How to Turn Off Location on iPhone (All Ways, 2026)

"Turn off location" can mean five different things on an iPhone, from a full shutdown to hiding from one person for an evening. Picking the smallest switch that does the job keeps Maps, weather and lost-phone help working. Here is each one, with what it stops and what it doesn't, following Apple's iPhone User Guide for iOS 27 (iOS 26 reads the same) and Apple's Location Services privacy notice, checked 7 November 2026.

Pick the right switch

You want to	Use	Effect
Stop all location use	Location Services off	No app, no Find My, no Maps location
Stop one app	That app > Never	Only that app loses location
Give apps only a rough area	Precise Location off per app	Approximate location only
Hide from friends/family	Find My > Me > Share My Location off	People can't see you; Maps still works
Hide from one person	Find My > People > name > Hide Location / Stop Sharing My Location	Only that person
Stop Apple's background services	System Services switches	Fewer background uses
Stop everything incl. phone network	Airplane Mode	See Airplane Mode and location

1. Turn off Location Services completely

Open Settings.
Tap Privacy & Security, then Location Services.
Turn off Location Services and confirm.

Apple: "Important: If you turn off Location Services, many important iPhone features stop working" (Apple). That includes turn-by-turn directions, location sharing, and finding your iPhone's current location. To switch back on, return to the same screen.

Two things Apple notes even with Location Services off (Apple):

"For safety purposes, however, your iPhone's location information may be used when an emergency call is placed to aid response efforts regardless of whether you enable Location Services."
"Apps or websites may still use other information, such as the IP address of your internet connection, to attempt to approximate your location."

2. Turn off location for one app

Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services.
Tap the app.
Choose Never. The other choices include asking next time, While Using the App and, for apps that request it, Always.

Apple: "To review or change access settings for an app or to see its explanation for requesting Location Services, tap the app" (Apple). This is the best way to stop a single app (a game, a shopping app) without affecting anything else.

3. Turn off Precise Location

On the same app screen, switch off Precise Location. Apple: "To share only your approximate location—which may be sufficient for an app that doesn't need your exact location—turn Precise Location off." Weather and news apps rarely need your exact street. Keep it on for Maps and Find My.

4. Hide your location from people (Find My)

Turning off Location Services is the heavy way to hide your location from friends. The targeted way:

Everyone: Find My > Me > turn off Share My Location (Apple).
One person, for today: Find My > People > their name > more > Hide Location. Apple says it stops sharing "for the rest of the day" (Apple).
One person, ongoing: Stop Sharing My Location.

Apple: "The person that you stop sharing with won't be notified." All the options, including Google Maps and Android: how to stop sharing location.

5. Turn off System Services

Apple's own background features use location too: routing and traffic, significant locations, suggestions, location-based alerts and more. To review them: Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > System Services. Apple: "To see the status for each service, to turn Location Services on or off for each service, or to show in the status bar when enabled system services use your location, go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > System Services" (Apple).

Worth knowing:

Significant Locations & Routes is your on-device location history; switching it off stops it (guide).
Apple's Stolen Device Protection article lists Significant Locations among its requirements, so leave it on if you use that (Apple).

6. Turn off location for websites

Apple: "To disable Location Services for all websites, set the Location Services setting for Safari Websites to Never" (Apple).

7. Hide the map in location alerts

When an app uses your location in the background, iPhone may show an alert with a map of places it accessed. To hide that map: Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > Location Alerts > turn off Show Map in Location Alerts (Apple).

How to tell when an app is using your location

Apple: "When an app is using Location Services, [the location arrow] appears in the status bar." You can also turn on the status bar icon for System Services in System Services.

Does turning off location notify anyone?

Apple doesn't describe any notification to friends when you turn off Location Services. They'll simply stop seeing new locations from you in Find My; they may see "No location found" (what that means). If you stop sharing with someone in Find My, Apple says they "won't be notified." If you share with someone close, a quick message is kinder than a silent dot.

Turn off location on Android (for comparison)

On Android, the main switch is Settings > Location > Use location; Google's help says location sharing needs the "Use location" setting turned on (Google). Google Location Sharing has its own switch in Settings > Location > Location Services > Google Location Sharing (Google).

Warden (top pick): pause instead of disappearing

Switching off Location Services to get a break from sharing breaks Maps and Find My too, and leaves people wondering. In Warden, a break is one switch, and it's honest:

Tap pause for a circle. The circle sees "Paused", with no location and no battery, and no new locations are stored.
SOS and messages keep working while paused.
Turn sharing back on whenever you like; nobody else can turn it on for you.
See at any time who can see your location.

Your iPhone's Location Services stay on for Maps and safety; Warden handles the people side, on iPhone and Android.

Troubleshooting

Problem	Fix
Location Services switch is greyed out	Screen Time or parental controls; see share location unavailable
An app still knows roughly where you are	Apple says apps may use your IP address; a VPN changes that
Find My can't find your lost phone	Location Services off; turn it back on
You only wanted to stop one person seeing you	Use Find My > People > Stop Sharing My Location

FAQ

How do I turn off location on my iPhone?

Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services and turn off Location Services. To stop only one app, tap the app and choose Never.

How do I hide my location on iPhone?

To hide it from people, open Find My, tap Me and turn off Share My Location, or tap People, a name and Hide Location for the rest of the day. To hide it from apps, use Location Services settings.

Does turning off location notify the other person?

Apple doesn't describe a notification. When you stop sharing with someone in Find My, Apple says they won't be notified; they just stop seeing your location.

What happens if I turn off Location Services on iPhone?

Apple says many important features stop working, including Maps directions, location sharing and finding your iPhone. Emergency calls may still use your location.

Open Find My, tap Me and turn off Share My Location. Your location stays available to Maps and other apps you allow.

How do I turn off location for one app on iPhone?

Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services, tap the app and choose Never, or turn off Precise Location to give only an approximate area.

Can apps still find my location with Location Services off?

Apple says apps and websites may still estimate your location from your IP address.

Should I turn off Significant Locations?

It's your private location history; Apple says it's end-to-end encrypted. Turning it off stops that history, but Stolen Device Protection needs it.