- You can turn off your location on an Android device so that no apps or services can track your whereabouts.
- Your Android phone's location services help you find places nearby, can help friends find you, and can help you find your phone if you ever lose it, but it's also easy to turn off the feature should you want to.
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Feeling hungry for a burger, in the mood for a beer, or in need of the nearest location that sells diapers? There's no need to stay peckish, thirsty, or dealing with that potty-related emergency when your Android phone can quickly help you find a nearby diner, bar, or supermarket. And how can it do that? Why, thanks to its location tracking abilities, of course.
Your phone always knows where you are, and it shares your location with all sorts of apps that can help you find stores, restaurants, track your run or bike ride, help give you driving directions, and so much more.
On the other hand, for myriad reasons, you may at times wish to roam about without being monitored. In those cases, just turn location tracking off and move about in anonymity.
Here's how to turn off location tracking on your Android device.
Check out the products mentioned in this article:
Samsung Galaxy S10 (From $899.99 at Best Buy)
How to turn off location tracking on an Android device
1. Open the Settings app on your Android and look for either the "Connections" tab or, depending on your phone, the "Privacy" tab.
2. Tap "Location" and toggle the switch to off.
Toggle off the "Location" tag to prevent location tracking entirely. Steven John/Business Insider3. You can also tap "Emergency Location Service" and "Google Location Sharing" to switch off location-tracking features there as well.
You can go to Google settings directly from the Settings app and turn off certain location trackers there. Steven John/Business Insider
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Steven John
Freelance Writer
Steven John is a freelance writer living near New York City by way of 12 years in Los Angeles, four in Boston, and the first 18 near DC. When not writing or spending time with his wife and kids, he can occasionally be found climbing mountains. His writing is spread across the web, and his books can be found at www.stevenjohnbooks.com.
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