Whenever we install an app on our smartphone, it asks for a lot of permissions mainly location, contacts, microphone, etc. Sometimes we are more concerned about our privacy and don’t want the app to stalk us everywhere we go. So we must check the apps that access location on our Android smartphone. You can easily do so by checking each app’s permission with the help of step by step guide below.
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With the latest Android updates, you can even grant apps limited access to your location which means you don’t have to worry about any app accessing your location when you close it. Still, you should better check apps that can access your location, here’s how!
Find Apps That Access Location on Android
1. From Permission Manager
1] First, open the Settings menu on your Android smartphone.
2] Now, go to the “Privacy” section and select “Permission Manager”.
3] Here from the category of permissions, select “Location”.
4] This will show you the list of apps that are having access to your location.
5] That’s it! Now you can and decide which app you want to give your location access to. You also get the following options:
- All the time: The app can use your location all the time.
- Only while using the app: The app can use your location only when you’re using it.
- Ask every time: Every time you open the app, it’ll ask for location access.
- Deny: The app cannot use your location at all.
You can change these options accordingly.
2. From Location Settings
1] On your phone, open Settings and go to Location.
2] Here you will see apps that are currently using location or requested to access location.
3] Tap on “App permission” and it will show a list of apps permission-wise; i.e. apps that are allowed all the time, that are allowed only while in use, and that are denied.
Check the first two lists and change the permission settings just like the above-mentioned options if you want to.
3. Individual App Settings
You can also check this by checking individual app settings.
1] On your phone’s home screen, find the app icon.
2] Touch and hold the app icon and tap App info.
3] Tap Permissions and then Location. Choose an option just like the above method.
This will give you control over your phone’s location access.
Also, read | How to Auto-delete Location History on Your Android Phone
Bonus Tip: Check the type of location access
If an app has permission to access your location, it can use your phone’s precise location, approx. location, or both. To check the type of location:
1] Touch and hold any app’s icon and tap the App info (i) icon.
2] After that, tap Permissions ->More ->All permissions.
3] Under “Location,” you will see the type of location the app requested. If the app hasn’t asked for your location, you won’t see the options here.
The types of the location any app can access are:
- Precise location: The app has your phone’s exact location.
- Approximate location: The app has your phone’s location approx a hundred meters.
- In the foreground: The app can use your location only when the app is open.
- In the background: The app can use location at any time.
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Some app needs your phone’s location access to work properly. But sometimes you don’t want someone to track your locations, you can just turn it off for the apps that access location by above-mentioned methods.
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