How to Stop Sharing Location Without Them Knowing on Your iPhone

Last Updated on April 22, 2023

Location sharing is one of the best features to be implemented in newer smartphones. This function helps in many situations, but it is critical in emergency scenarios. If something unfortunate happens, your friends and family will be able to know where you are located and help will arrive easier as your location is broadcasted.

This feature is also convenient in the day to day life. For example, meeting with a friend is much easier now that both of you can see your live location and head towards each other. Or maybe you are tracking the journey of a family member as they travel through the country.

But there are some situations where you might want to stop sharing your location. After all, this feature can interfere with your privacy in some cases and it is understandable that you no longer wish to share it. Below, you can find 4 methods on how to stop sharing location on iPhone without anyone knowing.

Now Read: iOS Guides

1

Make use of another iPhone

If you got two iPhones, this method is the most ideal. You can share the location of a secondary phone while your current one stays hidden.

You have to be logged in on both of these devices, and then you can choose to share your location on only one of them.

Step

1

Open Settings

On your main device, launch the Settings app from the Home screen or App Library.

Step

2

On your main device, launch the Settings app from the Home screen or App Library.

Go to your iPhone profile, which you can find at the top in the Settings app.

Tap on your profile before proceeding to the next step.

Step

3

Turning on the location sharing option

Turn on the “Share my location” option. Everything is done here and you can switch devices.

Step

4

Accessing “Find My” app

On your other iPhone, access the “Find My” app from the Home screen or App Library.

If you cannot locate it, use the search option or ask Siri to do it for you.

Step

5

Reactivating location sharing

Tap on your own icon and activate the “Use this iPhone as My location” option.

All of your contacts will see your location based on your other device which you can leave at home whenever you are going somewhere you don’t wish to be tracked. Your main iPhone’s location is no longer shown.

2

Turn Off the “Share my location” Option Completely

This method is only effective for iPhones that operate on iOS 8 and above. For older models, you might have to resort to the other methods presented in this article. This one turns off location-sharing options and you will no longer have to worry about being tracked.

Step

1

How to Turn Off “Share my Location”

Open the Settings app on your iPhone and look for the Privacy tab. Tap on it in order to modify the location-sharing settings.

Step

2

Select “Location services” from the Privacy tab and you will be able to see an option that says “Share my location”. This option decides that other people will be able to see where you are in real-time.

Step

3

Toggle off this option in order to stop broadcasting your location to other contacts.

3

Turn on Airplane mode

This is one of the easiest methods to stop location sharing on your iPhone, but it might not be ideal for you in some cases. While airplane mode will get you off the radar for a while, internet connection and cellular services are also restricted.

You will not be able to see any notifications either, but your location will no longer be shown to others. If you want to activate Airplane mode, all you have to do is follow two simple steps:

Step

1

How to turn on Airplane Mode

Open the Settings app on your iPhone and scroll down until you find the Airplane mode option.

Step

2

As you can see, this option has a toggle button. Tap on it in order to activate this mode which will instantly hide your location.

Additionally, you can activate Airplane mode directly from the control center. It is shown as an icon featuring an aircraft so it is easy to find.

4

Deactivate Location Sharing on the Find My App

If your contacts also have an Apple device, your friends, and family will be able to locate your phone in this exclusive app.

This app is intended to locate your own personal devices, but you can also see the ones of your close contacts. To deactivate location sharing on this app, you need to follow the steps below.

Step

1

Locate the “Find My” app on your Home screen or App Library and open it.

Step

2

Tap on the icon that represents yourself in order to change your personal settings.

Step

3

The “Share my location” option controls whether other people can see you on the map in real-time. Deactivate this function by tapping on it.

Final Thoughts

As you can see, sharing your location is extremely beneficial in some situations where other people can know exactly where you are. If something bad happens or your iPhone gets lost, you can always track it with accurate precision. But we also understand why you might want to turn location-sharing services off.

Your privacy is important and Apple knows this too. That is why these methods are so quick to apply – this company is always direct with sensitive matters like this one. You are in control of your iPhone and you decide whether other people can see where you are or not.

You can always turn your location back on if you wish to do so. These solutions are not permanent and you might want to activate this function after a while. Simply revert the process and your contacts can see you on their map again.

There is also the choice of sharing your location exclusively with some particular contacts and while they can see you on their map, other people will notice that your location is turned off. Your privacy is important and you can always decide when and how to share your location.

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