Privacy Tools for Protecting Your Location Data

27 June 2025

Let’s face it—we’re all carrying little trackers in our pockets every single day. Yes, I’m talking about your smartphone. It’s convenient, powerful, and connects you to the world. But it also silently collects staggering amounts of your data, including something very personal: your location.

Maybe you’ve googled something near a coffee shop and noticed that you start seeing recommendations for cafes in the area. Or perhaps your phone sends you a notification like, “17 minutes to home,” when you didn’t even ask for directions. Creepy, right?

Well, if you’ve ever wondered how to keep your location data to yourself—this article is for you. Let’s unpack the best privacy tools for protecting your location data, why it matters, and how to take back control one setting at a time.

Why Should You Care About Location Privacy?

Before we talk about tools, let’s get real about why this even matters.

Your location data isn’t just a set of coordinates on a map. It tells a story. Where you live, where you work, your daily routines, the places you like to eat, who you visit, and maybe even where your kids go to school. It’s intimate, personal, and shockingly revealing.

Advertisers want it. Governments can demand it. Hackers might exploit it. And the apps on your phone? Most of them collect it "for your convenience" — but often it’s just another way to make money off of you.

It’s no longer just about “nothing to hide.” It’s about everything you deserve to keep private.

The Different Ways Your Location Can Be Tracked

To protect your data, you first need to understand how it’s being collected. Here are the main culprits:

- GPS – The most obvious one. Your device connects to satellites to figure out your exact position.
- Wi-Fi and Bluetooth – Even when GPS is off, they can triangulate your position using nearby signals.
- Cell Tower Triangulation – Your phone connects to cell towers, which can be used to estimate your location.
- Apps with Location Permission – That weather or flashlight app probably doesn’t need your location, but it might ask for it anyway.
- Metadata in Photos and Files – Your pictures and videos often contain the coordinates of where they were taken.

Let’s dive into practical tools and tips to block or confuse these trackers.

Built-in Smartphone Settings: Your First Line of Defense

1. Turn Off Location Services (When You Don’t Need Them)

Yeah, it’s super convenient to have location services on, but ask yourself—do you really need it on all the time? Probably not.

Go into your phone settings and manually toggle off location services for apps that don’t absolutely need it.

- On iPhone: Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services
- On Android: Settings → Location → App location permissions

2. Use “Approximate Location” Instead of Precise

Newer versions of Android and iOS let you choose between precise or approximate location for apps. If you just want the weather for your city, the precise geolocation isn’t necessary.

Choose approximate location as a safer compromise.

3. Disable Location History and Timeline Features

Both Google and Apple have features that track your every move. For example, Google’s "Location History" feature is literally a map of everywhere you’ve been.

- Turn off Google Location History here: myactivity.google.com
- Apple users can go to Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services → System Services → Significant Locations and turn that off.

VPNs: Hide Your IP and Confuse Trackers

VPNs (Virtual Private Networks) are like cloaks of invisibility... for your internet connection, at least. They help disguise your IP address and make it look like you’re in a completely different location.

Best VPNs That Take Privacy Seriously

- Mullvad – Known for strong privacy policies and anonymous account setups.
- ProtonVPN – Backed by the same team behind ProtonMail, with a heavy emphasis on privacy.
- IVPN – Strong no-logs policy with features like multihop and anti-tracker options.

Make sure your VPN provider doesn’t keep logs of your activity. Otherwise, you’re just handing your data to someone else.

Also, pro tip—some apps can bypass VPNs using something called “split tunneling.” So be mindful of those settings too.

Location Spoofing Apps: Throw Off the Scent

Sometimes, you don’t just want to hide your location—you want to fake it.

That’s where location spoofing or GPS spoofing apps come in. These tools let you set a fake location as your current one. It’s kind of like telling apps you’re in Paris when you’re really chilling on your couch in Ohio.

Top GPS Spoofing Tools

- iTools by ThinkSky (iOS) – Lets you manually set your GPS location on iPhones without jailbreaking.
- Fake GPS Location (Android) – Free and simple app for Android users looking to spoof their GPS.
- Dr.Fone Virtual Location – Works for both Android and iOS; great user interface and extra features like route simulation.

