To turn off location on an Android phone, you usually just go into Settings → Location → toggle off “Use location” , or turn off the Location tile from the quick settings shade.

Quick Scoop

  • Open Settings on your Android.
  • Tap Location.
  • Turn off the main switch (often labeled Use location).
  • Or swipe down from the top of the screen and tap the Location icon in Quick Settings to disable it.

This stops apps and system services from using your device’s GPS, Wi‑Fi, and mobile networks to determine where you are, though some services can still infer general location from your network/IP.

Turn Off Location Completely

Most recent Android phones follow this pattern (names can vary slightly by brand or Android version).

  1. Open Settings.
  1. Tap Location.
  1. Toggle Use location to Off.
  1. If you see a warning about apps not working correctly (like maps or “Find my device”), confirm to proceed.

Alternative from quick settings:

  • Swipe down from the top of the screen to open the notification shade, then swipe again to see all quick tiles.
  • Look for the Location (map pin) icon.
  • If it’s highlighted, tap it once to turn it off.

Turn Off Location For Specific Apps

If you want some apps to use location (like maps) but not others (like social or shopping apps), adjust app permissions instead of turning everything off.

  • Go to Settings → Location → App permissions (or App location permissions / Permissions manager depending on your device).
  • Tap an app from the list.
  • Choose one of:
    • Allow all the time (not recommended for most apps).
* **Allow only while using the app**.

* **Ask every time**.

* **Don’t allow** to fully block location access for that app.

Doing this lets you keep navigation and ride‑hailing apps working while locking down location for more privacy‑sensitive or unnecessary apps.

Extra Privacy: Scanning & History

Even with the main location switch off, some phones let Wi‑Fi and Bluetooth scanning still improve location accuracy unless you turn those off too.

  • Open Settings → Location → Location services (or similar).
  • Look for Wi‑Fi scanning and Bluetooth scanning.
  • Toggle both Off if you don’t want the phone to scan nearby networks/devices for more precise location.

For deeper privacy, you can also review and clear your Google Location History and Web & App Activity from your Google account settings, though that is managed in your Google account rather than just the device’s basic location toggle.

Quick TL;DR

  • Global kill switch: Settings → Location → Use location → Off.
  • Fast way: Turn off Location from the quick settings shade.
  • Per‑app control: Settings → Location → App permissions → Don’t allow for apps you don’t trust.
  • Extra privacy: Turn off Wi‑Fi/Bluetooth scanning under Location services and review your Google account’s location settings if needed.

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