How To Stop Sharing Location Without Someone Knowing

We’ve all gotten used to sharing our location with friends and family—knowing someone is aware of where you are can be reassuring.

But sometimes, you just need a little privacy without raising any concerns. Maybe you want to keep a surprise under wraps or just want some personal space for the day.

Turning off location sharing can be tricky, especially since many apps automatically notify others when you make changes.

But don’t worry; there are some easy ways to pause sharing without anyone finding out. Below we’ll cover how to take control of your location privacy, all without setting off any alarms.

How To Stop Sharing Location Without Them Knowing

If you suddenly turn off location sharing and people get notified, it might raise alarm bells or spark questions you’d rather avoid.

Luckily, there are ways to stop sharing your location without anyone knowing, giving you a little extra control over who can track your movements—no alerts necessary.

Below, we’ll cover five ways to do this for both iPhone and Android. We’ve also provided some app-specific solutions later in the article that can be more effective for some users.

1️⃣ Turn on airplane mode

One of the quickest ways to temporarily disable location sharing is to turn on airplane mode.

Airplane Mode shuts off all wireless connections on your device—cellular, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth—preventing your phone from sending out your current location.

By using Airplane Mode, the person you shared your location with won’t receive any notifications about stopping location sharing, and there’s no alert indicating you’ve paused it.

However, if they look you up in an app like Find My, they’ll see your last known location listed as “xxx minutes/hours ago” rather than a “Live” update.

Here’s how to turn on Airplane Mode on an iPhone:

1. To open the Control Center, swipe down from the top right corner of the screen. Or on older iPhones with a home button, swipe up from the bottom.
2. Look for the airplane icon (✈️) and tap it. When it turns orange, Airplane Mode is on, and your iPhone will disconnect from cellular, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth networks.
3. Tap the Airplane icon again to turn it off, and your connections will be restored.

Fig 1. Enabling Airplane Mode on iPhone.

Here’s how to turn on Airplane Mode on an Android device:

1. Swipe down from the top of the screen to open the Quick Settings panel. On some devices, you may need to swipe down twice to see all options.
2. Tap the Airplane Mode icon (✈️). The icon should change color or style to indicate it’s active.
3. You’ll see a small airplane icon at the top of your screen, indicating Airplane Mode is on.

Fig 2. Enabling Airplane Mode on Android.

2️⃣ Turning off Location Services via settings

Disabling Location Services in your phone’s settings will prevent your device from sharing location data with any app.

When off, your device stops sharing your location without sending any notifications, so there’s no alert to others that you’ve turned it off.

However, if someone checks an app like Find My, they’ll see “No Location Found” instead of your current location.

If you’re comfortable with this option, here’s how to do it on iPhone:

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap on Privacy & Security.
3. Select Location Services.
4. Toggle off the switch to disable Location Services.

Fig 3. Disabling Location Services on iPhone.

And here’s how to do it on Android:

1. Swipe down from the top of the screen to open the Quick Settings panel.
2. Look for the Location icon, which usually resembles a pin or compass needle.
3. If the icon is highlighted, it means location is active. Tap it to turn it off.

Fig 4. Identifying and Disabling Location Use on Android.

3️⃣ Block and unblock a contact

If you have an iPhone, you can try blocking and then unblocking a contact to stop sharing your location without sending notifications. This simple trick, shared on Reddit, lets you quietly unshare your location.

When you block someone, your location stops updating immediately. After you unblock them, they still won’t see your device location, and there’s no alert sent.

However, if they check the Find My app, they might notice that you’re no longer listed as a friend. In iMessage, they’ll see a message saying your location has expired.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Open the Contacts app on your iPhone.
2. Find the contact you want to stop sharing with and tap their name.
3. Scroll down and tap Block Caller.
4. Wait for a second, then tap Unblock Caller.

4️⃣ Fake location apps

If you want to protect your location privacy by displaying a different location, fake location apps can be helpful. These apps let you “spoof” your location, so your phone shows you’re in a different place than you are.

This can be useful to keep your real location private without stopping location sharing altogether. However, there are a few things to consider when using these apps, as they aren’t always foolproof.

How fake location apps work

Fake location apps temporarily override your device’s GPS signal, allowing you to set a virtual location. Once enabled, any apps tracking your location, like social media, Find My or Google Maps, will show this alternate location.

If this is something you want to try, consider the following apps:

• iTools: iTools offers a virtual location feature for iPhone users. This feature requires connecting to a computer but is reliable for spoofing.
• Dr. Fone—Virtual Location: This option works on both platforms and offers a range of settings to simulate movement between different points.

5️⃣ Switch which device shares your location (iPhone only)

If you have a second iPhone or iPad linked to the same Apple account, you can use it to change which device shares your location in Find My — all without notifying anyone.

