Nick Dow's blog : How location tracking works on your smartphone

How location tracking works on your smartphone

How phones track location? If you've updated your smartphone's operating system to the latest Android 10 or iOS 13, you may have noticed more requests for what apps can do with your location data. What do these new requests mean, and how can you tweak your phone's location tracking settings?

How to Adjust Location Settings on iOS

With the release of iOS 13, the software periodically reminds you of apps like parentalcontrol247.com that track your location continuously. However, you can change the current settings if you wish. You have three options - let the app track your location at any time, track only when the app is actually running, or not track at all.

This item is initially configured when the app requests your location for the first time - you can allow this action (in which case the app can then proceed to the background location tracking request), allow the app to track you only once (which means you will be prompted again select next time), or disable tracking.

Whenever this dialog pops up, read the text just below the title, where the app developer states the purpose of your location request (to show you nearby restaurants or the local weather forecast, or whatever). If you're wondering why the app wants to know where you are, this should help you.

These settings can be found at any time by going to the Settings app in iOS and tapping Privacy - Location Services. You'll see a list of all the apps that have access to your location, and a choice of up to four options when you select any of them: Never, Ask next time , When using an app , and Always . Not every app will want to track your location 24/7, so the last option might not show up, but any app you install will always prompt these occasional reminders.

Click on System Services to control how different aspects of the mobile operating system can use your data. For example, you might want HomeKit and Find My iPhone to know your location, but not Apple Announcements or Places of interest (a feature that Apple uses to work out which places are important to you).

From the same Location Services screen, you can turn off location entirely on iPhone using the toggle at the top. By disabling this setting, none of your apps will be able to get location data.

How to Adjust Location Settings on Android

Android traditionally lags behind iOS when it comes to granular location tracking settings, but that's mostly fixed in Android 10. We're looking at options for the stock version of the Pixel OS here, so the menus and labels you see may vary depending on which the manufacturer made your phone.

On Android, you don't get the same prompt reminder that iOS does, but you can set location tracking or turn it off for individual apps in much the same way: Tap Location, then App Permission to see which of your installed apps are interested in knowing where you have been and where you are going to go in the future.

Applications are divided into three categories:

apps that can log your location all the time,

apps that can only log your location when they are in active use

apps that can't track your location at all.

Unfortunately, there is no quick explanation as to why Android apps want to track your location the way iOS does. Most of the time this will be pretty obvious, but if in doubt, check with the app developer's website to just turn location tracking off and see if that stops working.

To prevent your phone from knowing where you are completely, turn off the location option on the location screen . This will prevent all installed apps and Google from knowing your location.

Google Time Google, it has a few advanced settings that ask permission to track your location over time, to recommend new places based on where you've already been, to remind you to rate and review places so you retrace your steps, and so Further. If you don't want this to happen, on the Location Advanced screen, turn off Google Location History .

Keep in mind that apps have other ways to track your location, from the IP address when you connect to the web to the places you choose to leave to browse. Please note that not all location tracking is covered by the phone settings we mentioned, and collecting at least some data is primarily the price of using the application.

One way that location tracking (both Apple and Google) can work is by determining where you are by scanning Wi-Fi networks and Bluetooth devices. If these networks and devices are recognized, they can give you your location, say if you always connect to the Wi-Fi at your local coffee shop.

Apple bundles this into shared location settings on iOS and iPadOS, but it doesn't on Android. To stop this kind of location tracking, you need to open the location screen from Android and then tap Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Scan.

Using a taxi service, weather forecast, many of us will be happy to accept the privacy compromise for added convenience. Ultimately, it's about how much you trust Apple, Google, and app developers to use that location data responsibly. However, in reality, the fewer applications that have access to your geo-coordinates, the better.

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