How to Control Which Apps Can Track Location on Android

Apps on your Android phone require location access to perform a variety of functions, but that doesn't mean you have to sacrifice your privacy. Android offers a number of options for controlling which apps can track your whereabouts. We'll discuss them below!

How to see which apps have location access

Granting permissions to Android apps is simple, and sometimes you can do it quickly when you first use the app. Thankfully, Android shows which apps can access your location data in a central menu in the Settings app. Here's how to access it:

1. Open the Settings app on your phone.
2. Scroll down to tap Location .
3. Select App location permissions to see a list of apps sorted by their location access. Under "Not allowed," you'll see a list of apps that don't have location access.

How to change location permissions for Android apps

You can easily adjust location settings for your apps from the same App location permissions menu . Just select the app you want to change location permissions for and choose one of the following options: Allow all the time , Allow only while using the app , Ask every time  , or Don't allow .

Note that the options available in the location permissions menu may vary for each app. When granting location permissions to an app, you can also turn on the Use precise location toggle if needed. This setting helps apps like Uber and Google Maps detect your location as accurately as possible.

How to check which apps have recently requested location information

In addition to seeing which apps have location access, Android also keeps a log of when apps access your location, along with other important permissions on your smartphone. You'll need to use Android's Privacy Dashboard to see this. Follow these steps:

1. Open the Settings app and go to Security & privacy .
2. Click Privacy and select Privacy Dashboard from the drop-down menu.
3. On the next page, select Location to go to the Location usage page .

On the next page, you’ll see a 24-hour timeline showing which apps have recently accessed your location data, along with the exact time they accessed it. By default, Android doesn’t show location usage by apps and system services. To add them to the timeline, tap the three-dot menu in the upper-right corner and select Show system .

You can also quickly see which apps have accessed your location data recently by going to Settings > Location .

If you can't find the Privacy Dashboard feature on your Android device, you can use a dedicated app to manage Android app permissions, which provides a similar experience.

Managing location permissions on Android isn't complicated. Following the steps above will help you limit third-party apps' access to your location and take back control of your privacy.