How to Turn Off Location History on iPhone and Android in Australia

Your phone knows a lot about where you have been. Maps remember your trips, photos carry location tags, and apps quietly log places in the background. That can be handy when you want directions home or a reminder of a great cafe, but it can also feel like too much. The good news is that you can turn most of it off in a few minutes, on both iPhone and Android, without losing the features you actually use.

This guide walks through the main switches in Australia, in plain steps: Google location history, Apple location services, and per-app permissions.

Step 1: Turn off Google Location History

Many Android phones, and many iPhone users who use Google Maps, have a Google account setting called Location History, now often shown as Timeline. When it is on, Google can save the places you visit to your account.

On either phone, open a browser or the Google app and go to your Google Account, then find Data and privacy. Look for Location History or Timeline and switch it off. You will be asked to confirm, and you may also see an option to delete past history. If you want a clean break, choose to delete the existing history as well, and check the auto-delete setting so future data does not pile up again.

On Android, you can also do this from Settings. Open Settings, tap Location, then Location Services, then Google Location History, and switch it off for your account. If you use more than one Google account on the phone, repeat the step for each account, because the setting is per account, not per phone.

Turning this off does not stop Maps from working. You can still search for places and get directions. It simply stops Google from keeping a running log of where you have been tied to your account.

Step 2: Check location services on your iPhone

On iPhone, open Settings, then Privacy and Security, then Location Services. At the top you will see the main Location Services switch. Turning it off completely will stop all apps from using your location, but it will also break Maps navigation and location based reminders, so most people are better off leaving it on and tightening the apps below it instead.

Scroll through the app list under Location Services. For each app, tap it and choose the level of access it really needs. Never is right for apps that have no reason to know where you are. Ask Next Time or When I Use the App works for maps and delivery apps. Always should be reserved for a very small number of apps, such as a family safety app you chose yourself, and only if you understand why it needs background access.

While you are here, tap System Services at the bottom of the list. You can switch off items you do not use, such as location based suggestions and product improvement, while keeping Find My iPhone and emergency services untouched. The precise list varies by version, so change only the items you recognise and leave the safety related ones alone.

Step 3: Check location permissions on Android

On Android, open Settings, then Location, then App location permissions. You will see apps grouped by whether they can use your location all the time, only while in use, or never. Tap any app that surprises you and change it to a stricter setting.

The most useful habit is to ask one question per app: does this app need my location to do the job I opened it for? A maps app does. A banking app may need it once for a branch search, but not all the time. A game, a shopping app, or a news app usually needs nothing at all. When in doubt, choose Only while using the app, or Ask every time, rather than Allow all the time.

Also check Location Services under the main Location screen. You may see Google Location Accuracy, Wi-Fi scanning, and Bluetooth scanning. These help your phone pinpoint you faster, but they also let it use nearby networks to work out where you are. Switching Wi-Fi and Bluetooth scanning off can reduce background location tracking, with only a small effect on accuracy outdoors.

Step 4: Turn off location in photos and Significant Locations

Two quieter settings catch people out. The first is photo location. On iPhone, go to Settings, Privacy and Security, Location Services, Camera, and choose Never if you do not want new photos tagged with a place. On Android, open the Camera app settings and switch off location tags or Save location, depending on your phone maker. This does not remove location from photos you already took, but it stops new ones from being tagged.

The second is Apple’s Significant Locations, found under Settings, Privacy and Security, Location Services, System Services. This is a private log of places your iPhone has learned matter to you, used for features such as traffic predictions. You can view the list, clear the history, and switch it off. Clearing it will not affect your maps or contacts, and it is a sensible step if you want less location memory on the device itself.

Step 5: Review other apps that track places

Location history is not only a phone setting. Ride share apps, fitness apps, social apps, and food delivery apps each keep their own records. Open the apps you use most, go to their privacy or settings menus, and look for location history, trip history, or data controls. Many let you delete past trips or set data to auto-delete after a few months.

Taking control of location history is about choosing which memories your phone keeps.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will turning off location history stop Maps from working?

No. Maps can still search for places and give you directions. Turning off history only stops a running log of your past places from being saved to your account or device.

Should I turn off Location Services completely on iPhone?

Most people should not. Switching it off entirely breaks navigation and location based reminders. It is better to leave the main switch on and set each app to Never, When I Use the App, or Ask Next Time as needed.

Does deleting Google Location History remove it from all my devices?

Yes, for that Google account. Location History is tied to your account, so switching it off and deleting past history applies across the phones and computers signed in to that account.