How to See Location History on iPhone: All You Need to Know
These days, our beloved devices quietly track every detail we intentionally or unwittingly share with them. This may involve browsing history, app usage, appearances, motion activity, phone numbers, and locations as well. However, users might want to know how to access this information or even delete it for good.
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These days, our beloved devices quietly track every detail we intentionally or unwittingly share with them. This may involve browsing history, app usage, appearances, motion activity, phone numbers, and locations as well. However, users might want to know how to access this information or even delete it for good.
So, how to check location history on an iPhone? How to disable location tracking, and which phone trackers may follow your steps? Learn more about your personal device, for we have got everything you need to know in our short yet comprehensive guide.
How iPhones Track Location Data
As a part of a broader iOS ecosystem, iPhones have different built-in features that continuously track and store location data to optimize your user experience and improve services. This is where the iPhone may check your position on the map:
Significant Locations (System Settings)
Apple Maps
Find My (iPhone)
Photos and Place Tags
Health and Fitness Tracking
Third-party apps (Social Media, Maps, etc.)
As such, these apps utilize a combination of technologies, namely GPS, Wi-Fi and Cellular networks, and Bluetooth to determine where the device is positioned at the moment. This information is processed securely, with most data stored locally on the device or encrypted for privacy.
How to Check iPhone Location History
There are a few possible ways to check an iPhone location history by date without the need for jailbreaking or intruding into the system. Today, we are to discover the most common and obvious ways to access this information.
Via Settings
The first and foremost feature that connects all other apps and provides them with your sensitive data is Significant Locations which stores a history of places you have visited before. Mind that these are located on your particular device and no other person may access it from the outside.
How to check Significant Locations:
Open Settings on your iPhone.
Find “Privacy & Security” by the end of the list.
Select “Location Services”.
Scroll down and tap “System Services”.
Scroll down and choose “Significant Locations” (authentication via Face ID or Touch ID is also required).
Review the list of recent records categorized by city or area*.
*By the way, you are also free to disable or clear Significant Locations on the same screen. Nevertheless, rest assured that it is protected by end-to-end encryption, which means that even Apple cannot access it without your consent.
Via Apple Maps
Apple Maps is a default application utilized by the system to help you navigate the areas you live in and get through. And although it does not really provide a complete position history like Significant Locations does, the app may display search history, directions, and places visited (should you employ Apple Maps for navigation).
So, how to view location history on an iPhone?
Go to Apple Maps.
Swipe up to reveal the list of recent searches and visited places.
Select any place from the list to view additional information.
When Apple Maps is not used as a tool for navigation, it cannot detect and display details regarding your movements in the past. Besides, managing location history on Apple Maps will never affect the data obtained by the system itself (Significant Locations will stay the same).
Via Google Maps
One of the most popular apps used for web mapping is definitely Google Maps and its functionality usually seems more universal than that offered by Apple itself (though we can call these apps dupes to some extent). Google Maps provides accessible location history that can be reviewed anytime via its Timeline feature.
To check location history, you should:
Open Google Maps.
Tap your profile icon in the top right corner.
Select “Your timeline” and wait for the system to process your request.
If you have never used it, the app will ask you if you would like to back up your Timeline. To turn it off, tap the “More” icon -> go to “Settings & Privacy” -> toggle “Location History” off.
Choose a specific date to see the places visited.
View timestamps, routes, and means of transportation used that day.
It is one of the most worked-through features, for it allows one to explore detailed info about your routes and store it in cloud storage for further use on different devices with your account.
Via Number Tracker
What could be better than the location-sharing app proper? Since Number Tracker is a fine tool for location sharing in the market, it offers a specialized approach to tracking and sharing geographical data, often more effectively than inherent Phone features.
Number Tracker relies on a combination of tracking technologies, i.e., GPS, Wi-FI, and Cellular networks. One may detect the whereabouts of those whom they invited to join the group (i.e., a Circle) or simply by phone number. As for location history, it can be viewed by anyone in the Circle.
Go to the Number Tracker app.
Choose the Circle at the top bar.
Scroll down to select the profile to be viewed (this can be either you or your family members/friends).
Tap “Movement Report”.
Choose “Location” and the date/timeframe to analyze movements and behavior on the road.
Keep in mind that Number Tracker is always about permissions and consent. The app cannot function unless the user explicitly agrees to its terms and grants the necessary access.
There exist a few of the most popular GPS trackers for a phone, the lists of which unanimously include Number Tracker. So why wait?
How to Delete or Disable Location History on iPhone
If you already know how to find location history on an iPhone, it is time that we learn more about deleting and disabling this data from your phone for good. Apps may exhibit location sharing or permission issues that require manual disabling or the adjustment of privacy settings.
Anyway, there are really quick guidelines for one to follow when striving to take control over the data they share.
Significant Locations Settings -> Privacy & Security -> Location Services -> System Services -> Significant Locations -> Clear History or toggle it off | Apple Maps
| Google Maps
To turn location data off: Google Maps -> Settings & Privacy -> Location History -> toggle it off | Number Tracker
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Tracking location history on an iPhone is possible through several channels. Each method offers different levels of convenience and versatility, yet they all require the right permissions and settings to function properly. If privacy is a concern, you are always free to delete location history and disable tracking features to take control over where you are from the digital perspective.
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Real-time GPS tracker