In fact, turning off your Location History only stops Google from creating a timeline of your location that you can view. Some apps will still track you and store time-stamped location data from your devices. The search giant still tracks you every time you open Google maps, get certain automatic weather updates, or search for the thing in your browser. There is a way to stop it but it takes some deep digging.
Google says that if any user wishes to turn off their location tracking, he or she needs to navigate to a setting hidden deep in your Google account called web and wap activity, which is always set by default to share not only your location but also IP address and other relevant details.
Following are generic instructions to stop Google from tracking you:
Sign in to your Google account on a browser on iOS or your desktop
For any device:
Sign in to your Google account on a browser and go to myactivity.google.com. On the upper left drop-down menu, go to Activity Controls. Turn off both Web & App Activity and Location History. That should prevent precise location markers from being stored to your Google account.
On Android:
Under the main settings icon click on Security & location, scroll down to Privacy heading and tap Location. You can toggle it off for the entire device.
Use App-level permissions to turn off access to various apps. Unlike the iPhone, there is no setting for While Using. You cannot turn off Google Play services, which supplies your location to other apps if you leave that service on.
Sign in as a guest on your Android device by swiping down from the top and tapping the downward-facing caret, then again on the torso icon. Be aware of which services you sign in on, like Chrome.
You can also change search engines even in Chrome.
On iOS:
If you use Google Maps, adjust your location setting to While Using the App; this will prevent the app from accessing your location when it's not active. Go to Settings > Privacy > Location Services and from there select Google Maps to make the adjustment.
In the Safari web browser, consider using a search engine other than Google. Under Settings Safari Search Engine, you can find other options like Bing or DuckDuckGo. You can turn location off while browsing by going to Settings > Privacy > Location Services > Safari Websites, and turn this to Never. (This still won't prevent advertisers from knowing your rough location based on IP address on any website).
You can also turn Location Services off to the device almost completely from Settings > Privacy > Location Services. Both Google Maps and Apple Maps will still work, but they don't know where you are on the map and won't be able to give you directions. Emergency responders will still be able to find you if the need arises.
How to delete past location tracking Google has on you
On the page, myactivity.google.com, look for any entry that has a location pin icon beside Details. Clicking on that pops up a window that includes a link that sometimes says From your current location. Clicking on it will open Google Maps, which will display where you were at the time.
You can delete it from this popup by clicking on the navigation icon with the three stacked dots and then Delete.
Some items will be grouped in unexpected places, such as topic names, google.com, Search, or Maps. You have to delete them item by item. You can wholesale delete all items in date ranges or by service but will end up taking out more than just location markers.
Google itself offers at least three support pages on location: Manage or delete your Location History, Turn location on or off for your Android device, and Manage location settings for Android apps. None of these makes any mention of Web & App Activity. Google claims that they continue to use location to improve the Google experience when the user performs a Google search or use Google for driving directions.
Google's location-tracking violate the Federal Trade Commission's consumer protection statutes against deceptive privacy practices. Moreover, tracking people without their consent and without proper controls in place is an unfairly deceptive business practice.
Use App-level permissions to turn off access to various apps. Unlike the iPhone, there is no setting for While Using. You cannot turn off Google Play services, which supplies your location to other apps if you leave that service on.
Sign in as a guest on your Android device by swiping down from the top and tapping the downward-facing caret, then again on the torso icon. Be aware of which services you sign in on, like Chrome.
You can also change search engines even in Chrome.
On iOS:
If you use Google Maps, adjust your location setting to While Using the App; this will prevent the app from accessing your location when it's not active. Go to Settings > Privacy > Location Services and from there select Google Maps to make the adjustment.
In the Safari web browser, consider using a search engine other than Google. Under Settings Safari Search Engine, you can find other options like Bing or DuckDuckGo. You can turn location off while browsing by going to Settings > Privacy > Location Services > Safari Websites, and turn this to Never. (This still won't prevent advertisers from knowing your rough location based on IP address on any website).
You can also turn Location Services off to the device almost completely from Settings > Privacy > Location Services. Both Google Maps and Apple Maps will still work, but they don't know where you are on the map and won't be able to give you directions. Emergency responders will still be able to find you if the need arises.
How to delete past location tracking Google has on you
On the page, myactivity.google.com, look for any entry that has a location pin icon beside Details. Clicking on that pops up a window that includes a link that sometimes says From your current location. Clicking on it will open Google Maps, which will display where you were at the time.
You can delete it from this popup by clicking on the navigation icon with the three stacked dots and then Delete.
Some items will be grouped in unexpected places, such as topic names, google.com, Search, or Maps. You have to delete them item by item. You can wholesale delete all items in date ranges or by service but will end up taking out more than just location markers.
Google itself offers at least three support pages on location: Manage or delete your Location History, Turn location on or off for your Android device, and Manage location settings for Android apps. None of these makes any mention of Web & App Activity. Google claims that they continue to use location to improve the Google experience when the user performs a Google search or use Google for driving directions.
Google's location-tracking violate the Federal Trade Commission's consumer protection statutes against deceptive privacy practices. Moreover, tracking people without their consent and without proper controls in place is an unfairly deceptive business practice.
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