Learn to stop mobile phone Apps from tracking your location
Get rid of massive mobile phone Apps from tracking your location? Preventing your privacy is one of the most important concern and requires protective measures. If you are concerned about being spying, data stolen or even analyzed by third party Apps, here are a few tips to stop them efficiently from tracking your location.
1. Turn off your location history
Some specific APPs or APKs such as Google Map or Google Timeline may have access on your location data, history or even on your personal information. To protect your privacy, turning your location history off on APPs will majorly help tackle them from tracking your location and bring you major benefits to your device such as keeping your data safe, improving performance. Besides, massive push notifications from tracker APPS will be avoided and thus, secure your privacy from being spying, or avoid you a fear of data stolen. If you want to turn your location history off on your smartphone, please follow steps:
On Android system
Step 1. Open Settings.
Step 2. Scroll down to Security and Location, then hit Location.
Step 3. Turn location services on or off altogether.
Step 4. Tap on Location then hit Google Location History.
Step 5. Turn your Location History and History On or Off.
Step 6. Turn your Location Reporting Off.
On iOS system
Step 1. Go into Settings - tap Privacy.
Step 2. Disable Location Services for specifics APPs.
Step 3. Select System Services - Tap significant Location to turn it Off.
By turning your location history off on your device, you can keep your data safe anytime. Though the process is easy and different on iOS or Android systems, it features straightforward functionalities, so that you can individually control which APPs to stop from tracking your location. Nevertheless, you won't be able to track your device after turning your location history or location reporting off.
2. Delete your location data
If you fully want to be a part of mobile tracker APPs and have a peaceful life, deleting your location data will surely help you avoiding device issues, recording unnecessary data location, or even breaching personal data for other use. Although it is a common process operated by major APPs such as Google Timeline, it won't be able to track you down after deleting the location history. On another hand, it will save your battery, expand your memory from being installed on your device and thus, that will allow to fully use it by being protected. To do so, please follow steps:
On Android system
Step 1. Log in Google account.
Step 2. Tap Data and Personalization.
Step 3. Under “Activity Controls”, tap Location History.
Step 4. Tap Manage Timeline - Tap More Settings - Tap Delete Location History.
On iOS system
Step 1. Go to the Settings menu, select Privacy - Select Location Services.
Step 2.Scroll down to the bottom and select System Services.
Step 3.Scroll and select Significant Locations - Select Clear History.
Unlike iPhones, Android phones don’t allow you to restrict an app’s access to your location. When you remove a location from your Apple Maps history, it permanently deletes the destination from your list. If you have more than one device signed in on your Apple ID for example, it will also delete the search history from those devices. However, some key information's may remain while you are deleting all your location history, Web and Activity, causing dysfunctionalities or issues on your Google APP for example.
3. Turn off WiFi
If you are not using your Wi-Fi, or if you don't need to use it, disabling it may be wise if you are concerned about your security or privacy. Indeed, disabling Wi-Fi allow users to control their device. There are many applications and services that depend on your location using router or wireless network. By simply turning it off, you will not only protect your device from massive or intrusive APPs from tracking your location, but you will also restrict access to them.
4. Adjust your Google Settings
Adjusting your Google settings will help you to stop collecting data from Google and being tracking from your location. By visiting your Google Account Settings, you can control what information or feature you share and tweak. Restricting access to Google will ensure you a full privacy. You can either delete your past searches or change settings easily such as location history or Web and APP activity. However, if you don’t adjust it, you may not be able to stop Google from tracking your location. Convenient and easy, adjusting your Google Settings will therefore bring you major benefits and prevent your device from sharing data about your location.
5. Read the privacy disclosures
If you get rid of APPs and want to definitely stop them, read the privacy disclosures. Mobile tracker APPS include a privacy policy that is easily accessible to people before downloading. Google Timeline for example include a privacy disclosure. By reading it, you “Agree” to the terms of use, policies or eventual updates related to your location history. Among other things, by reading a clear privacy policy agreement, it will tell you tell you when, how and why you are recording location data. To protect efficiently your privacy and stop APPs from tracking your location, make sure you are not agreeing to something you are uncomfortable with.
6. Take protective measures
If you experience massive tracker APPS spying you on your device and if you are concerned about your safety or privacy, taking preventive measures will tackle those issues. Indeed, this can result by using a VPN so-called Virtual Private Network. Google will see one of your IP addresses but won’t be able to identify or track you down as user due to your hidden IP address. Therefore, you will be invisible and free to surf on Internet from home, etc.
In addition, you can also disable your location sharing in your browser or use a browser extension that hide your HTML5 location. Your location sharing will be off on your device, blocking access to those annoying APPs and preventing your privacy. Same as VPN, Google won't be able to detect you due to your invisibility.
The bottom
To conclude, location history can provide useful information to users, but some APPs such as Google Timeline may track and record your location. Although iOS and Android systems differ in term of process, there are different options available to tackle all those issues. First, turning your location history off will stop them from tracking your location. Secondly, deleting all your location history will clear cache of your location history, Web Activity, so that APPs won't access to your privacy anymore. However, some key information's may remain while you are deleting. Thirdly, if you are concerned about your privacy or security, turning your Wi-Fi off. It will revoke APPs permission and stop them from tracking your location. Fourthly, make sure you read carefully "Privacy Agreement" before downloading the APP and adjust your Google privacy settings. Finally, if you still experience massive APPs from tracking your location, taking preventive measures in case of stolen data for example. A VPN or a browser extension will restrict access to those APPs.
