How to Get Google to Stop Tracking You
On Google Maps, the search giant is with you every step of the way. But you can do something about it.
Where you go, Google goes. If you have location services turned on, then Google Maps has keeps track of every step you (and your smartphone) take. Your Google Timeline, introduced last year, can be a true walk down memory lane, but it can also lead straight to you and leave the door to your privacy wide open.
With Timeline, not only can Google Maps show you where you’re going, but where you’ve been. There might also be photographic evidence since Timeline syncs with any shots uploaded to Google Photos.
If you’ve turned on location services, Google is constantly pinging your phone from cell towers and Wi-Fi and using GPS to see where you are. The frequency with which it finds you can be every few minutes or every few seconds, painting apretty accurate picture of where you are at all times.
If this all seems less helpful and more harmful, you can remove your location history and tell Google to quit it already and stop following you. Here’s how.
Android
When you upgrade to the latest version of Google Maps, and check out your Timeline (Hamburger icon > Your timeline), Google will ask you to turn on Location History. You can then check out where you’ve been. I signed in on a borrowed Galaxy Note 4, so the only thing it had tracked was my location at the office.
If you’d rather not have your Android phone tracking your location, go back to Your timeline and tap on the three dots on the upper-right corner.
- Select Timeline Settings.
- Scroll down to Location Settings.
- Tap “Location History is on.”
- A pop-up window will appear; tap the checkmark next to “On.”
- Tap “OK” on the window that appears.
(You can also navigate to Hamburger icon > Settings > Google Location Settings > Location and toggle it off.)
You can also get rid of everything under “Delete All Location History.” A pop-up will warn you that everything is about to be deleted, which might affect how Google Now and other apps that use Location History work. If that’s OK with you, check the box next to “I understand and want to delete,” and then delete.
Apple iOS
For iOS, go to Google Maps, make sure you’re signed in, and scroll to Settings. Tap Location History, where you’ll see a slider that can go from On to Off. Slide it Off.
To erase the past, navigate to Settings > Maps History and tap the “X” next to the location you want to delete. On iOS, there is not currently an option to delete everything at once.
To enable location tracking only while you’re using the app (not in the background), go to your iOS device’s Settings > Privacy > Location Services > Google Maps and select While Using the App. This can be helpful if you want the phone to remember where you’ve been for future searches but not be constantly tracking you.
Web
You can also clear your history from a desktop. Go to Google Maps and sign in to your account. Select Menu and then Your Timeline. You’ll see every place you’ve been while Google Maps has been with you.
You can delete just one day by selecting the day on the top left and clicking the garbage can icon.
To delete your entire location history, go to the Timeline, click the gear icon on the right side of the screen and select “Delete all Location History.” Like on mobile, a pop-up will ask you if you really want to do that. If so, check the box next to “I understand and want to delete all Location History” and then “Delete Location History.”
Read more: Security and Privacy Fears Can Affect Internet Use
This story originally appeared on PCMag.com.
