To shut off Instagram location, you need to turn it off in two places: inside Instagram (Maps / location sharing) and in your phone’s system settings.

1. Turn off Instagram’s own location sharing (Maps / Friends Map)

This controls Instagram’s new map-style live location sharing.

On the Instagram app (iPhone or Android)

  1. Open Instagram and go to your profile (bottom right).
  2. Tap the menu icon (three lines) in the top right.
  1. Tap Story, Live & Location (or similar wording like “Story, Live and Location”).
  1. Tap Location Sharing.
  1. Choose No one as your location sharing option.
  1. Tap Done or go back to save.

From now on, your live location will not be shared on Instagram’s map.

If you’re seeing a “Map” option in your messages:
Open Messages → Map (at the top) → Settings icon (cog) → Location Sharing → select No one.

2. Stop Instagram from using your phone’s GPS

Even if you switch off map sharing, the app can still access your device location unless you block it in the system settings.

On iPhone / iPad (iOS)

  1. Open the Settings app.
  1. Tap Privacy & Security.
  1. Tap Location Services.
  1. Scroll down and select Instagram.
  1. Under Allow Location Access , select Never.

This stops Instagram from using your GPS at all on that device.

On Android (general steps)

  1. Open Settings on your phone.
  2. Tap Location or Privacy → Location.
  1. Tap App permissions or App location permissions.
  2. Find and select Instagram.
  3. Choose Deny or Don’t allow for location access.

Now Instagram cannot access your device location through Android’s location services.

3. Extra privacy tips (Map, posts, stories)

Even with location access off, some actions can still reveal where you are.

  • Avoid tagging locations in:
    • Feed posts
    • Stories
    • Notes or other content that appears on the map
  • Remember:
    • If you tag a place, that post can still show on the map at that tagged location, even if live location is off.
* Live location updates stop when you set sharing to **No one** and/or block device location access.

4. Mini FAQ

Does Instagram share my live location by default?
The newer map/live location feature is off by default, but if you ever turned it on, you need to manually set it back to No one.

Is turning it off in the app enough?
For maximum privacy, do both: set Location Sharing → No one in Instagram and block Instagram’s location in your phone’s settings.

TL;DR:

  • In Instagram: Profile → Menu → Story, Live & Location → Location Sharing → No one.
  • On your phone: in Settings → Location/Privacy → Location Services/App permissions → Instagram → Never / Don’t allow.

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