Location sharing

Knowing when you are sharing your location – and who can see it – can help you protect your privacy and stay safe online.

On this page:

• What is location sharing?
• The benefits of location sharing
• The risks of sharing your location
• How to protect your location
• More information

Location sharing is when a digital device or online service enables tracking of where you are, where you’ve been or where you’re going. This is often done live, using a data network that connects with navigation satellites. There are a few Global Navigation Satellite Systems: the Global Positioning System (GPS) is one example.

Some apps are built specifically to provide location sharing features. But almost any online platform or service that allows you to share content or communicate with other people may reveal your location, either intentionally or without realising it.

The settings on your devices and accounts usually control who can see your location and for how long. For example, using your phone to ‘check-in’ on social media at a venue may show where you are just at that moment, or your bank account data may show where you are shopping when you pay for something. A ride share app may show where you are whenever you’re online, not just when you have an active booking, and your location could be visible all the time if your wearable device is always connected to a fitness app, even if the wearable isn’t switched on. It all depends on your settings, including the level of privacy.

Read more about how to manage your digital safety settings, including advice on how to control GPS and location-based services.

Getting directions and localised information

Online maps help you find addresses, businesses or landmarks and provide directions for how to get there from your current or chosen location. Your location details can be used together with other data, such as weather and live traffic information, to figure out the most efficient route and update it in real time.

Location sharing also allows services to tailor the information sent to you. For example, if you’re looking for a place to eat, your search engine can show restaurants and cafes nearby. Or when you travel overseas, the clock on your phone may adjust to local time.

Technologies such as Bluetooth beacons can even track your location at a specific venue or event and send you relevant information. For example, you may use a museum app to find out information about nearby items as you move through an exhibition.

Keeping track of family and friends

Social media and other apps shared with your family and friends often let you see each others’ location, helping you meet up or letting you know when someone has arrived at their destination. For example, Snapchat’s Snap Map, Facebook Messenger’s live location and iPhone’s live location allow users to share their real-time location with friends and family. This can be useful in busy places like festivals, where finding each other in a crowd might be difficult.

Parents also commonly use location tracking apps like Life360 to see where their children are. Some services even have the option to create a ‘geo-fence’ for your family, so you’re notified if your child goes outside a specific area.

Fitness and health apps like Strava and Apple Health use GPS tracking to log runs, cycling routines, and workouts, often letting users share their routes with friends and family. Likewise, shopping and delivery apps like UberEats, DoorDash and Amazon track deliveries in real-time and save location data, in order to make localised recommendations.

Tracking where you’ve been

Whether it’s through your GPS history, maps, check-ins on social media or transaction data, location sharing can be used to help you remember where you went and when.

For example, it can help you retrace a previous jogging route in a fitness app or access a frequently used address in an online map. Or if there’s a crime or a situation where the police need to be involved, they may be able to get legal permissions to access the location of a victim or criminal.

GPS-car systems, such as those in Teslas, also track movement and store trip history, providing a detailed log of journeys that’s available on linked devices with the app. Smart home devices, such as Google Home and Amazon Alexa can similarly store user location history.

Location sharing is also handy for tracking objects. For example, if location sharing is on, you can use it to find a lost phone, or check where your luggage is if it contains a tracking device such as an Apple AirTag and Samsung SmartTag.

Preventing fraud

Banking services often monitor where credit card purchases are made to reduce the risk of fraud. This can include in-app prompts at the airport asking if you are travelling overseas. You can update your bank’s app setting, so it doesn’t block legitimate transactions.

Read more about identity theft and how to protect your personally identifiable information.

People may see more about you than you intend

You may not realise that your live location is being shared with other people, or that data stored in an app, online account or even the properties information of a photo reveals where you have been or where you often go. This is common if your device or account uses default settings, instead of you adjusting the settings that are switched on or off and the privacy levels.

Also, depending on your settings, data may be shared across multiple platforms and services then pieced together to guess your location (and other personal information about you).

Find out more about protecting your personally identifiable information and how to manage your digital safety settings.

Your information may be used to stalk, harass or coerce you

The spread of social media and other apps means finding your location can be easy if you don’t take steps to hide it. Even if you don’t share a specific location sharing app with someone, features such as checking in and accessing nearby services create a detailed digital timeline that may be used to monitor and track you.

If the wrong person can access your location information they can disrupt your life, especially if you’re experiencing coercive control or domestic and family violence.

Find out more about protecting your personally identifiable information, cyberstalking and how to protect yourself if you’re experiencing domestic, family or sexual violence.

Your data may be used to manipulate you

Marketers can use your location information to localise their advertising, which may be helpful but can also be annoying. The data can help build a very detailed profile of you that can even predict where you are going next. 

This can mean notifications and social media feeds tailored by recommender algorithms that make you feel as if every move you make is being watched.

People often opt into location sharing unintentionally, for example when they buy a product online, and may not even be aware of what’s happened until they start to feel concerned about their privacy.

Your location can be tracked or recorded in many ways. For example, by using location services or GPS tracking on your device or apps, through online accounts or shared accounts that show your location, or by using spyware or surveillance systems. Here are some steps you can take, if you’re concerned:

• Use your account or device settings to limit your location sharing. For example, you can turn off location information or restrict who can see it on many social media sites, online dating services, fitness trackers and travel apps. You can also adjust location sharing settings for fitness apps like Strava to prevent your running route from being publicly visible, including the starting point (which may be your home address).
• Use the ‘Safety Check’ on your iPhone to review who has access to your location. You can usually find this in the Settings app under ‘Privacy & Security.’
• Don’t check in to venues on social media or give away location information by mistake. For example, avoid posting information that may allow others to work out where you are (like photos that show street signs) or where you go regularly (like the name of your workplace, gym or church).
• Check and adjust apps that use GPS tracking to find your device’s location, such as ride share and food delivery apps, as well as Find My iPhone, Google Find My Device, Samsung Find My Mobile.
• Check for spyware on your devices such as phones and laptops. It’s sometimes installed via an app or through email. An antivirus app can detect and remove existing spyware and malicious applications. Turning the device off and disconnecting from the internet or going on flight mode will stop the spyware’s ability to track your location.
• Check for any GPS tracking devices in your car and personal belongings such as bags and toys. Look for unknown Tiles, Airtags or other small objects that are unfamiliar. Discard them in a safe place away from your home or any other sensitive location.
• Check for unknown connections to your car's internal GPS tracking system by going to settings and removing any unknown Bluetooth connections.

Visit The eSafety Guide to find out more about protecting your personal information and reporting abuse in common social media, games, apps and sites that use location sharing.