Security Experts Agree: This Is The One Sharing Setting You Should Always Have Turned Off

Your iPhone’s shared settings can be incredibly convenient, but they can also pose huge security risks — which isn’t surprising given how you are submitting personal info to the world at large. Your best defense in this case is a strong offense that includes turning off certain shared settings to boost your tech security measures. Tech Specialist Vickers Carter, founder of MobileKoto, weighs in with the one shared setting you should always have turned off. 

Location sharing setting

Location Sharing Settings should always be turned off for security purposes, according to Carter, because this feature allows other users to view your location, which can compromise your security and privacy. “To ensure your safety, it is best to turn off the location sharing settings on your device,” Carter said. “This will restrict other users from accessing your location or tracking your movements. It will also prevent third-party apps from accessing your location and using it for their own purposes. Additionally, turning off the location sharing settings will prevent your device from broadcasting your location to nearby devices. By taking these steps, you can help protect yourself and your data from unwanted access.”

How can Location Sharing settings compromise security?

Location sharing settings can compromise security by allowing access to a user’s location to people or organizations who do not have permission to view that information, Carter cautions — and this could result in someone accessing a user’s home address, work address, or other sensitive information. 

“Additionally, location sharing settings can be used to track a user’s movements, which could be used by someone with malicious intent,” Carter said. “It is important to be aware of the security implications of using location sharing settings, and to only enable them when absolutely necessary.”

How do you turn Location Sharing setting off? 

Location Sharing settings can be turned off by accessing your device’s Settings app. “Depending on the device you are using, you may need to look in the Privacy or Location settings,” Carter said. “Once you are in the settings, you should be able to find an option to turn Location Sharing off. Make sure to confirm the change and you should be all set.”

What happens once you turn the Location Sharing setting off?

“Once you turn off the Location Sharing setting, any apps or services that you have shared your location with will no longer be able to access your location information,” Carter said. “This means that they will not be able to see your current location or track your movements. You may need to manually disable location sharing with each app or service in order to completely turn it off.”

Boost your security in just seconds by turning off the location sharing setting and keeping more of your private info perfectly private.