To stop people from seeing where you are, open the Find My app, tap Me, and turn off Share My Location. That stops sharing with everyone at once in Find My, Messages and Maps. To stop just one person, tap People, tap their name, and tap Stop Sharing My Location.
If you mean stopping apps from using your location, that’s a different switch: Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services. Apple doesn’t send a notification when you stop sharing with people, but they may notice your location is no longer available.
Which “turn off location” do you need?
| Your goal | What to change | What keeps working |
|---|---|---|
| Friends or family can’t see me | Find My > Me > Share My Location off | Apps, Maps directions, Find My iPhone |
| One person can’t see me | Find My > People > [name] > Stop Sharing My Location | Sharing with everyone else |
| Pause sharing for a day | Find My > People > [name] > Hide Location | Sharing resumes automatically |
| One app can’t track me | Location Services > [app] > Never | Everything else |
| Nothing uses my location | Location Services off | Emergency calls; very little else |
How to stop sharing your location with everyone
- Open the Find My app.
- Tap the Me tab at the bottom.
- Turn off Share My Location. The switch turns gray.
People who could see you in Find My, Messages or Maps now see that your location isn’t available. Apple notes that when you stop sharing in one app, you stop sharing across all of them. Your own iPhone can still be located with Find My iPhone if it’s lost, because that’s a separate setting.
You can reach the same switch from Settings > [your name] > Find My > Share My Location.
How to stop sharing with one person
- Open Find My and tap People.
- Tap the person’s name.
- Scroll down and tap Stop Sharing My Location.
- Confirm when asked.
You can also do this from the other apps where the person appears:
- Messages: open your conversation with them, tap their name at the top, then tap Stop Sharing My Location.
- Contacts: open their contact card and tap Stop Sharing My Location.
- Maps: tap Sharing with… at the bottom of the screen, then tap the person’s name to stop.
To stop sharing only for a while, tap Hide Location from the person’s options in Find My instead. Apple’s personal safety guide says sharing resumes automatically the next day.
Will the other person know you stopped sharing?
Apple doesn’t send an alert when you stop sharing. However, your location disappears from their Find My app, and Apple warns that people you previously shared with may notice. On older iOS versions, they may also see a notice in Messages. If you later share again, they see your location as normal.
If you share location through Family Sharing, family members may notice in Find My that your location is no longer available. To change family location sharing, go to Settings > Family > Location Sharing. On a child’s account, the parent or guardian may control this setting.
How to turn off Location Services completely
Warning: With Location Services off, Maps can’t give directions from where you are, Weather can’t show local conditions, and Find My can’t show your iPhone’s location on a map if you lose it. For most privacy goals, stopping sharing or changing a single app is enough.
- Open Settings.
- Tap Privacy & Security.
- Tap Location Services.
- Turn off Location Services.
- Tap Turn Off to confirm.
No app, including Find My, can use your location now. Apple says your location may still be used during an emergency call. To switch it back on or fix a switch that won’t move, see how to turn location back on.
Turn off location for one app instead
- Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services.
- Tap the app.
- Choose Never, or Ask Next Time Or When I Share if you use its location features only occasionally.
For apps that only need your general area, such as weather or local news, you can keep access but turn off Precise Location. The app then sees an approximate location instead of your exact spot.
Stop adding your location to photos
Photos you take save where they were taken. To stop that, set Camera to Never under Location Services. For a photo you’ve already taken, tap Share, tap Options at the top of the share sheet, and turn off Location before you send it. The copy you share has no location, while the original in your library keeps it.
Don’t turn off Find My iPhone to stop sharing
Share My Location and Find My iPhone sound alike but do different jobs. Share My Location lets people see you. Find My iPhone lets you find your phone and keeps Activation Lock on, which stops a thief from setting it up. Turning off Find My iPhone doesn’t make you more private from friends, and it removes your best way to recover a lost phone. Read how Find My iPhone works before changing it.
If you’re worried about who can see your location or other information, Settings > Privacy & Security > Safety Check (iOS 16 and later) lets you review and stop sharing with everyone in one place. Apple’s personal safety guide explains each option.
Location sharing questions
Can I share my location again later?
Yes. Turn Share My Location back on in Find My, then share with a person again from People or Messages. Our guide to sharing your location on iPhone covers the time limits you can choose.
Does Airplane Mode stop location sharing?
It stops your iPhone from sending new location updates while it’s offline, but people may still see your last known location. Turning off Share My Location is the reliable way to stop sharing.
Why does someone still show up on my map after I stopped sharing?
Stopping your sharing doesn’t stop theirs. If they share with you, they stay on your People list until they stop, or you can remove them from your list in Find My.
Matthew Roberts is the founder and editor of ARS Digitech. He started the site to answer the iPhone questions his friends and family kept asking him, and it has grown into a library of iPhone and iOS how-to guides. Matthew writes and maintains every tutorial on the site, checking steps and menu names against Apple’s official support documentation and updating guides when an iOS release moves a setting.