This is one of the cleanest workarounds because it doesn’t cut off location sharing entirely. Instead, it just changes which device is doing the sharing.

For example: set an old iPhone or iPad to share its location, then leave it at home before you head out. Anyone tracking you through Find My will see you as still at home — even though your main phone is with you. As far as they’re concerned, nothing has changed.

Here’s how to set it up:

1. Open the Settings app on your primary iPhone and tap your profile.
2. Tap Find My and ensure that Share My Location is switched on.
3. On your second iOS device, open the Find My app.
4. Tap the Me icon at the bottom.
5. Select Use This iPhone as My Location.

Once enabled, your second device will share its location instead of your primary iPhone — giving you full control over what others can see.

How to Stop Location Sharing in Specific Apps

If you’re looking for app-specific ways to stop sharing your location, here’s how to do it on three of the most popular location-sharing apps: Apple Find My, Google Maps and Life360. These steps allow you to quietly pause or end location sharing without notifying others.

Find My app

You can stop sharing your location with a particular person via the iPhone’s “Find My” app. The Find My app is a built-in Apple service that helps you locate your devices, keep track of family and friends, and find lost or stolen Apple products.

Here’s how to disable the location-sharing feature for a specific person on the Find My app:

1. Open the Find My app on your iPhone.
2. Tap on the People tab at the bottom.
3. Find the person you want to stop sharing within the list, then tap their name.
4. Scroll down and select Stop Sharing My Location.

Once you do this, your location will no longer update on their end, and they won’t receive any alert that you’ve stopped sharing. However, if they check the app, they’ll see your location listed as the last time it was active rather than “Live.”

Note: If you were sharing your location within an iMessage conversation, you may see a system message in your own chat thread confirming you’ve stopped. The other person does not receive this notification.

Google Maps

To stop sharing your live location on Google Maps follow the steps below. This will be particularly effective for Android devices, as it is their primary source of location sharing:

1. Open the Google Maps app on your device.
2. Tap your profile picture or initial in the top right corner of the screen.
3. Tap Location sharing.
4. Tap the profile of the person you want to stop sharing with.
5. Tap Stop.

Life360

Stopping location sharing on Life360 is trickier than the previous apps, as it’s designed for constant family tracking. However, there are a few ways to do it:

Disable Location Sharing for Your Circle:

1. Open the Life360 app and tap Settings in the bottom right corner.
2. Tap on Circle Switcher and select the Circle you want to stop sharing with.
3. Tap on Location Sharing and toggle it off.

This will stop your location from being shared with that specific Circle.

Turn off Location Services for Life360 on iPhone

1. Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services.
2. Scroll down to find Life360 and tap on it.
3. Select Never to prevent Life360 from accessing your location at all.

This will stop Life360 from accessing your phone’s location and therefore stop location sharing without changing any in-app settings.

Turn off Location Services for Life360 on Android

1. Tap the Settings icon on your home screen.
2. Select Location.
3. Tap Life360.
4. Turn off Location.
5. Tap Deny or Don’t Allow.

“Location Paused” methods:

If you need a temporary and less obvious way to stop sharing your location, try these methods:

• Data saving mode: Enabling your phone’s data saving mode can sometimes cause Life360 to show your location as “Location paused” due to limited internet connectivity.
• Turn off Wi-Fi: Similar to data saving mode, turning off Wi-Fi can disrupt Life360’s location updates.

Final Thoughts

Everyone has their reasons for wanting a little location privacy — and they don’t need to be complicated ones. Whether you’re planning a surprise or just want some breathing room, it’s completely reasonable to want control over who can see where you are.

The good news is that taking that control back is simpler than most people think.

And if you want extra peace of mind, it’s worth making sure there’s nothing else on your phone tracking you without your knowledge. A quick scan with Certo for iPhone or Android can tell you in minutes.

FAQs

Does the other person get notified when I stop sharing my location?

It depends on how you’re sharing your location. For example, if you were sharing via iMessage, iOS adds a visible line in the chat thread that says your location has stopped updating. But, this is only visible to you, not to them.

On the other hand, some third-party location sharing apps will send a push notification to anyone you were sharing your location with if the sharing stops.

What does my location show when my phone is turned off?

When your phone is powered off, most apps show your last known location before the device went offline. In Find My, this typically displays alongside a timestamp like “last seen 2 hours ago.”

What’s the difference between “No Location Found” and “Location Not Available”?

“No Location Found” typically means your device is off or has no signal. “Location Not Available” usually means location sharing has been disabled.

Does Airplane Mode fully hide my location?

Airplane Mode disables cellular, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth — but GPS hardware can technically still function. Most location-sharing apps won’t be able to transmit your location without an internet connection, but the nuance is worth noting.