I had no idea that every time I took a photo, my phone was storing its precise GPS coordinates. Thanks to the photo’s EXIF data, someone could easily drop my pictures into an online tool to see precisely where I took them. This happens by default on most phones, which many people don’t even realize.
It’s scary, especially for kids, but there’s a way to turn off this location storage on both Android and iPhone. Even if you want to keep it enabled, it’s good to know how to stop your phone from tracking your location every time you snap a picture.
What is EXIF data, and what is my phone storing?
Camera settings are benign, but GPS coordinates aren’t
Every time you take a photo on your phone, the camera stores a bunch of information about it, called EXIF (exchangeable image file format) data. Some of it is helpful, like the camera used and its settings, but it also tracks the photo’s location.
To view this data in Windows, right-clickany photo on your PC, then go to Properties -> Details. On Mac, right-click a photo and select Get Info.
There you’ll see all the EXIF data, including the GPS coordinates of where the photo was taken, along with other data from your photos. These longitude and latitude coordinates specify your location within a meter.
People can easily see, on a map, where you took a photo
Sites like Pic2Map will precisely show you where a photo was taken. For example, the photo above is one I took on vacation in Key West, Florida, at the southernmost point of the United States.
If that makes you uneasy, you’re not alone. I have two teenage daughters, and I don’t want strangers having the ability to see where they took a particular photo. There’s also a concern about photos you take at your home address, exposing that to the world.
Fortunately, you can change the settings on your phone (or your kids’ phone) to stop saving location data with photos.
How to stop your phone from tracking location in the camera
Keep your photo location a mystery
- On Android, open the Camera app, then go to Settings > More Settings. Find Save Location, then turn it off.
- On iPhone, go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > Camera and select Never.
When turning off location data saving on your camera, it’s best to think of it as a temporary measure rather than a permanent setting. Apps like Google Photos and Apple Photos rely on location data to organize your library in useful ways, like letting you search for photos from a specific trip, city, or even a place like Disney World with a simple query. That context can be incredibly convenient over time.
However, there are situations where disabling location data makes sense. If you know you’ll be sharing photos via text message, email, or another platform with someone you don’t fully trust, turning off location tagging ensures those images won’t reveal where they were taken.
Toggling the setting lets you protect your privacy for those specific moments, without giving up location features entirely. Just don’t forget to turn location data back on afterward. When enabled, it quietly adds helpful context to your photos through EXIF data, making them easier to search, sort, and relive later.
You don’t have to worry about posting photos on social platforms
Fortunately, when you post photos to social media (like the above photo of my son), the platforms remove geolocation EXIF data. Because of this, people can’t track where you took the photo. This started around 2013, when people were upset that their social media posts could be used to track the location of the photo.
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Be in control of what your phone is tracking
While scary at times, it’s genuinely useful that our phones know so much about us. That data powers useful AI features and keeps the massive amount of photos and videos we create organized and searchable. It also enables our devices to anticipate needs, surface relevant memories, and save us time in small but meaningful ways. Location awareness, in particular, plays a big role in making photo libraries feel smart rather than overwhelming.
That said, the fact that your phone automatically tags the location of every photo you take (by default) is worth a second thought. Location data can reveal far more than people realize, especially when images are shared outside tightly controlled apps or platforms.
This is an even bigger concern for children, who often share photos casually through messaging apps or email without realizing that much of the EXIF data, including precise location information, may still be attached. Knowing how to turn off location tagging when needed gives you more control over what you share, helping you balance convenience with privacy. It’s particularly vital for moments when that extra data simply isn’t worth the risk.
