How to Get Google to Quit Tracking Your Location (2024)

Where you lead, Google will follow.

Google Maps, in particular, can track every step you (or at least your smartphone) take and archives that activity as a personal map, dubbed Timeline. The feature helps users (and the internet) remember places you go, routes to destinations, and trips you take. But while that might sound handy for when you want to take a wander down memory lane, the privacy-conscious may want to keep that monitoring in check.

In late 2023, Google said it would begin storing data from your Timeline on your phone instead of keeping it online with other account data. And if you turn on Location History, Google will now auto-delete your history after three months unless you change the setting. For the extra cautious, there are other ways to keep your whereabouts private without entirely ditching Google.

How to Stop Location Tracking in Google Maps

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Mobile

• Open Google app > profile picture > Manage your Google Account

• Tap the Data & privacy tab

• Scroll down to History settings > Location History

• Tap Turn off

Desktop

• Navigate to My Activity dashboard

• Click Location History

• In the drop-down menu, select Turn off and confirm in the pop-up.

How to Auto-Delete Your Location Data

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Mobile

• Open Google app > profile picture > Manage your Google Account

• Tap the Data & privacy tab

• Scroll down to History settings > Location History > Choose an auto-delete option

• Select Don't auto-delete activity or Auto-delete activity older than and choose between 3, 18, or 36 months.

Desktop

• Navigate to My Activity dashboard

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• Click Location History > Choose an auto-delete option

• Select Don't auto-delete activity or Auto-delete activity older than and choose between 3, 18, or 36 months.

How to Remove Data From Google Maps Timeline

In addition to auto-delete, you can manually delete information at any time. In the Data & privacy tab on the Google app, tap Maps Timeline. If you have any location data saved, you can filter by date, narrowing down results to year, month, or day. When you find something, click the trash can icon to delete the entire day; or open the three-dot menu next to a specific location and choose Remove stop from the day to delete it from your history.

(Credit: PCMag/Google)

To delete all visits to a specific location—an ex's apartment, a former office space, that bar that banned you after a particularly raucous night—you'll need to switch to the Google Maps app.

• Tap your profile icon > Your timeline

• Tap Places > View all visited places

• Tap the three-dot menu next to a location and select Remove all visits

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Manage Location Settings on the iPhone

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You can do more on your iPhone to stop Google from tracking your location.

• Open Settings > Google Maps > Location

• Choose While Using the App so Google will only ping your location when you have the Google Maps app open. (Other options include While Using the App or Widgets, Ask Next Time Or When I Share, or Never.)

You can also shut off location services completely, though this may cause other services on your phone to stop working.

• Open Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services

• Toggle the switch to off

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Manage Location Settings on Android Devices

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Android users can take control of their device's location services, but exact instructions differ by manufacturer. On a Samsung device, for instance, you simply open Settings > Location to view various options.

You can turn location services off completely by tapping the switch at the top of the screen, though, just like iOS, this will disrupt many of your phone's platforms. Location services can also be easily disabled by pulling down the notification shade and tapping the Location icon.

Other, less invasive options include clicking Location services, then turning off settings for Wi-Fi scanning and Bluetooth scanning. You can also click Google Location Accuracy and disable Improve Location Accuracy. Turning this off will remove all other manner of tracking location, other than GPS, but make location tracking less accurate overall.

Starting with Android 11, you can change the permissions you grant individual apps. Tap App permissions and select Google Maps, Google, or any other Google service. You can change the app permissions to Allow only while using the app and cut down on the amount of data Google collects when the app isn't in use.

For those running at least Android 12, you have the added option to disable Use precise location, which only lets apps see your approximate location.

Browse Privately Everywhere

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Don't want to fiddle with your location settings, but still want Google to stop watching you for a moment? Go incognito. In the Google Maps app, tap your profile icon and select Turn on Incognito mode. This temporarily stops Maps from saving your search and location history and shared location, thereby preventing the app from personalizing maps based on your activity. Keep in mind, though, that it does not prevent other Google services from tracking you online. When done, tap the Incognito mode icon and select Turn off Incognito mode.