We’ve gotten to the point where the question isn’t “which apps track your location,” but “which apps don’t ask to track your location?” It’s important to assume when downloading an app that it will ask for as many permissions as it can get — including your location, in many cases. You can prevent these apps from overstepping their mark and taking more information about you then they need by denying their permission requests unless you feel comfortable with them and adjusting your location settings.
But first, here are seven apps that may surprise you when it comes to their ability to track your location.
Shopping Apps
It’s in a shopping app’s best interests to track your location for one obvious reason: doing so means they can better target you with advertisements for shops that are located near you.
Weather Apps
Weather apps need to know your location so that they can tell you the forecast in your area. But do they need to track your location even when you aren’t calling up the temperature and humidity? No. Unless you are adjusting your phone’s location settings, and we’ll get to that in a minute, weather apps may use your location information for other reasons, including to target you with ads.
Social Media Apps
Without a doubt, social media apps like Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram would love to know where you are located at all times. These free apps consider you their product, and use your data to target ads to you.
Games
It’s easy for games to track your location, especially if you are playing multiplayer games like Words With Friends that may use your location to find other in your area.
Dating Apps
Dating apps need to know your location in order to pair you with potential love interests in your area. This shouldn’t mean that the app uses your location for other money-making purposes, such as selling it to third-party apps.
Ring Doorbell Apps
They may be great for security at home, but ring doorbell apps aren’t always good for your online privacy. You can choose whether to allow them to share your location.
DoorDash
DoorDash and other food delivery apps have access to your location for the obvious reason that they need it to deliver food to you. But you can make adjustments to settings that do not allow these apps constant access to your information.
How to Change Location Settings
Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services. Location Services should be turned on. Now you can scroll down until you see a list of apps that are using your location and adjust them so that they access your location “always,” “never,” or only when you are using that specific app.
