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To reduce how much location data your phone shares, restrict app and browser permissions, switch off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth when you do not need them, limit stored location history, and use Airplane Mode when the phone is idle while checking that its radios are off. These steps reduce exposure; they do not make a powered-on, network-connected phone unlocatable. For a situation where location disclosure could put someone at serious risk, the NSA’s guidance says to leave wireless-capable devices behind.
What the NSA recommends—and how current the detailed guidance is
The detailed recommendations below come from the NSA information sheet Limiting Location Data Exposure, dated August 2020. The NSA’s guidance index labels the item “Updated: April 2026,” but the accessible document is the older sheet; the precise text of any April 2026 revision could not be confirmed. The NSA developed the sheet primarily for National Security System and Department of Defense users, while noting it may also be useful to a wider audience. Its suggestions should be weighed against your needs and risk tolerance.
The core distinction is between reducing app access and preventing the phone from being located through its wireless connections. Turning off Location Services can limit access by apps, but it does not stop a cellular provider from receiving real-time location information when the phone connects to its network.
How a phone’s location can be exposed
Location is not just GPS. Phones may determine or share location using cellular networks, nearby Wi-Fi access points, Bluetooth signals, and GPS. Apps and websites may also infer location from other information available to them. The NSA warns that location records can reveal routines and help predict where someone may go next. Apps and social platforms can collect or expose location through permissions, transmitted data, posts, and photos.
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Apple’s iPhone Location Services documentation explains that an iPhone can use GPS, Bluetooth, nearby Wi-Fi, and cellular network information. HHS also advises consumers to review app permissions and stored activity or location history, noting that removing access can disable some location-dependent features.
Reduce access by apps and websites
Review location permissions app by app
On iPhone, open Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services to review which apps can access location. Deny access when an app does not need it, or choose an option that permits access only while you are using the app. For an app that needs a general area but not an exact position, turn off Precise Location where that control is available. Apple notes that disabling Location Services can prevent some features from working.
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Apply the same principle on other phones: use the operating system’s privacy or app-permission settings to review location access for each app. Avoid granting it simply because an app asks. The NSA specifically calls out location access for apps such as maps, compass, traffic, fitness, restaurant, and shopping services; whether access is necessary depends on how you use each one.
Limit browser location access
The NSA recommends minimizing web browsing on the device when location exposure is a concern and setting browser location permissions to deny access. A browser permission controls whether a site can request location through the browser; it does not prevent the cellular network from locating a connected phone.
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Reduce advertising tracking
The NSA’s August 2020 sheet recommends limiting ad tracking and regularly resetting the advertising ID, specifying at least weekly. Advertising controls and menus change over time, so check the current instructions for your phone and operating-system version rather than relying on an old menu path. These controls address advertising-related tracking, not carrier location data.
Switch off radios when they are not needed
Turn off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth when you are not actively using them. When the phone is not in use, the NSA suggests Airplane Mode, with an important check: verify that Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are also off. Airplane Mode and radio controls can behave differently across devices and settings, so confirm the actual radio state rather than assuming the mode alone has disabled every connection.
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These steps reduce signals available to nearby networks, access points, or sensors. They do not make every powered-on device safe from location exposure, especially if it remains connected to a cellular network.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Review location history and device-finding features
Minimize retained location data
Review location history stored on the phone and in cloud accounts, and delete records you do not want retained where the relevant service allows it. HHS advises consumers to check activity and location history in individual apps. Removing a record from one app or account does not necessarily remove copies held elsewhere, so review the services you use.
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Consider the cost of disabling device finding
The NSA includes turning off device-finding features such as Find My or Find My Device among possible mitigations. Consider this only if it fits your risk assessment: HHS notes that device-finding functions rely on location and may be lost when related access is disabled. You may also lose the ability to locate a misplaced phone.
When settings are not enough
If location concealment is critical, the NSA recommends keeping wireless-capable devices away from the sensitive activity at a place that does not reveal or predict its location. It warns that powering off a compromised device may not be sufficient. This is a more consequential precaution than changing an app permission, and the guidance does not promise anonymity or apply identically to every person’s circumstances.
The NSA sheet also mentions an anonymizing VPN as a way to help obscure location. A VPN should not be treated as a fix for carrier location exposure: the same sheet explains that a cellular provider receives location information when a phone connects to its network. The cited guidance does not validate or recommend a particular VPN.
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