Location Tracking & Remove Location History: Location tracking is one of the crucial features of our Phone. It has made a lot of our task easies like finding nearby restaurants, cinema or visiting a new place or just sending your live location to your friends.
Google’s location tracking eases daily life struggle; however, with all these conveniences, there is one major drawback, and that is your privacy. All the location you have been visiting is recorded in Google’s Database, which is kind of creepy!
Google’s Location Tracking & Location History
Google’s location tracking doesn’t stop when you turn off or clear location history in google maps. If you think location turn off is enough to stop google from tracking you, think again as it’s not the case.
Many official websites and tech-based web pages have proved that Google knows all your locations from your home to office to all the places you have been throughout the day.
Turning off Location History
Not only it knows your places but also tracks you minute by minute, move by move. Turning off Google’s location history is just turning off the location display on Google’s timeline. Apart from visual representation, nothing changes.
However, if you are OK with just turning off location history and doesn’t know how to do that, see below:
Step1: Open Setting app from your Phone.
Step2: Open the Google Tab and click on the Google Account.
Step3: Select Data and personalization options.
Step4: Select Location history and tap to toggle off button for each device or Phone linked to your Google account.
Shutting down Google’s tracking requires a lot more steps, but there is nothing to bother as you will everything in this blog.
Here you will find guidelines to turn off Google location tracking, disabling location tracking for particular Apps, deleting location history, and much more. The complete guidelines to get rid of Google Tracking from everywhere.
Stop Google From Location Tracking
Everyone knows that Google Maps tracks your location, but do you know that even your Android Phone knows all your sites? You get through your location with built-in apps. If you don’t want your Phone to save your places, there are simple ways to close location tracking or close up to a certain extent.
You have to go through many Apps and alter location setting all the apps, especially App related to weather, ride App, food, and e-commerce. Turn of location tracking for those apps that you don’t use frequently or apps that you don’t use at all.
Close Google Tracking through a Browser
Here are the steps to close tracking through a browser, you can try this method on your Mobile Phone or do it from your computer:
Step1: Open this link on your browser.
Step2: Login to your account by clicking on your profile on the top right corner of your browser.
Step3: Click on Personal Info and Privacy and select Go to My Activity.
Step4: Now, on the hand side of the navigation bar, select Activity Controls.
Step5: You will see Web and App activity toggle buttons, turn it off.
Step6: Also, Toggle off Location history, scroll down to find the location history switch.
The Web and App Activity includes anything, or everything you have done on Google Apps and services is covered by this option. Location history covering all the locations you went with your mobile phone.
When you scroll through the menu, you will also come across Device information that covers contacts, calendars, etc. Also, other options like Voice and Audio activity, Youtube search history, and Youtube watch history can be turned off if you don’t share all this information with Google.
When you follow the steps above, it will stop data gathering after your toggle the switch, but what about data that are already collected. To delete information already saved follow the steps below:
As mentioned above, steps go to My Activity page in Google account, and from the left side menu, select Delete my Activity by.
You Delete information like App, keyword, date, and more filter your information and select delete.
Stop ‘Google Tracking’ on an Android Device
Step1: Open Setting, go to account, and click on Google.
Step2: Choose your Google account, if you have linked more than one account with your Phone select the account that’s tied with many application or the one you use for google maps and other important stuff.
Step3: Click on your Google account, scroll and select Manage your data and personalization option from the menu.
Step4: Go through the Activity Control, and as like the browser version, you can switch off or pause several monitoring activities.
Step5: For deleting past records, go to My Activity and scroll to see the saved data.
Beside each category, you will notice three dots, tap it, and select delete to remove some or all the data.
Stop Location Tracking on ‘Android device’
If Google’s location is not bothering you, recording your location on your mobile phone might.
So if you don’t want to record your location and other activities on your Android Phone or device here is what you need to do:
Step1: Head to Settings, tap on Security and location
Step2: Search and select Privacy and select Location
Step3: At the top, look for Use location feature and switch it off.
Now, these steps alone will not stop your Phone from tracking your location and other activities. Use the location feature in Android relies on sensors using location. It’s not only GPS feature that tracks location, but sometimes it could be WIFI, cellular networks, apps, etc.
To Get Rid of These Situations, Here is What You Need To Do
Search and select the ‘Advanced’ button and then go to location services. Here you will see the following four categories that you can prefer to turn off and on accordingly.
1. Google Emergency Location Service (ELS): This option is for emergencies, it is made to help you in a critical situation like when you need an ambulance after an accident. You can choose to turn it off, but note that even if ELS is disabled, your mobile carrier still has the reliability to send device location in case of emergency.
2. Google Location Accuracy: GLA features of your android phone uses Wi-Fi and even other services to keep track of your location. So when you turn off use location, remember to close Google location Accuracy as well.
3. Google Location Sharing: This feature makes it possible for you to share your location with your friends or family, but when you don’t have the need to share your location, you can turn off this switch.
4. Google Location History: you can choose to disable or opt to pause it for some time. Any of the options you choose will not delete the Data that’s already collected. To remove content already saved, keep reading the article below.
There is also another option that you don’t want to miss out on. Go to the location page and click on the scanning link. You will see two toggle switch that helps you discover if the apps and services on your Android device are capable of scanning for Bluetooth and wi-fi networks even if it’s turned off.
Turn off Location History on an iOS Device
Have you been using Google App and services on your iOS devices? Or prefer Chrome over Safari? You are not alone; there are many who do that, and so you too need to be careful about location tracking. Here are the steps to follow for disabling location history in google maps on the iPhone or iPad.
