Check Which Apps Use Your iPhone Location

This guide shows you exactly how to see every app that has asked for your iPhone’s location, and how to change or revoke that access. You’ll find the full list in Settings, and you can switch each app between three permission levels or remove access entirely. No special tools or computer are needed — everything is done on the iPhone itself.

What You’ll Need

• An iPhone running iOS 13 or later (the steps are nearly identical on older versions, but the menu wording may differ slightly).
• Your device passcode or Face ID/Touch ID, since some screens may ask you to authenticate.

Step-by-Step

1. Open the Settings app. It’s the gray gear icon on your home screen or in your App Library.
2. Tap “Privacy & Security.” On older iOS versions, this is simply labeled “Privacy.”
3. Tap “Location Services.” The switch at the top of this screen controls location access for every app at once. If it’s green, location services are on. If you turn it off, no app can get your location — but many core features (like Maps navigation, Find My, and weather alerts) will stop working.
4. Review the list of apps. Below the switch, you’ll see every app that has ever requested your location, along with its current permission setting. The list is alphabetical, and each row shows one of four labels: “While Using,” “Always,” “Ask Next Time,” or “Never.”
5. Tap an app to see its options. You’ll get a screen with a few choices:
   • Never: The app cannot access your location at all.
   • Ask Next Time: The app can’t see your location until it asks again, and you approve it each time.
   • While Using the App: The app can see your location only while it’s open and active on screen.
   • Always: The app can see your location even when it’s in the background. This option only appears for apps that legitimately need it (like navigation or fitness trackers).
6. Choose the level you want. Tap the circle next to your preferred option. The change takes effect immediately — there’s no save button.
7. Check the “Precise Location” toggle. On the same app screen, you’ll see a switch labeled “Precise Location.” When it’s on, the app gets your exact GPS coordinates. When it’s off, the app only sees your approximate location (usually within a few miles). This is a useful middle ground if you want an app to know your city but not your exact address.
8. Look for system services. Scroll to the bottom of the Location Services list and tap “System Services.” This shows Apple’s own location uses, like “Find My iPhone,” “Emergency Calls & SOS,” and “HomeKit.” You can toggle each one individually, but be cautious — turning off things like “Emergency Calls” can affect safety features.
9. Use the “About” section for a quick check. If you’re mainly worried about which apps are actively using your location right now, go back to the main Location Services screen. The small arrow icons next to each app tell you:
   • A hollow gray arrow means the app used your location within the last 24 hours.
   • A solid purple arrow means the app used your location recently (within the last few minutes).
   • A solid gray arrow means the app used your location within the last 24 hours, but only when you were using it.
10. Repeat for each app you want to adjust. There’s no “select all” option, so go through the list one by one. You can leave most apps on “While Using” and only switch to “Never” for apps that don’t need your location at all.

Common Mistakes

• Turning off Location Services entirely. This is a blunt tool. It breaks Find My iPhone, Maps navigation, weather alerts, and many other useful features. It’s better to manage apps individually.
• Confusing “While Using” with “Always.” Some apps default to “While Using,” which is fine for most purposes. Only switch to “Always” if you truly need background tracking (e.g., a running app that logs your route while your phone is in your pocket).
• Ignoring the “Ask Next Time” option. This is a great choice for apps you rarely use. It lets you decide each time, rather than granting permanent access.
• Forgetting about the arrow indicators. If you see a purple arrow next to an app you rarely use, that’s a sign it’s accessing your location more often than you’d expect.
• Assuming “Never” removes the app from the list. The app stays in the Location Services list even after you set it to “Never.” That’s normal — it just means the app has no access.

Tips

• Use “Precise Location” off for apps that only need a general area. Weather apps, news apps, and shopping apps work fine with approximate location. This reduces the amount of precise data they collect.
• Review this list every few months. New apps you download will appear here after they first request permission. It’s easy to forget what you’ve approved.
• Check the “System Services” section occasionally. Apple’s own services can use location in ways you might not expect, like “Location-Based Suggestions” or “Routing & Traffic.” Turning off the ones you don’t use can save battery.
• If you want to start fresh, reset all location warnings. Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > System Services (scroll to bottom) > Reset Location Warnings. This clears all your previous choices, and apps will ask again the next time they need your location.
• Use Screen Time to spot heavy location users. While not directly related to location, Screen Time can show you which apps you use most, which often correlates with which apps have location access.

Troubleshooting

• You don’t see the app you’re looking for. If an app isn’t in the Location Services list, it has never requested your location. It may also be an app that doesn’t use location at all. If you think it should appear, open the app and try a feature that would normally need location (like “Find Nearby” or “Current Location”), then check Settings again.
• The app still shows your location even after you set it to “Never.” This can happen if the app uses a different method, like Wi-Fi positioning or Bluetooth beacons, which aren’t covered by the Location Services setting. Check the app’s own privacy settings inside the app, and also check Settings > Privacy & Security > Bluetooth — some apps use Bluetooth to approximate location.
• You can’t change a setting because it’s grayed out. This usually happens if you have restrictions enabled. Go to Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions > Location Services (or “Privacy” > “Location Services”) and make sure it’s set to “Allow.” If you’re managing a child’s device, you may need the parent passcode.
• Location Services is off and you can’t turn it on. This is almost always due to a Screen Time restriction. Check the same path as above and change the setting to “Allow.” If you forgot the Screen Time passcode, you’ll need to reset it via Apple ID recovery.
• An app keeps asking for location even though you chose “While Using.” Some apps ask again when they need background access. If you don’t want that, choose “Never” instead. If the app is a navigation or fitness app, it may need “Always” to function properly in the background — but you can still deny it if you prefer to open the app each time.
• You see an app you deleted. Deleted apps disappear from the list automatically. If you still see one, it may be an app that was reinstalled or a system app that can’t be deleted. You can still set it to “Never.”

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What’s the difference between “While Using” and “Always”?
A: “While Using” means the app can only see your location when it’s open on your screen. “Always” lets it see your location even when it’s running in the background, like a fitness tracker that records your run while your phone is locked.

Q: Does turning off “Precise Location” save battery?
A: Not significantly. The GPS chip still activates to get an approximate location, but it may use less power because it doesn’t need to wait for a precise satellite lock. The bigger battery drain is apps that request location frequently, not the precision level.

Q: Will an app know if I turned off its location access?
A: The app can’t see your location, but it can detect that location services are disabled for it. Many apps will show a message asking you to enable location in Settings when you try to use a location-based feature.

Q: Can I see a history of which apps used my location?
A: Not in a detailed log. The arrow indicators on the Location Services screen only show usage in the last 24 hours. For a more detailed breakdown, you’d need a third-party app, but those can’t access other apps’ location history due to iOS privacy restrictions.

Q: What happens if I turn off Location Services entirely?
A: No app can access your location, including Find My iPhone. This means you won’t be able to locate your phone if it’s lost, and apps like Maps won’t be able to show your current position. You can turn it back on at any time.

Q: Why do some apps only show “Never” and “While Using” but not “Always”?
A: Apple only shows the “Always” option for apps that have a legitimate need for background location, such as navigation or fitness apps. If an app doesn’t qualify, that option simply doesn’t appear.

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