Caution: Use these tools wisely. Some apps may block or ban spoofed accounts, so this is best reserved for enhancing privacy, not cheating at Pokémon Go.

Operating System Firewalls: Cut Off Hidden Connections

Ever wondered how some apps still seem to track you even after you’ve denied them permission?

That’s because many apps initiate background connections that go beyond what they tell you. The solution? Operating system firewalls.

Great Firewall Tools

- NetGuard (Android) – Open-source firewall that doesn’t require root access. Lets you block internet access per app.
- Little Snitch (macOS) – Alerts you every time an app tries to connect to the internet.
- LuLu (macOS) – Free and open-source alternative to Little Snitch.
- RethinkDNS (Android) – Blocks trackers and lets you analyze where your data is going.

These tools give you the power to slam the door shut on apps that misbehave.

De-Googled Phones and Privacy-Focused OSes

Let’s get a bit more hardcore for a second.

If you’re really serious about privacy, consider ditching traditional operating systems altogether and installing a privacy-focused OS like:

- GrapheneOS (Android) – Built with high-level security enhancements. No Google services unless you manually add them.
- CalyxOS – Slightly more user-friendly and still very private.
- LineageOS – More customizable, but requires a bit more technical know-how.

Yes, this route takes some effort. You’ll need to flash your phone, and that can seem scary at first. But if you take the leap, you’ll have much more control over your location and overall privacy.

Browsers That Respect Your Privacy

Even your web browser can give away your location via its geo-location API or IP address.

Top Privacy Browsers

- Brave – Blocks trackers by default and has a built-in Tor mode for extra anonymity.
- Firefox (with Privacy Add-ons) – Add-ons like uBlock Origin, Decentraleyes, and NoScript step up your privacy game.
- Tor Browser – Routes your traffic through multiple nodes to completely anonymize your location, but it’s slower.

Bonus tip: Always say “No” when a website asks to access your location. It’s rarely necessary.

Stop Metadata Leaks in Photos and Files

Here’s another sneaky leak—your camera embeds GPS data (EXIF metadata) in photos.

Anyone who gets a copy of your image can check where it was taken using free tools online. Yikes.

Remove Location Data from Photos

- On iOS: Use the “Options” menu when sharing and toggle off "Location."
- On Android: Go to Camera Settings → Turn off “Save Location.”
- Use tools like ExifTool or ImageOptim to strip metadata from photos before posting them online.

Use Privacy-Focused Apps

Switching to apps that don't demand your location is probably one of the easiest lifestyle upgrades you can make.

Great Alternatives

- Organic Maps – Completely offline map app. No ads, no tracking, full privacy.
- Signal – Encrypted messaging with no server-stored location metadata.
- DuckDuckGo Privacy Browser – Blocks trackers and doesn’t store your location or searches.

Make these swaps, and you’ll notice how little you actually lose—and how much you gain in peace of mind.

Habits That Help You Stay Under the Radar

Tools are great, but your behavior matters too. Here are habits to adopt:

- Routinely audit your app permissions.
- Avoid signing into multiple services with the same account.
- Keep your devices updated—security flaws can leak data.
- Turn on Airplane Mode when you don’t need connectivity.
- Limit location-based social media check-ins. (Sorry, no one needs to know you’re at Starbucks at 3 PM.)

Sometimes, the best way to not be tracked... is simply to refuse to be interesting to begin with.

Final Thoughts: Privacy Is a Journey, Not a Destination

Here’s the thing—there’s no one-button solution to location privacy. It’s a mix of mindset, habits, and using the right tools.

You don’t need to go completely off-grid (unless you want to). But you can take meaningful steps to stop handing over your location data like free candy.

Privacy is like fitness—it’s not about perfection, it’s about progress. The more you practice, the more second-nature it becomes.

Remember: You don’t have to be doing something wrong for your privacy to matter. You just have to be living your life—and that, quite frankly, should be enough.