps.
- Open your Google account and turn off Location History, or set auto-delete to three months if you keep Timeline.
- Switch off Wi-Fi scanning and Bluetooth scanning under Settings > Location > Location services.
- Open your camera app settings and switch off location tags, then test a map route tomorrow to confirm navigation still works well.
Location privacy comes from per-app choices rather than one switch. Approximate location suits most daily apps well. While-in-use access stops background tracking. One-time access suits rare tasks. Google history and scanning controls complete the picture. Open Permission manager today, run the ten-minute audit, and check the Privacy dashboard again in a week — the list of apps that used your location should be short, honest, and entirely under your control.
