The iPhone Setting That Quietly Exposes Your Location History

Apple quietly tracks where you go. Here’s how to shut it down.

Most people think turning off location sharing means your phone stops tracking you.

It doesn’t.

Even if you’ve disabled location access for apps like Google Maps or Instagram, your iPhone still keeps its own internal log.

It’s called Significant Locations, and it quietly records the places you visit most often, how long you stay, and when you were there.

You won’t see it pop up with a notification. It’s buried in your settings. And it’s turned on by default.

If someone gains access to your phone, like a spouse, employer, hacker, or law enforcement, they can get a surprisingly detailed look at your daily patterns.

Here’s what this post will cover:

• What Significant Locations actually does

• Why it’s a risk to your privacy

• How to check what’s been logged

• How to delete it

• How to turn it off for good

• Why some people might choose to leave it on

• A key legal caveat about using biometrics

What is Significant Locations?

Apple says the feature helps apps deliver “useful location-related information.” But in practice, it builds a private location history. Effectively, a map of your life. Here is Apple’s description in its own words:

source

Here’s how to find the setting:

Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services → System Services → Significant Locations

It shows:

• Your most visited locations

• Time stamps for your visits

• Routes taken between places

• How often you go there

On the positive side, you’ll need to authenticate with Face ID or your passcode to view it. The flipside: anyone who can bypass that restriction can view it too. More on this later.

Here’s a look at the stages you’ll need to to through on your iPhone to get to the Significant Locations settings page (screenshots are in order):

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Why This Matters For Your Privacy

This is one of those default-on features most iPhone users never notice. Think about what it reveals:

• Where you live and work

• When you leave home and return

• Which gym you go to

• Your child’s school or daycare

• Favorite stores, restaurants, or a partner’s home

Even if you trust Apple not to misuse this data, there are real risks:

• A nosy spouse or boss could access it

• A phone thief could use it to profile you

• Law enforcement could pull it in an investigation

• A stalker could build a pattern of your movements

It’s okay to be concerned about this feature like we are, and you’re not being paranoid or rejecting technology. Rather, it’s about understanding the tradeoffs and who gets access to your data, how it can be used, and what risks come with convenience. When you see the full picture, you’re in a better position to make smart, deliberate choices about the tech you use and trust.

In the end, you may decide this feature is worth it. We won’t deny it offers some potential benefits, including:

• It can improve driving estimates in Apple Maps

• It helps suggest locations in Calendar or Photos

• It powers location-based automations in apps like Shortcuts or Reminders

For some users, these benefits are worth the privacy risk. They’d rather keep the feature on for better personalization and just manage who can access their device.

That’s the classic privacy tradeoff: functionality versus exposure.

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How to See What’s Been Logged

Here’s how to check what your iPhone has recorded:

1. Open Settings

2. Tap Privacy & Security

3. Tap Location Services

4. Scroll down and tap System Services

5. Tap Significant Locations

6. Authenticate with Face ID or passcode

7. Review your History (i.e. “Summary” and “Recent Records”)

You’ll likely see multiple entries under major cities, with specific addresses and time stamps for each visit. In our example, we have no records. Your stats may look different.

To clear your history, scroll down and tap Clear History.

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How to Turn It Off Permanently

To stop your iPhone from collecting this data going forward:

Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services → System Services → Significant Locations

Then toggle Significant Locations off.

That’s it. No impact on your core apps or iPhone functionality. Just one less place where sensitive data is quietly piling up.

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A Legal Privacy Wrinkle: Biometrics and Search

In some parts of the U.S., if you're using Face ID or Touch ID instead of a passcode, police are legally allowed to compel you to unlock your phone without a warrant.

That means access to everything on it, including your Significant Locations history.

This is one of the reasons we've previously advised against using biometrics on your phone. Sure, biometric authentication is convenient and feels safe and secure. But the reality is much different.

If you want to go deeper on this topic, check out this prior post of ours:

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Geolocation Data Is Only One Risk Factor

Unfortunately, Bad Actors don’t need access to your phone to piece together where you live, who you spend time with, or what your routine looks like. They can use everything from your social media likes to your old email addresses to build a profile, and create chaos in your life.

Want to know what’s already out there about you? Check out our OSINT-inspired guide How Exposed Are You Online? You’ll get a self-audit checklist of the most common ways people can track, profile and target you. This will let you get ahead of the threats by pro-actively removing harmful data and instantly becoming a harder target for scammers, doxxers and data harvesters.

Friendly Ask

If this iPhone feature surprised you, there’s a good chance you’re friends and family with iPhones would feel the same way. Please forward this post and help them take back some control.

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Looking for help with a privacy issue or privacy concern? Chances are we’ve covered it already or will soon. Follow us on X and LinkedIn for updates on this topic and other internet privacy related topics.

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Disclaimer: None of the above is to be deemed legal advice of any kind. These are *opinions* written by a privacy attorney with years of working for, with and against Big Tech and Big Data. And this post is for informational purposes only and is not intended for use in furtherance of any unlawful activity.

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