Location sharing should be a choice, not a condition of trust. When a partner, former partner, or relative knows where you have been without your permission, the explanation may be ordinary technology used inappropriately: a shared account, family-location app, vehicle service, or tracker in your belongings.
Regaining privacy means reviewing those access points—not simply turning off your phone’s location setting. The first priority, however, is making changes without increasing your risk.
There is no universal “stop tracking” switch. Start with personal safety, then work through accounts, apps, devices, and your surroundings.
1. Put Safety Before Technical Changes
If you fear retaliation, do not immediately delete suspicious apps, remove trackers, or confront the person. Lost access can be noticeable even when a service sends no notification. The NNEDV Safety Net technology safety plan recommends considering how an abusive person might respond before changing technology.
Use a safer device—ideally one the person has never accessed—to seek help. Private browsing does not make a monitored device safe. When safe, document incidents, messages, account alerts, and tracker notifications. Store evidence somewhere the person cannot access, not in a shared photo library or cloud account.
In immediate danger in the United States, call 911. For domestic-violence support, call 800-799-7233, text START to 88788, or contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline. The Hotline warns that internet activity can be monitored and cannot be completely erased. Outside the United States, use local emergency and survivor-support services.
2. Review Deliberate Location Sharing
iPhone: Start With Safety Check and Find My
On an iPhone running iOS 16 or later, open Settings → Privacy & Security → Safety Check. You need to be signed in to an Apple Account with two-factor authentication.
- Manage Sharing & Access lets you review people, apps, connected devices, and account security.
- Emergency Reset quickly stops sharing covered by Safety Check and guides you through security settings.
Apple explains the options in its Safety Check guide. Screen Time or device management may restrict some controls. Third-party accounts and other devices still require separate review.
For a targeted change, open Find My → People → select the person → Stop Sharing My Location. Under Me, review Notifications About You for arrival or departure alerts. Turning off Share My Location stops sharing with everyone.
Apple cautions that people may notice your location disappearing; earlier operating systems may also send a Messages notification. Sharing with people is separate from lost-device protection—do not disable useful device-recovery features unnecessarily.
Google Maps and Google Location Sharing
In Google Maps on Android, tap your profile picture → Location sharing → select the person → Stop. Review shared links and active trip-progress sharing, too. Hiding someone from your map does not stop them seeing you.
Google Location Sharing is account- and device-specific and operates through several services, including Find Hub and Family Link. Check every relevant account and device; supervised accounts have different controls.
Life360 and Other Family-Location Apps
In Life360, open Settings → Location Sharing and turn sharing off for each relevant Circle. According to Life360’s guidance, members see “Location Sharing Paused.” Pausing does not delete previous history, and Check In, SOS, or enabled Crash Detection can still share location in specified circumstances.
3. Secure the Accounts Behind the Tracking
Someone with account access may not need tracking software. For example, stopping Google Maps sharing will not remove a former partner’s access to your email or other account data.
When safe, use a trusted device to:
- Secure primary accounts: Change exposed or reused passwords, starting with email and your Apple or Google account.
- Review sessions: Remove signed-in devices and sessions you no longer authorize.
- Check recovery methods: Remove recovery addresses, phone numbers, or authentication methods controlled by someone else.
- Inspect indirect access: Review third-party connections, email forwarding rules, and mailbox delegation.
Google’s compromised-account guidance covers these checks. Password changes alone are not a complete cleanup. Avoid signing newly secured accounts into a device you suspect is monitored; doing so could expose the new credentials.
4. Inspect Permissions and Suspected Stalkerware
Reduce Unnecessary App Access
On iPhone, review Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services. On Android, look under Settings → Location → App location permissions; menus vary by manufacturer.
Review apps with continuous access. Where appropriate, choose access only while using the app, ask each time, or deny access. Google’s permission guide explains available controls. Approximate location still reveals an area, and restrictions may disrupt navigation or intentional safety check-ins.
On iPhone, also inspect Settings → General → VPN & Device Management. An unfamiliar profile deserves investigation, but work or school management is not automatically malicious. Removing a profile can remove associated settings, apps, and data.
Do Not Rush to Reset a Suspected Monitored Phone
Stalkerware secretly monitors a device. The FTC warns that investigating or removing it could alert an abusive person. Battery drain or unusual behavior alone does not establish that stalkerware is present.
Seek assistance from another device and preserve evidence before making changes. A replacement phone with an account the person cannot access may be an option. A factory reset may remove stalkerware, but it does not fix compromised accounts or external trackers.
If resetting is appropriate, preserve essential files separately and reinstall needed apps from official stores. The FTC cautions that restoring apps from a backup could reinstall stalkerware. Use a private screen-lock passcode and keep software updated.
5. Check for AirTags and Other Physical Trackers
Unwanted-tracker alerts are useful, but they do not detect every tracking method.
- iPhone: Check Settings → Notifications → Tracking Notifications. Follow Apple’s required settings, including Bluetooth, Location Services, and relevant system-location settings. Airplane Mode must be off; compatible non-Apple tracker alerts require iOS 17.5 or later.
- Android: Open Settings → Safety & emergency → Unknown tracker alerts. Use Scan now for a manual check. Older versions may place this under Google settings.
If an alert appears, save screenshots of the map and device information when safe. Use available sound or finding tools, check relevant belongings, and record the identifier or serial number. A borrowed item can trigger an alert; an alert does not establish who placed it.
Turning off your phone’s Bluetooth or enabling Airplane Mode does not disable a separate tracker. Other devices may continue relaying its location. Google also warns that disabling some trackers can affect evidence linking them to an owner. Consider safety and evidence preservation before following disabling instructions.
Review intentionally shared trackers, too: Apple suppresses unwanted-tracking notifications for an AirTag while you belong to its sharing group.
6. Look Beyond Your Phone
- Connected cars: Review vehicle-app accounts and authorized users. A former partner’s app access may remain after you change phones. Ask the manufacturer about removing access; consider professional inspection for suspected hidden devices. NNEDV’s connected-car guidance also addresses indirect clues such as toll and service records.
- Family phone plans: Ask the carrier which location services are active, who can manage them, and what account changes might reveal.
- Smart homes: Review cameras, doorbells, locks, and shared administrators. Leaving a household account does not stop its owner operating cameras.
- Social information: Avoid real-time location posts and ask trusted contacts not to disclose your whereabouts. Photo backgrounds, shared calendars, and receipts can reveal locations without a tracking app.
Your Practical Privacy Checklist
- ☐ Assess retaliation risk and identify a safer device for support.
- ☐ Preserve evidence outside shared accounts.
- ☐ Review location sharing across every account, device, and group.
- ☐ Check passwords, sessions, recovery details, and authentication methods.
- ☐ Review app permissions and unfamiliar management profiles.
- ☐ Check tracker alerts and intentionally shared trackers.
- ☐ Review vehicle, carrier, smart-home, and social access.
- ☐ Reopen settings to verify changes and retain useful safety protections.
Take the Safest Next Step
You do not need to prove malicious intent to want privacy. If sharing is genuinely voluntary, consider a narrower arrangement: a check-in message or temporary journey sharing rather than permanent access.
Choose one safe next step today. That may be reviewing an account—or contacting an advocate before touching any settings. You do not owe anyone a confrontation that puts you at risk.