Google can track you even if Location History is turned off – 08/15/2018
If you have an Android phone or an IOS phone that has the Google app on it, Google could be following your every move. Most people are aware that you can turn the Location Services off on your iphone and disable Location reporting on your Android phone. You may even know how to turn off Location History so Google doesn’t store a record of where you have been. What you probably don’t know is, Google has been deceiving you.
AP News has found that when you turn off those services, it only disables the viewable timeline. However every time you open Google Maps, get some weather updates or use Chrome for a search, it tracks you and stores time-stamped location data from your devices.
Fortunately, there is a way to truly turn off the location tracking. Google buried it deep within their account settings. To keep nosy Google from tracking you in any way:
- Open the Google app on your mobile device.
- Click the Settings icon in the upper left hand corner.
- Select Manage your Google Account.
- Select Personal info & privacy.
- Select Activity Controls.
- Select Web & App Activity.
- Click the slider to disable Web & app activity. It should turn gray.