Cleaning Out Your iPhone's Location Memory
Your iPhone keeps track of every place that you've visited, and how many times you've visited that particular place. It's looking for "significant" places that you've visited, so it can easily direct you back there again. For some of us, though, that seems like a "significant" violation of our privacy. These instructions will guide you, step-by-step, through cleaning out what iPhone has saved, and preventing it from saving that information in the future.
- Click on Settings and find the Privacy heading.
- Under the Privacy, click on "Location Services".
- Go to the bottom to select "System Services".
- At the bottom of this list, choose "Significant Locations." This requires your password for access.
- This is where your iPhone is tracking all of the locations that you have been. Take a look at this information. It's pretty interesting stuff!
- Next, you'll want to clear your history, which is all the way at the bottom of the list.
- Finally, at the top of the list, slide the button to the left to turn off the "Significant Locations" function.
Cleaning out Your Google Location History
Google does similar tracking through the GPS installed on your phone. When you originally signed up for your Google account, it asked you if you wanted to turn Google Location History on. If you accepted this option, then Google has been tracking you ever since.
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You can access your location history on your smartphone, on your computer, or tablet via Gmail. These instructions are written for making this change on your SmartPhone, and the changes are effective for all of your devices associated with that Gmail address.
First Reviewing and Deleting your Location History:
- Open Gmail.
- Choose Settings.
- Click on your email address.
- Select "Manage Your Google Account".
- Under "Review Your Privacy Settings," press "Get started".
- Then press "Start Now".
- Scroll down to see "Location History." If it shows "Paused," no further action is necessary.
- If the Location History is Turned On,
- Select "Manage Location History".
- Then "Explore your timeline".
- Choose "Let's Go".
- Take a look at all of the information that Google has stored for you. It shows where you have been over time. If you choose to allow Google to keep this information, and continue tracking your location, then stop here. If you want to delete the information and stop tracking, then continue.
- Press the three dots in the upper corner.
- Choose Settings.
- Scroll down the page.
- Press "Delete all location history".
Second Way To Turn off the Location History Tracking:
- Go back to Review Privacy Settings.
- Select Location History.
- Then Turn Off.
- Pause (turns off location tracking on all devices).