Turn Off Location Sharing on an iPhone Without Anyone Knowing

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Easily disable your iPhone location without anyone knowing
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Do you want to prevent your contacts from seeing your location on your iPhone? If you need to stop sharing your location without anyone knowing, there are plenty of ways to do so. You can disable features such as Share My Location or Find My iPhone. You can also enable them again without anyone receiving a notification. This wikiHow will show you how to disable the location on your iPhone without notifying others.

Hiding Your Location Without Them Knowing

To turn off your location without notifying others on an iPhone, you can block and unblock the user in your settings. You can also disable your location with everyone by going to Settings > Apple ID > Find My > toggle off Share My Location.

Method 1
Method 1 of 6:

Blocking the User

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  1. Step 1 Open the Settings app.
    Some users reported blocking and unblocking the contact can unshare your location without any notification.
  2. Step 2 Tap Phone.
    You may need to scroll down to find this option.
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  3. Step 3 Tap Blocked Contacts.
    This is towards the bottom of the page.
  4. Step 4 Tap Add New….
    You can find this at the very bottom of the page. If you have a lot of blocked contacts, you'll need to scroll past the entire list.
  5. Step 5 Select the contact.
    This will block the contact immediately.
    • Your location will no longer be shared with them.
  6. Step 6 Unblock the contact.
    Swipe left on their name in the Blocked Contacts list and tap Unblock.
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Method 2
Method 2 of 6:

Turning Off Share My Location with Everyone

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  1. Step 1 Open the Settings icon app on your iPhone.
    This is the grey cog icon.[1]
    • This method will turn off Share My Location with everyone in your contact list.
    • You'll need iOS 8 or newer, so be sure to update your iPhone.
  2. Step 2 Tap your Apple ID.
    You may need to sign in.
  3. Step 3 Tap Find My.
    This will be next to the green radar icon. A new screen will open.
    • If you're currently sharing your location with contacts, you'll see all contacts with access underneath Friends.
  4. Step 4 Toggle off icon "Share My Location".
    This will remove your location from apps such as Messages and Find My.[2]
    • Your contacts will not receive a notification that your location has been turned off.
    • If you don't see this option and you're under 18, your parent or guardian has likely disabled your ability to stop sharing your location.
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Method 3
Method 3 of 6:

Turning Off Share My Location with One Person

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  1. Step 1 Open the Find My app.
    This looks like a green radar with a grey background.[3]
    • This method will not show the person a notification upon disabling your location, but they will receive a notification when you enable Share My Location again.
  2. Step 2 Tap People in the bottom-left corner.
    This will be underneath the icon of two people.[4]
  3. Step 3 Tap a contact.
    You'll see a list of contacts with access to your location underneath People. Choose the contact you want to hide your location from.
    • A window with their details will open.
  4. Step 4 Tap Stop Sharing My Location.
    This will be in red text, underneath Edit Location Name.
  5. Step 5 Tap Stop Sharing Location.
    You must confirm the action.[5]
    • Your location will be hidden from the contact without notifying them.
    • If you want to share your location again, tap Share My Location on the same page. However, this will notify the contact.
    • If you are under 18, your parent or guardian may have disabled this feature for your account.
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Method 4
Method 4 of 6:

Stop Sharing on Find My

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  1. Step 1 Open the Find My app.
    This looks like a green radar with a grey background.
    • This method will disable location sharing with all contacts.
    • If you're under 18, your parent or guardian may not allow you to stop sharing your location.
  2. Step 2 Tap Me at the bottom-right corner.
    This will be below a person icon.[6]
  3. Step 3 Toggle off icon "Share My Location".
    This will remove your location from Find My.[7]
    • Your contacts will not receive a notification that your location has been turned off.
    • If you don't see the option to stop sharing your location, the Family Sharing account manager has turned off this feature.
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Method 5
Method 5 of 6:

Using Airplane Mode

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  1. Step 1 Open the Settings icon app.
    This is the grey cog icon.[8]
    • This method will temporarily block your location using Airplane Mode, but this will also block incoming calls, messages, and any use of cellular network.
  2. Step 2 Toggle on icon "Airplane Mode".
    This will be underneath your Apple ID, next to an airplane icon. You can also use the Control Center.[9]
    • For devices without a home button, swipe down on the top-right corner to access the Control Center. Tap the airplane icon to activate Airplane Mode.
    • For devices with a home button, swipe up from the bottom to access the Control Center, then tap the airplane icon.
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Method 6
Method 6 of 6:

Using Another iPhone or iPad

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  1. Step 1 Open the Settings icon app on your iPhone.
    This is the grey cog icon.[10]
    • This method involves using another device to cast your location. You must have a second iPhone or an iPad with iOS 8 or newer.
    • Both devices must be signed in to the same Apple ID.
    • If needed, you can update your iPad.
  2. Step 2 Tap your Apple ID, then Find My.
    This will display your iPhone's Find My settings.[11]
  3. Step 3 Toggle on icon "Share My Location".
    If this is already enabled, you can skip this step.
  4. Step 4 On your second iOS device, open the Settings icon app.
    This can be an old iPhone or iPad.
  5. Step 5 Tap your Apple ID, then Find My.
    This will display your secondary device's Find My settings.[12]
  6. Step 6 Tap Use This iPhone/iPad as My Location.
    The location associated with your Apple ID will be based on your secondary device's location.[13]
    • For example, if you leave the house with your iPhone but leave the secondary device at home, contacts will see your location at home.
    • If you need to switch it back to your iPhone, go to the Settings app on your iPhone. Tap your Apple ID → Find My → Use This iPhone as My Location.
    • Your contacts will not be notified of this change.
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References

  1. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT207092
  2. ↑ https://support.apple.com/guide/personal-safety/share-or-stop-sharing-your-location-ips05ede4573/web
  3. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT210514
  4. ↑ https://support.apple.com/guide/personal-safety/share-or-stop-sharing-your-location-ips05ede4573/web
  5. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT210514
  6. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT210514
  7. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT210514
  8. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204234#:~:text=Open%20Control%20Center%20on%20your,.
  9. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204234
  1. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201087
  2. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201087
  3. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201087
  4. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201087

About This Article

Luigi Oppido
Reviewed by:
Luigi Oppido
Computer & Tech Specialist
This article was reviewed by Luigi Oppido and by wikiHow staff writer, Rain Kengly. Luigi Oppido is the Owner and Operator of Pleasure Point Computers in Santa Cruz, California. Luigi has over 25 years of experience in general computer repair, data recovery, virus removal, and upgrades. He is also the host of the Computer Man Show! broadcasted on KSQD covering central California for over two years. This article has been viewed 404,990 times.
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Updated: August 22, 2024
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