How to turn off location services on Android

The short answer

Open Settings, tap “Location,” and toggle it off to disable location services for all apps at once.

How to turn off location entirely

Open the Settings app on your Android phone
Tap Location (on some phones, it may be under Security & Location or Privacy)
Toggle the switch at the top to off

That’s it. This immediately stops all apps from accessing your GPS, Wi-Fi-based location, and mobile network location.

You can also do this even faster by swiping down from the top of your screen to open Quick Settings and tapping the Location icon to toggle it off.

How to turn off location for specific apps

If you want location on for maps but off for other apps:

Go to Settings then Location
Tap App location permissions (or App access to location)
Select the app you want to restrict
Choose from Allow all the time, Allow only while using the app, Ask every time, or Don’t allow

Setting an app to Don’t allow blocks it from accessing your location without turning off the feature system-wide.

How to turn off Google Location History

Even with location services on, you can stop Google from saving your location history:

Open Settings then Location
Tap Location services then Google Location History
Toggle it off or tap Delete Location History to remove past data

This stops Google from recording where you’ve been, but it may affect features like timeline in Google Maps.

When should you turn it off?

Privacy — prevents apps from tracking your movements in the background
Battery life — GPS is one of the biggest battery drains on your phone
Data usage — some apps constantly send location data, using mobile data

Keep in mind that turning off location means maps, weather, and ride-sharing apps won’t work properly until you turn it back on. Many people toggle it on only when they need it.

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