To make sure your Instagram location is really off, you need to stop the app from accessing your phone’s GPS and also turn off any in‑app location sharing features.

1. Turn off location in your phone settings

This is the most important step, because if the app can’t access your location at the system level, it can’t track you even if you tap something by accident.

On iPhone (iOS)

  1. Open Settings on your iPhone.
  1. Scroll down and tap Instagram.
  1. Tap Location.
  1. Set Allow Location Access to Never (or at least Ask Next Time or When I Share if you want more control).
  1. Turn off Precise Location so the app can’t see your exact position, even if you later allow access.

On Android

  1. Open your phone’s Settings.
  1. Go to Apps (or Apps & notifications) and select Instagram.
  1. Tap Permissions → Location.
  1. Choose Don’t allow (or Allow only while using the app / Ask every time if you still want occasional use).
  1. If available, disable Use precise location for extra privacy.

Once you do this, Instagram can’t read your location from the device, which is the strongest way to keep it off.

2. Turn off Instagram’s in‑app location sharing (Maps)

Instagram now has a Maps / location‑sharing feature that can show where you’ve been to people you follow. You should switch this to No one.

Steps are very similar across recent versions:

  1. Open Instagram and go to your profile (bottom right).
  1. Tap the menu (three lines) in the top right.
  1. Tap Settings and privacy.
  1. Look for Location , Location sharing , or Hide Story and Live → Location sharing (wording can vary slightly by update).
  1. Under Who can see your location , select No one.

This makes sure your live or recent location is not shared on Instagram Maps.

3. Double‑check posts, tags, and stories

Even with permissions off, you can sometimes manually add a location tag to posts or stories.

  • For new posts :
    • When you’re on the final screen before posting, don’t add a Location tag. If you see one, remove it.
  • For stories :
    • Don’t use the location sticker. If you added one, tap it and delete it before posting.
  • For old stories / highlights :
    • If you saved stories with location stickers into Highlights, edit and remove the sticker if you’re worried.

This prevents people from seeing where a specific photo or story was taken, even if you posted it in the past.

4. Quick checklist: “Is my Instagram location off?”

Use this as a fast sanity check each time there’s a big Instagram update.

  • Phone settings show:
    • Instagram → Location = Never / Don’t allow.
* **Precise location** for Instagram is off (if your system has this option).
  • In‑app:
    • Settings and privacy → Location / Location sharing → No one.
  • Posting habits:
    • You don’t add location tags or stickers to posts/stories.

If all three are true, you’re in the safest zone for keeping Instagram from broadcasting where you are.

5. Why this matters more in 2025–2026

In the last couple of years, Instagram has leaned heavily into location‑based features like Maps and more detailed location sharing with followers. Privacy surveys show that a majority of social media users are now worried about how platforms handle location and personal data. Turning off location at both the device and app level is one of the simplest ways to reduce stalking risks, profiling, and unwanted tracking.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.