How to Turn Off Location Services on Your Child’s Phone and Stop Photos/ Video From Storing GPS Data
- The White Hatter
- 1 hour ago
- 5 min read
Most parents and caregivers are learning about why they need to be cautious about the pictures they post of their children, but fewer realize how much hidden information a photo can carry. Modern phones automatically attach Global Positioning Satellite coordinates (GPS) to every picture unless you turn that feature off. These “geotags” can reveal the exact home address, school, favourite park, or a child’s daily routine. The image might look harmless, but the metadata behind it can give away far more than expected.
The good news is that you can prevent this. Below is a clear, step-by-step guide for both iPhone and Android devices that shows how to block location access, remove existing geotags, and disable the camera’s built-in tagging features.
Turning Off Location for the Camera App
iPhone
Shutting off the Camera app’s access to location services prevents new photos from storing GPS data.
Open Settings
Tap Privacy & Security
Tap Location Services
Scroll to Camera
Set to Never
Android
Menus vary a bit by manufacturer, but the process is usually similar.
Open Settings
Tap Location
Tap App location permissions
Find Camera
Set to Deny
This stops the camera from tagging any future photos with a latitude and longitude.
Removing Location Data From Photos You Already Took
If you’ve already taken pictures with location enabled, you can still strip the GPS data from them.
iPhone
Open Photos
Select a picture
Swipe up to show the map
Tap Adjust
Select No Location
Android
Open Gallery
Choose a photo
Tap the three dots
Select Details
Tap Remove location
This clears the geotag from that specific file.
Turning Off Location for Social Media Apps
Even if the camera no longer stores location data, apps like Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and Snapchat may still try to access GPS when posting.
iPhone
Go to:
Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services
Select each social media app and set it to Never.
Android
Go to:
Settings → Location → App permissions
Select your social apps and set them to Deny.
This prevents those platforms from reading live location while uploading or messaging.
The Hidden Setting Parents Often Miss: The Camera’s Own Tagging Feature
Even with app permissions turned off, many phones will still embed limited EXIF information until you switch off the camera’s internal location toggle.
iPhone
Open:
Settings → Camera → Preserve Settings
Turn off options that might save geotag preferences so the camera doesn’t remember or restore them.
Android
Open your Camera app:
Tap Settings → switch off Save location or Geolocation tag.
Stopping tagging at the camera level adds another layer of protection.
A photo isn’t just a picture. If the location tag isn’t removed, anyone with the right tools can see where it was taken. This includes:
social media platforms that ingest full metadata even when the user can’t see it
data brokers who package and sell geospatial patterns
AI training scrapers collecting images from across the web
people using OSINT (open-source intelligence) tools
predators who use geolocation to identify neighbourhoods, schools, parks, and routines
Parents and caregivers should also be aware that there are specific application that also use and share GPS locations like “SnapMaps” and “Instagram Maps”. Here’s how to turn these off:
How to Turn Off Snap Map
Snapchat’s Snap Map lets friends see where a user is in real time. For many teens, it feels fun or social. For parents and caregivers, it can raise legitimate safety and privacy concerns. The good news is that turning it off only takes a few steps, and you can do it without deleting the app.
Below are the simplest and most effective ways to shut it down on both iPhone and Android.
Option 1: Turn On Ghost Mode (Stops Location Sharing Completely)
Open Snapchat
Pinch the screen like you’re zooming out until Snap Map appears
Tap the gear icon in the top-right
Toggle Ghost Mode
Choose how long Ghost Mode should stay on (3 hours, 24 hours, or Until turned off)
Ghost Mode prevents anyone from seeing your child’s location, even close friends.
Option 2: Block Snapchat’s Access to GPS at the Device Level
This is the strongest privacy protection because it stops the app from accessing location altogether.
iPhone
Open Settings
Tap Privacy & Security
Tap Location Services
Scroll to Snapchat
Set to Never
Android
(Names may vary slightly by device.)
Open Settings
Tap Location
Tap App permissions or App location access
Select Snapchat
Set to Deny
With GPS access denied, Snap Map won’t update and geotags inside the app will no longer work.
Option 3: Turn Off Precise Location
If your teen uses features that require location but you still want better privacy, you can disable the precision level.
iPhone
Go to Settings → Location Services → Snapchat and toggle off Precise Location.
Android
Inside Settings → Location → App permissions → Snapchat, look for a Precise vs Approximate option and choose Approximate (if supported).
This reduces accuracy and prevents the app from pinpointing exact whereabouts.
Instagram’s Map Feature
Instagram’s mapping tool works only when the app can read your phone’s GPS. If you turn off location access, the map won’t show nearby posts, won’t auto-suggest locations, and won’t let your child tag where they are.
Block Instagram From Accessing Location
This is the strongest and most important step. It completely disables the GPS connection Instagram relies on.
iPhone
Open Settings
Tap Privacy & Security
Tap Location Services
Scroll to Instagram
Set to Never
Toggle off Precise Location if it appears (extra protection)
Android (Menu names vary slightly.)
Open Settings
Tap Location
Tap App location permissions
Select Instagram
Choose Deny
Once denied, Instagram can’t read your location at all. The mapping feature becomes effectively disabled.
2. Turn Off Location Tagging Inside the Camera App
Even if Instagram can’t access GPS, photos might still contain embedded location data (EXIF tags). Removing this closes another backdoor that Instagram could read indirectly.
iPhone
Settings → Camera → Preserve Settings
Turn off any geotag or preserve options.
Android
Open your Camera → Settings → toggle off Save location or Geo location tag.
3. Remove Location From Existing Photos
If older pictures were taken with GPS on, clean them before posting.
iPhone
Open Photos
Select an image
Swipe up
Tap the location
Choose No Location
Android
Open Gallery
Select a photo
Tap the three dots
Choose Details
Tap Remove location
4. Skip Location Tags Inside Instagram
If GPS is blocked, Instagram can’t auto-detect a location.
Still, make sure your teen doesn’t add one manually.
When posting a photo or story, don’t tap “Add Location.”
If a tag was chosen accidentally, tap it and select Remove.
Turning off location tagging on both your phone and your apps removes one of the most revealing breadcrumbs in any image your family shares. It’s a simple step that gives you greater control over your child’s privacy in an online world where small details often become big data points.
NOTE: It’s a good idea to check your phone and your child’s phone from time to time to make sure GPS settings haven’t been turned back on. Updates to the device or the app can reset certain permissions to their default state, which is often set to allow location access. If that happens, you’ll need to go back in and switch them off again
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The White Hatter
Facts Not Fear, Facts Not Emotions, Enlighten Not Frighten, Know Tech Not No Tech
