How to Disable or Enable iPad Location Services

Some apps require that you turn on Location Services

Turning off location services

Lifewire 

by Daniel Nations
Daniel Nations has been a tech journalist since 1994. His work has appeared in Computer Currents, The Examiner, The Spruce, and other publications.
Updated April 11, 2019

Much like a smartphone, the iPad's location-tracking sensors are fairly accurate at pinpointing your location. An iPad that can connect to 4G LTE also includes an Assisted-GPS chip to help determine the location but, even without GPS, it works almost just as well with Wi-Fi triangulation.

However, while Location Services can come in handy in many situations, you should disable it if you're concerned about apps knowing your location. Another reason to disable Location Services on the iPad is to save some battery power.

How to Turn Off Location Services

Location services are probably already turned on for your iPad, so here's how to shut off location tracking for all your apps at once:

  2. Scroll down and open the Privacy menu item.

  3. Tap Location Services at the top of the screen.

  4. Tap the green switch next to Location Services to disable this feature.

  5. When asked if you're sure, tap Turn Off.

You should also be able to swipe up from the bottom of the screen and choose the airplane icon to put your iPad into Airplane Mode. While this method will shut down Location Services for all your apps in just a moment or two, it also stops your phone from taking or making calls and connecting to networks like ​Wi-Fi.

Turning on Location Services is of course just the opposite of turning it off, so return to Step 4 to enable it again.

How to Manage Location Services for Just One App

While it is easier to disable Location Services for all the apps at once, toggle the setting off for single apps so that individual apps cannot identify your location.

Every app that uses location services asks your permission first but even if you allowed it before, you can still disallow it.

  1. Return to Step 3 in the section above so that you can see the Location Services screen.

  2. Scroll down through the list of applications and tap whichever one you want to disable (or enable) Location Services for.

  3. Select Never to stop it completely or While Using the App to make sure that your location isn't being used in the background when you're not even in the app. Some apps have an Always option so that your location can be discovered even when the app is closed down.

What Is "Share My Location?"

Your iPad can also share your current location in text messages. To let someone know where you are all the time, add him or her in Find My Friends. That person will show up in the Share My Location section of the Location Services screen.

To stop sharing your location with others, turn to this screen and tap the green toggle next to Share My Location.