Thirty years ago, no one would believe the world would voluntarily carry around devices that could be used to track our every move. In 2021, however, that’s just the norm, as smartphones remain a must of modern life. While your iPhone might be a little loose with your location information, there are steps you can take to make your current position a little more secure.
Apple is big into user privacy. That’s why it features a settings page for you to browse the location permissions for all of the apps installed on your iPhone. To get there, head to Settings > Privacy > Location Services.
From here, take a look at the list of apps. You’ll see the exact permission each one has in grey, but you can tap on an app to expand the information. There are three to four options for each app, depending on app:
- Never: this option will never allow the app to read your location.
- Ask Next Time: this option will force the app to ask you for permission the next time it wants to read your location.
- While Using the App: this option only allows the app to read your location when you’re using the app.
- While Using the App or Widgets: this option only allows the app to read your location when you’re using the app, or if you add the app’s widget to your home screen. This option will only appear if the app has a widget.
You can choose one of these options for any app at any time. Remember: when you first open an app that wants to read your location, you will be prompted to choose one of these options as well.
Cover photo by Henry Perks on Unsplash
