What tracking means and where it happens

Your phone can be tracked in several ways, and most of them happen without you knowing. Location tracking occurs when apps, your phone's operating system, or your mobile carrier collect data about where you are. Device tracking happens when someone uses software or a service to monitor your phone's activity — which apps you use, who you call, what you type. A third type, network tracking, happens at the carrier level when your provider logs which cell towers your phone connects to.

The sources vary. Google and Apple collect location data through their operating systems and apps. Facebook, TikTok, and other social apps track your location and behavior. Your mobile carrier — Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, or another provider — always knows roughly where you are because your phone must connect to their towers. Family members with access to your account can track you. And in some cases, malware or spyware installed on your phone can do the same.

Not all tracking is malicious. Some is built into the phone's core functions. Some is how apps stay free — they sell location and behavior data to advertisers. Some is for legitimate reasons like emergency services needing to find you. But you have control over most of it.

Key Takeaways

  • Turn off location services in your phone's settings, then disable location permission for individual apps that do not need it.
  • On iPhone, go to Settings > Privacy > Location Services; on Android, go to Settings > Location and turn off location access.
  • Disable background app refresh, limit ad tracking, and turn off Bluetooth and Wi-Fi when you are not using them, since these can be used to pinpoint your location.
  • Your mobile carrier can still track you through cell tower connections, and this cannot be fully stopped without switching carriers or using a VPN.
  • If you suspect someone has installed spyware, look for unusual battery drain, unexpected data usage, or strange sounds during calls — and consider a factory reset as a last resort.

Turning off location services on your phone

The fastest way to stop most tracking is to disable location services entirely. On iPhone, open Settings, tap Privacy, then tap Location Services. Toggle the switch at the top to turn it off. This stops apps and services from accessing your location data. You can also scroll down to see which apps have requested location access and turn off permission for individual apps — for example, you might allow Maps to use your location but deny it to a social media app.

On Android, the process depends on your phone's version and manufacturer, but the basic path is Settings > Location. Toggle the main location switch off. You can also tap App Permissions or App-level Permissions to see which apps have location access and revoke it for specific ones. Some Android phones have a separate toggle for "Location Services" and another for "Google Location Accuracy" — turn both off if you want maximum privacy.

Turning off location services will break some features. Maps will not know where you are unless you manually enter an address. Weather apps will show a generic forecast. Find My iPhone and Find My Mobile will not work. But these trade-offs are the point — you are choosing privacy over convenience.

Disabling permissions for individual apps

Even with location services off, individual apps can still request permission to access your location, contacts, camera, microphone, and other sensitive data. You do not have to grant these permissions just because an app asks. On iPhone, go to Settings > Privacy, then tap each category — Location Services, Contacts, Calendar, Photos, Camera, Microphone — and review which apps have access. Remove permission from any app that does not need it.

On Android, go to Settings > Apps & Notifications, then tap Permissions. You will see categories like Location, Contacts, Camera, and Microphone. Tap each one to see which apps have access and toggle off the ones you do not trust. You can also open an individual app's settings and look for a Permissions section to control what that app can access.

Pay special attention to apps that do not obviously need location data — social media apps, messaging apps, and games often request location permission even though they do not need it to function. Denying permission will not break the app; it will just prevent that app from collecting your location.

Limiting background activity and ad tracking

Background app refresh lets apps collect data about you even when you are not using them. On iPhone, go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh and toggle it off, or turn it off for individual apps. On Android, go to Settings > Apps & Notifications, tap an app, then look for Battery or Background Restrictions and set it to Restricted or Don't Allow.

Both iPhone and Android allow advertisers to track you across apps and websites. On iPhone, go to Settings > Privacy > Tracking and toggle off "Allow Apps to Request to Track." On Android, go to Settings > Google > Manage Your Google Account > Data & Privacy, scroll to Ad Settings, and toggle off "Web & App Activity." This does not stop all ad tracking, but it makes it harder for advertisers to build a profile of your behavior.

Bluetooth and Wi-Fi can also be used to track your location, even when you are not actively using them. Turn off Bluetooth and Wi-Fi when you do not need them. If you leave them on, your phone broadcasts its presence to nearby devices and networks, which can be logged and used to estimate your location.