Step1: Open setting and search for your Google account.
Step2: Select manage your Google account and then select Personal information and Privacy tab.
Step3: Scroll down through the option to find My Activity, your settings will open in a web browser.
Step4: Click on the Activity Controls on the left-hand side of the navigation bar.
Step5: Select the Web and App Activity option and toggle to turn it off, also scroll down to find Location history and turn it off as well.
Turn ON & OFF Location Tracking From Quick Setting Tray
Not everyone will prefer to completely close location tracking; there are times when you need this feature. There is a solution you can choose to turn on location tracking when you feel the need and disable it when you don’t, it is as simple as it sounds.
You can disable and enable location tracking with the use of the Quick setting tray. This tray quickly appears on your screen when you scroll up or down on your Mobile Phone. This tray has all the shortcut buttons you often require. The location icon on the tray that lets you enable and disable location features.
Step1: Bring the setting tray by swiping down from the top of the screen, some phones may have this feature at the bottom in that case scroll up from the bottom. You will find a menu tray with several icons like Bluetooth, mobile data, wifi, flight mode, night mode, location, and more.
Step2: Select the location tab; if it’s not in the tray yet, you have first to bring the location icon on your tray. At the bottom of the tray, you will see a pencil icon tap on it, and some more icons will be displayed on the screen. Select the location icon with other icons you want to have on your setting tray.
Step3: Drag the icon on the tray; you also have to remove icon instead of new ones, so remove the tab, which is of no use to you.
You can enable the location button whenever you use a location app like maps, cab, food ordering, and close it when the work is done.
Turn OFF Location Tracking For A Specific App
Now instead of enabling and disabling location icon multiple times, you can close the location for Apps that you don’t use frequently. This will ease the process and will not make your task tiresome.
Here are the steps to disable location for specific apps:
Step1: Go to Setting
Step2: Click on Apps and Notification tab,
Step3: Open the Advanced heading and select App and Permissions
Step4: Click on Location, you will see a list of all your installed applications along with toggle switch. Turn off the switch for App you don’t want to access your location; You can turn on the switchback when needed.
When you turn off permission in your Android setting, you will sometimes note that the App will restore back the permission by itself or will continuously ask you to grant permission. This gets very irritating, but you have to deal with the situation unless you get the Leave me alone option or download another app.
Remove Location History
The above steps were to disable location tracking, but what about information already collected? Once the Data is saved with Google, it takes some effort to remove it.
For those you wish to remove location history, you will have to go to Google and later go to Apps, which collects such information, and that’s the two most popular and most used social media apps Facebook and Twitter.
Remove Google location History on Android
As I have mentioned above, you can delete location history that is saved on Google timeline in My activity Area;
Now you can even do this in Google Map check out below:
Step1: Open Google Map on your Phone
Step2: Click on the three lines on the top right corner of your screen,
Step3: Tap on your timeline and once again click on the three dots in the top right corner.
Step4: Select settings and scroll down to find Delete all location history.
Step5: A pop-up window will appear on your screen asking you to the Checkbox that states you understand some apps may not work properly, Tap to Checkbox and then click on the Delete button.
Remove Location History on a Browser
You remove your location history with a browser on a desktop, Phone, or any other computing device, here is how:
Step1: Open this link through your preferred browser.
Step2: Click on the three parallel lines on the top left corner on the side panel. Cannot see the panel? Click on the small arrow on the top left corner.
Step3: Choose Your Timeline
Step4: You will have a pop-up window as it appears on the mobile phone. The pop-up message will have a checkbox stating that “You understand that some of your apps may not work properly” tap on Checkbox and then tap on Delete Location History.
Remove Location History On Facebook:
The most used social media App through the worldwide Facebook app has all your location details.
Delete Facebook location on Android App
Step1: Open Facebook App on your phone, click on the three parallel lines on the top right corner.
Step2: Scroll down through the options to find Settings and Privacy, open it, and then select a setting.
Step3: Again scroll to find privacy, under the subhead select Privacy
Toggle Location History switches on and off as you want.
There is also another option you will find is Location services. This tab will direct you to the Android Location access page where you can opt to turn off location access entirely.
Step4: To remove location history, click on View your location history and click on the three dots on the top right corner. Now you have two options you remove location history for a day by selecting Delete this day or choose to Delete all location history. Click on either if the option and confirm by clicking OK in the dialog box.
Delete Your Location History on Twitter
Deleting location history from your Twitter account is easy and more straightforward than Facebook when you use an Android Twitter App.
Below are the steps to remove location history from your twitter account:
Step1: open Twitter App on your Phone and click on the three dots on the upper left corner of your screen.
Step2: Click on Setting and Privacy and select privacy and safety option.
Step3: Scroll through the menu to find Precise location and click on it. Now uncheck the box to stop Twitter from collecting your GPS and other location information.
To Delete Twitter location history follow the steps below:
Step1: Open your Twitter account and select icon and toggle on Setting and privacy features.
Step2: Select Privacy and safety option from the left side menu
Step3: If you see ‘Tweet with a location’ On tap on it to disable the option that collects your location data.
Step4: Select Delete location information and confirm your deletion by pressing the Yes button.
Conclusion
That’s it, folks! This was all about stopping Google From location tracking and also permanently removing the Location History that gets saved in your Apps and phone. Your Privacy is of utmost importance don’t let anyone hinder it even Google.
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