Protecting Your Location Information
Reduce risks around location sharing.
Location Settings, App Permissions, and Abuse
Why Location and App Permissions Matter in Abusive Situations
Phones, tablets, and other devices can quietly share a lot of information about where you are, who you contact, and what you do. In a controlling or abusive relationship, this information may be misused for monitoring, stalking, or intimidation.
This page explains, in plain language, what “location services” and “app permissions” are, how they might be used against you, and options you may want to consider if you are worried about your privacy or safety.
What Are Location Services?
Location services are settings that allow your device to figure out where you are. They use tools like GPS, Wi‑Fi, Bluetooth, and nearby cell towers to estimate your location.
When location services are turned on, many apps can:
- See your current location (for example, on a map).
- Track where you have been over time (location history or timeline).
- Share your location with other people, sometimes in real time.
- Use your location to show local content, ads, or suggestions.
Common Ways Location Can Be Misused
In a harmful or controlling relationship, someone might try to use location features to:
- Check whether you are at home, work, or another address they know.
- Confront you about places you went, using location history or photos with location tags.
- Show up unexpectedly at places you visit, such as friends’ homes, support groups, or appointments.
- Insist that you share your live location “for safety,” then use it to monitor you.
- Install tracking apps or devices that report your movements.
Types of Location Features to Know About
1. System-wide Location Setting
This is usually a main switch in your device’s settings (for example, “Location,” “Location Services,” or “Positioning”). It controls whether the device can get your location at all.
Options often include:
- On / Off: Allows or blocks location access for most apps.
- High accuracy vs. battery saving: How precisely your location is estimated.
- Emergency location services: Some devices may still share location with emergency services even if general location is off.
2. Location Permissions for Individual Apps
Most modern phones let you choose which apps can use your location and when. Common options are:
- Always allowed: The app can access location even when you are not using it.
- Only while using the app: The app can access location only when it is open on your screen.
- Ask every time: The app must ask before accessing your location.
- Not allowed / Never: The app cannot use your location.
3. Location Sharing With Specific People
Some services allow you to share your live location directly with other individuals. Common examples include:
- Built-in features like “Find My,” “Location Sharing,” or “Family” apps.
- Map apps that let you share journey progress or live location.
- Messaging apps that include “share live location” options.
These can be helpful in some situations, but they can also be pressured, misused, or turned on without your full understanding.
4. Location in Photos, Posts, and Check-Ins
Many apps can add location information to what you share, including:
- Photo apps that save where a picture was taken (metadata or “geotag”).
- Social media “check-ins” or tagged locations.
- Automatic tags like “at home,” “at work,” or nearby venues.
This can reveal routines, important places, or people you visit.
What Are App Permissions?
App permissions are the specific types of access that an app requests on your device. When you install or use an app, it may ask for permission to access things like:
- Location
- Camera and microphone
- Contacts and call logs
- Text messages or notifications
- Photos, files, or storage
- Calendar, reminders, or notes
- Activity data (for example, step counters, motion, Bluetooth devices)
These permissions can be useful for the app’s basic function, but they can also create risks if someone else has access to your device or your accounts.
How App Permissions Can Affect Safety and Privacy
If a person who is harming or monitoring you can look at your device or sign in to your accounts, app permissions might allow them to:
- See who you call or message, and how often.
- Read messages or notifications that appear on your lock screen.
- Listen in or watch through the microphone or camera, using certain apps.
- View photos, documents, or notes that you expected to be private.
- Track your movements or routines through location and activity data.
Examples of Apps and Permissions to Review
Depending on your situation, you may want to look at permissions for:
- Maps and navigation apps: Often have “always allow” location; they may store location history.
- Family locator or “find my” apps: Can show live or recent locations to other people.
- Social media apps: May use photo locations, check-ins, and location-based suggestions.
- Messaging apps: Some include live location sharing or send read receipts and “last seen” times.
- Fitness or tracking apps: May map walking, running, or cycling routes.
- Ride-share, delivery, or transport apps: Store pick-up and drop-off locations and times.
- Shared accounts or cloud services: Synchronize location history and media across devices.
Things You May Want to Consider Doing
Only you can judge what is safest in your situation. The following are general options you may wish to think about and adapt to your circumstances.
1. Review Which Apps Have Location Access
You may want to:
- Open your device’s settings and find the list of apps with location permission.
- Check which ones are set to “always allow” and consider if that is necessary.
- Change some apps to “only while using” or “not allowed,” if doing so feels safe.
2. Check for Location Sharing With Other People
On some devices or apps, you can see a list of people who have access to your location. You may want to:
- Review any “family,” “sharing,” or “find my” features.
- Look at live location options in messaging or map apps.
- Note anything that surprises you, such as sharing that you do not remember turning on.
If you are concerned someone might notice if you turn off sharing, you may want to plan whether changing these settings would increase or reduce your risk.
3. Look at Location History or Timelines
Some devices and apps keep a timeline of where you have been. You may choose to:
- See if location history is turned on for your accounts.
- Decide whether you want to keep it on, turn it off, or manage what is saved.
- Be aware that deleting history on shared accounts may be noticeable to the other person.
4. Review Other App Permissions
Beyond location, you may want to scan permissions for:
- Camera and microphone: Consider whether each app truly needs them.
- Contacts and messages: Think about whether access could expose support people or conversations.
- Files and photos: Decide which apps you trust with your media and documents.
5. Consider Device and Account Access
Sometimes the biggest risk is not the permission itself, but who can use your device or accounts. You may want to reflect on whether anyone:
- Knows your device passcode, pattern, or biometrics.
- Can unlock your phone while you are asleep, distracted, or pressured.
- Knows passwords to your main email, cloud, or social media accounts.
- Has their own fingerprint or face registered on your device.
Changing access details can be a safety decision. Some people choose not to change them if they believe it could escalate harm. Others feel safer doing so. Your judgement about your situation is important.
Recognizing Possible Signs of Location or Permission Misuse
You might not always be able to tell if someone is misusing location or permissions, but possible signs can include:
- They know where you have been, even when you did not tell them.
- They show you screenshots or maps of your movements.
- They mention private appointments or visits you did not share.
- They become angry if you turn your phone off or leave it behind.
- They insist on installing specific apps “for safety” and then use them for control.
- They seem to know private information from messages, calls, or photos.
Planning Around Tech Safety and Your Situation
Tech safety planning can be very personal. You may want to think about:
- Which devices the other person can physically access.
- Which accounts they might already know or control.
- Whether sudden changes to settings might be noticed and raise questions.
- What feels like a realistic, low-risk first step, such as reviewing permissions for a single app.
- Whether it is possible to use a separate device or account that the other person does not know about.
Questions You Can Ask Yourself About Location and Permissions
These questions may help you decide what to do next:
- Do I feel watched, followed, or questioned about my movements more than feels reasonable?
- Are there apps on my device that I do not recognize or remember installing?
- Does the other person encourage, pressure, or demand that I share my location?
- Has the other person ever taken my phone, changed my passwords, or unlocked it without asking?
- Would changing any of my tech settings increase my safety, or might it increase tension or danger?
If You Are Thinking About Next Steps
Depending on your situation, possible next steps might include:
- Quietly learning more about your device’s privacy and security settings.
- Talking, if it feels safe, with a trusted person about your concerns.
- Exploring local legal, advocacy, or support services for information about your rights and options.
- Using a device the other person does not control if you need to search for sensitive information.
You are the expert on your own situation, and you can move at a pace that feels manageable to you.