By default, the Apple Maps app on your iPhone actively tracks your precise physical location using your device’s GPS chip, Wi-Fi networks, and cellular towers. It uses this continuous stream of data to provide turn-by-turn navigation, traffic updates, and location-based search results. However, if you rely entirely on a third-party navigation app like Google Maps or Waze, and you never use Apple Maps, allowing the native app to constantly access your location data simply drains your battery and creates an unnecessary privacy footprint. You can completely revoke its access to your coordinates.
How to Revoke Location Access for Apple Maps
You can disable tracking for this specific application within your iPhone’s privacy settings.
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Scroll down the main list and tap on Privacy & Security (it has a blue icon with a white hand).
- Tap on Location Services at the very top of the screen.
- Scroll down through the alphabetical list of all your installed apps until you find Maps.
- Tap on Maps.
- Under the “Allow Location Access” header, you will see several options. Tap on Never.
Once you select “Never”, the Apple Maps app will instantly lose all access to your iPhone’s GPS hardware. If you open the Apple Maps app in the future, it will not be able to show your current location as a blue dot on the map, nor will it be able to provide accurate directions from your current standpoint until you explicitly return to this menu and re-enable access.