One Tech Tip: How to block your phone from tracking your location

LONDON — Smartphones are useful tools for everyday life, but they’re privy to nearly everything about you, including all the places you’ve been — if you let them. Here are some tips to make sure location tracking is kept to a minimum: App permissions Head to your phone’s control panel to check permissions. Google was forced to be more transparent about its location tracking practices after a 2018 Associated Press story that found the company continued to track people’s location data even after they opted out of such tracking by disabling a feature the company called “location history.” Go to myaccount.google.com and then to the Data & Privacy section, where you’ll find the Location History controls. Browsers Popular smartphone web browsers like Safari or Chrome could give away your location, so try using one that that doesn’t store information about you, like DuckDuckGo, Firefox Focus or Ecosia. “It’s either that, or turn off all location data entirely,” which could result in inconveniences like having to manually enter your address on ride-hailing apps, or not getting live directions from mapping apps, he said.