What you cannot fully control

Your mobile carrier — Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, or another provider — always knows approximately where you are because your phone must connect to their cell towers to make calls and use data. This is called cell tower tracking, and you cannot turn it off without switching carriers. The carrier does not need your permission to do this; it is built into how cellular networks work.

Some carriers offer location services that let you opt out of certain uses of this data, but the carrier itself still collects it. If you want to prevent carrier-level tracking, your only real option is a VPN (virtual private network), which encrypts your data and routes it through another server so your carrier cannot see which websites you visit. However, a VPN does not hide your location from the carrier — it only hides what you do online.

If you are on a family plan or your account is linked to another person's account, that person may have access to your location through the carrier's family tracking features or through Apple's Find My or Google's Find My Device. Check your account settings and remove any linked devices or accounts you do not recognize.

Detecting and removing spyware

If you suspect someone has installed spyware or monitoring software on your phone, look for these signs: unusual battery drain even when you are not using the phone heavily, unexpected increases in data usage, strange sounds or delays during phone calls, the phone getting hot for no reason, or the phone taking longer than usual to shut down. These are not definitive proof — a dying battery or a buggy app can cause the same symptoms — but they are worth investigating.

If you believe your phone is compromised, the most reliable fix is a factory reset. On iPhone, go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset > Erase All Content and Settings. On Android, go to Settings > System > Reset Options > Erase All Data (Factory Reset). This will delete everything on your phone and restore it to its original state, removing any spyware in the process. Back up your important data first, either to iCloud (iPhone) or Google Drive (Android).

After a factory reset, do not restore from a backup if you think the spyware came from a backup. Instead, set up your phone as new and reinstall only the apps you trust. If the suspicious activity returns after a factory reset, the tracking may be happening at the carrier level or through a compromised account, not through spyware on the phone itself.

Using a VPN for online privacy

A VPN encrypts your internet traffic and routes it through a server in another location, which hides your browsing activity from your carrier, your internet provider, and the websites you visit. It does not hide your location from your carrier or from your phone's operating system, but it does prevent those entities from seeing which websites you visit or what you do online.

VPNs are useful if you use public Wi-Fi networks, which are not encrypted and can be monitored by anyone on the same network. They are also useful if you want to prevent your internet provider from logging your browsing history. However, a VPN is not a complete privacy solution — the VPN provider itself can see your traffic, so you should choose a provider with a clear no-logging policy.

Popular VPN services include Proton VPN, Mullvad, and IVPN, though many others exist. Some are free, but free VPNs often have limitations like slower speeds or data caps. Paid VPNs typically cost between five and fifteen dollars per month. Install the VPN app on your phone, create an account, and toggle the VPN on whenever you want to encrypt your traffic.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can someone track my phone if I turn off location services?

Location services only control whether apps can access your GPS location. Your carrier can still track you through cell tower connections, and someone with physical access to your phone or account can still monitor your activity through other means. Turning off location services stops most app-based tracking but not carrier-level tracking.

Does turning off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth really help with tracking?

Yes. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth broadcast your phone's presence to nearby networks and devices, which can be logged and used to estimate your location. Turning them off prevents this. However, your carrier can still track you through cell towers, so this is one layer of privacy, not complete protection.

What is the difference between a VPN and turning off location services?

Location services control whether apps can access your GPS location. A VPN encrypts your internet traffic and hides what websites you visit from your carrier and internet provider. They protect different things — location services stop GPS tracking, and a VPN stops browsing tracking. You can use both at the same time.

If I factory reset my phone, will it remove spyware?

A factory reset will remove most spyware because it deletes everything on the phone and restores it to its original state. However, if someone has access to your account or your carrier is tracking you, the reset will not stop that. After a reset, do not restore from a backup if you think spyware came from the backup.

Can I stop my carrier from tracking my location?

No, not completely. Your carrier must know your location to route calls and data to your phone. You can opt out of certain carrier services that use this data, but the carrier itself still collects it. A VPN does not hide your location from your carrier — it only hides your browsing activity.