Do you often allow apps to track your location? Many apps track your (exact) location in the background. We explain how you can protect your privacy in location services.
1. Turn key locations on or off
Apple keeps track of which locations you often visit. Locations that you visit often and where you spend a lot of time are referred to by Apple as a “Point of Interest.” From these locations you can see how long you have been there down to the minute.
- Go to Settings’;
- Choose ‘Privacy and Security’;
- Tap “Location Services”;
- Scroll all the way down and choose ‘System’;
- Then tap “Points of Interest.”
Apple uses this function, among other things, to share useful information with you in apps such as Maps, Calendar and Photos. The company itself can’t see your key locations, but in theory other people can try to get to them if they have your phone – even if you need Face ID or your fingerprint for this.
Want to turn off the important locations to protect your privacy? Then your phone can no longer charge optimized at night. This option is only available in Apple’s ‘key locations’. We hope that in the future you will be able to choose when and where you charge your device in an optimized manner.
2. Lost iPhone? Keep the location visible
It’s everyone’s worst nightmare: you lose your iPhone or your smartphone gets stolen. At such a moment it is useful that your location remains visible. There are several ways to still see the location.
Lock Control Panel
A good first step is to make sure your iPhone stays connected to the internet (for as long as possible). If your phone gets stolen, often the first thing that happens is to turn on airplane mode. In this way, the iPhone is disconnected from the cellular network.
It is therefore important that there is no access to the control panel with a locked iPhone, because that is where you can switch the airplane mode on or off. The same goes for Siri; with Siri you can also control the airplane mode. How to disable it:
- Go to Settings’;
- Choose ‘Face ID and access code’;
- Scroll to ‘Access when locked’;
- Disable ‘Control panel’ there;
- Finally, also disable Siri in the same menu.
Enable Find My Network
If your lost iPhone is turned off, it is also possible to find the device via the Find My network. This network consists of hundreds of millions of devices that exist worldwide. If you lose your iPhone, other iPhones, iPads, and Macs near your iPhone will provide an approximate location. You can activate this function in the following way:
- Open the ‘Settings’ app;
- Tap your name at the top of the menu;
- Go to ‘Find my’;
- Choose ‘Find my iPhone’;
- Turn on ‘Find my network’.
This way you can always find the location of your iPhone, even if it is empty or not connected to the internet!
3. Turn off your exact location
Don’t want apps to see your precise location? A number of apps, including Instagram and Facebook, use your exact location. You can also disable this in settings. That’s how it works:
- Go to Settings’;
- Choose ‘Privacy and Security’;
- Go to ‘Location facilities’;
- Tap an app to see if it has access to your exact location;
- Disable exact location for the apps you don’t want.
A surprising number of apps have access to your exact location. More examples of these apps are the NS app, Snapchat and even Datumprikker. Often these apps don’t need to know your exact location at all, so you can turn this off to protect your privacy.
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More iPhone Tips for iOS 16
Want more useful tips for your iPhone? Then check out these three hidden features in iOS 16 or these tips for using Apple Pay. Also keep an eye on the iPhoned website regularly for even more tips and tricks!
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