![Google](/upload/news/2023/06/24/66236.jpg)
Google's Photos and Maps tools have a hidden feature that tracks your location and stores it alongside your photos.
This can be a privacy concern, as it reveals a personal history of your life to anyone with access to your phone or Google account.
With every click of the camera, our lives are meticulously documented and stored, leaving behind a digital footprint accessible to anyone with access to our devices or Google accounts.
But thankfully, there are ways to safeguard our privacy and take charge of our digital footprint.
Here's how to take control of your photos' location data, limit Google's tracking, and disable the intrusive location map feature.
For iPhone and Android users:
For iPhone users:
For Android users:
Note that you can only update or remove estimated locations, and you can't edit or remove locations added automatically by your camera.
For iPhone users, go to Settings, Privacy and security, Location services, and turn off location for Photos.
For Android users, select the Camera app, tap the sprocket icon, scroll down, and toggle off Location tags.
On mobile, open Google Maps, click on the icon, go to your timeline, click the dots in the upper right-hand corner, and access Settings and Privacy. Turn off Location History and set an Auto Delete option.
On desktop, open Google Maps, click on the icon, go to Manage your Google Account, click on Data & Privacy, and under History settings, turn off Location History and set an Auto Delete option.
By following these steps, you can limit Google's tracking of your photos, disable location services, and disable the location map feature in Google Photos to protect your privacy.