Stop Sharing Location on iPhone: Full Guide

This guide walks you through every way to stop sharing your location on an iPhone, whether you want to pause it temporarily, stop sharing with one specific person, or turn off location services entirely. You’ll learn the exact menu paths for current iOS versions and what to do when the usual steps don’t work.

What You’ll Need

• Your iPhone with the passcode or Face ID/Touch ID enabled (required to change some settings)
• Access to the Settings app (pre-installed)
• If you use Family Sharing, you may need the family organizer’s permission to stop sharing your location with the family group

Step-by-Step

There are four distinct levels of stopping location sharing. Start with the one that matches what you want to achieve.

Method 1: Stop Sharing with One Person (in Find My)

1. Open the Find My app (green icon with a blue radar circle).
2. Tap the People tab at the bottom of the screen.
3. Find the person you want to stop sharing with and tap their name.
4. Scroll to the bottom of their card and tap Stop Sharing My Location.
5. Tap Stop Sharing again in the confirmation pop-up. The person will not be notified, but they will no longer see your location in their Find My app.

Method 2: Pause Sharing Temporarily (Hide My Location)

1. Open the Find My app.
2. Tap the Me tab (bottom right, person icon).
3. Toggle Share My Location off. This stops sharing with everyone at once, but keeps your location history and settings intact.
4. To resume later, simply toggle it back on. This is the quickest way to go dark without deleting anything.

Method 3: Turn Off Location Services for Find My Only

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap Privacy & Security.
3. Tap Location Services.
4. Scroll down and tap Find My.
5. Select Never. This prevents the Find My app from accessing your GPS at all, making it impossible for anyone to see your live location. Note: this also disables the “Find My iPhone” feature that helps you locate a lost device.

Method 4: Turn Off Location Services Completely (All Apps)

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap Privacy & Security.
3. Tap Location Services at the top.
4. Toggle the green Location Services switch to off. This disables GPS for every app on the phone, including maps, camera geotagging, and weather. You can turn it back on at any time.

Method 5: Stop Sharing with Family Group

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap your name at the very top (Apple ID).
3. Tap Family Sharing.
4. Tap Location Sharing.
5. Toggle off Share My Location. If you are the family organizer, you can also tap each family member and choose Stop Sharing My Location for that person. If you are a child in the family, you may need the organizer’s approval to turn this off.

Common Mistakes

• Turning off Location Services entirely instead of just for Find My. This breaks Maps, camera geotags, and many other useful features.
• Deleting the person from Find My instead of using “Stop Sharing.” Deleting a contact from the People tab does not always stop sharing; it may just hide them from your list.
• Forgetting about other apps. If someone is seeing your location through a different app (like a family tracking app or messaging app), turning off Find My won’t stop that. Check each app’s own settings.
• Confusing “Share My Location” with “Find My iPhone.” The first shares with people; the second helps you find a lost phone. They are separate toggles.
• Not checking if the person is still seeing a cached location. After stopping, some apps may show the last known location for a few minutes. That’s normal.

Tips

• Use a temporary stop: If you’re going somewhere you don’t want tracked, toggle off “Share My Location” in the Me tab before you leave, then toggle it back on when you’re done. It takes two seconds.
• Set a location-based reminder instead: If you’re trying to hide your location from someone while still using Find My for your own device tracking, consider using a different tracking method for your own phone, like a third-party app.
• Check your iMessage settings: Some people share their location through iMessage conversations. Open a conversation, tap the person’s name at the top, and tap “Stop Sharing My Location” if that option appears.
• Review all apps periodically: Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services and review which apps have access. Change any to “Never” that don’t need your location.

Troubleshooting

Problem: The “Stop Sharing” button is greyed out or missing.
This usually means you are part of a Family Sharing group and the organizer has set location sharing to be mandatory. You’ll need to ask the organizer to change this in their Family Sharing settings, or leave the family group entirely (which has other consequences).

Problem: You turned off sharing, but the person still sees your location.
First, wait a few minutes—the update can lag. If it persists, check if you have another device (like an iPad or Mac) signed into the same Apple ID that is still sharing. Go to Find My on that device and turn it off there too. Also check if you’re sharing through a different app like Google Maps or a third-party tracker.

Problem: You can’t turn off Location Services at all.
This can happen if you have a Screen Time passcode set. Go to Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions and check if “Location Services” is set to “Don’t Allow Changes.” You’ll need the Screen Time passcode to change it.

Problem: After turning off Location Services, Find My iPhone is also disabled.
This is expected behavior. If you want to protect your device from theft but not share with people, use Method 3 (set Find My to “Never” in Location Services) instead of turning off Location Services globally. Alternatively, keep Location Services on but turn off “Share My Location” in the Find My app’s Me tab.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Will the person be notified when I stop sharing my location?
No, Apple does not send a notification when you stop sharing. They will simply see your location disappear from their Find My app or Messages conversation.

Q: Can I stop sharing with just one person without affecting others?
Yes. Open Find My, go to the People tab, tap that person’s name, and select “Stop Sharing My Location.” This only affects that one person.

Q: Does turning off Location Services drain my battery?
It can actually improve battery life since the GPS radio isn’t active. However, many apps may stop working properly, and you won’t be able to use location-based features like Maps navigation.

Q: If I turn off Find My location sharing, can I still find my own lost iPhone?
Yes, as long as you only turned off “Share My Location” in the Find My app’s Me tab. The “Find My iPhone” feature (which lets you locate your own device) is separate and remains active. If you set Find My to “Never” in Location Services, then you lose the ability to find your own phone.

Q: How do I know if someone is sharing their location with me?
In the Find My app, go to the People tab. Anyone who is sharing with you will appear there. In a Messages conversation, you can tap the person’s name at the top and see if “Share My Location” or “Stop Sharing My Location” is shown.

Q: Does stopping location sharing affect my iMessage or FaceTime?
No, it only stops the sharing of your GPS coordinates. Your messaging and calling features are unaffected.

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