- Facebook location: the two things people mean
- Switch off Facebook's access to your phone location
- What Facebook says location services does
- Stop adding a location to your Facebook posts
- Remove a location you've already added to a post or photo
- Hiding your location from friends versus from Facebook
- Facebook location for small businesses and Page admins
- Checking your Facebook location settings after an update
- If Facebook still seems to know where you are
- Frequently asked questions
To turn off location on Facebook, change the app's Location Services setting in your phone: on iPhone use Privacy and security, Location Services, Facebook, and on Android use Apps, Facebook, Permissions, Location. To remove a place from a post, edit the post and remove it under Location.
There isn't one switch called location on Facebook. There's the permission your phone gives the app, and there's the location you choose to add to a post or photo. When people ask me how to turn location off, I usually find they mean one of those and are about to switch off the wrong one.
I'd rather you stay in control than switch everything off blindly. If you use Facebook for a business, a location tag can be useful on a post, so you may want to keep that and stop the background access. The steps below follow Facebook's help articles Turn on Location Services for Facebook, How Facebook's location settings work, and Edit or remove the location on a Facebook post or photo.
Facebook location: the two things people mean
| What you want to stop | Where the control lives |
|---|---|
| The app knowing where your phone is | Your phone's own Location Services settings for Facebook |
| A place showing on a post or photo | The Location option when you edit the post or photo |
Work out which you want, then jump to the matching section.
Switch off Facebook's access to your phone location
Facebook's help article says Location Services is a setting on your phone, not inside Facebook, and that the feature is only available in the Facebook app. You have the option to set it to while using the app, ask next time or never.
iPhone
- Go to your home screen and tap Settings, then Privacy and security.
- Tap Location Services. You can tap the toggle to turn Location Services off for the whole phone.
- To control Facebook alone, scroll through the list of apps, tap Facebook and choose While using the app, Ask next time or Never.
Android
- Go to your home screen, tap Settings, then tap Apps.
- Scroll through the list and tap Facebook.
- Tap Permissions, then tap Location.
- Choose Allow only while using app, Ask every time or Don't allow.
Phone makers rename these screens, so if yours looks different, search your phone settings for location. Switching off Location Services for the whole phone affects every app, including maps, so only do that if it's what you want.
What Facebook says location services does
Facebook's help article says that when location services is on, it helps Facebook provide location features, including letting you post content tagged with your location, get more relevant ads and find places nearby. You can turn it off at any time.
It's also honest about the limits, which I appreciate. The article says you may still share your precise location when you use Facebook products. For example, Facebook may receive and store location data when you check in, say you're attending an event or post photos that include location information. And when location services is off, Facebook says it may still estimate your location using things such as check-ins, events and information about your internet connection.
Stop adding a location to your Facebook posts
Facebook's help article says that to stop posts automatically including your location, you turn off Location Services in your phone's settings. That's the section above. A place can also be added by hand when you write a post, so it's worth checking what you've picked before you share.
Remove a location you've already added to a post or photo
Facebook says you can only edit or remove a location on your own post or photo. On the phone app, for a post:
- Go to the post.
- Tap Options and select Edit post.
- At the bottom of the screen, tap Location.
- Below Currently selected, tap Remove next to the location name.
- In the top right, tap Save.
For a photo, tap Menu in the top left of Facebook, then tap your name. Scroll down and tap Photos, find the photo and tap it, then tap Location in the top right. Below Currently selected, tap Remove next to the location name. Facebook says the selection saves automatically.
If a friend has tagged you in a post, that's a different job. I've written about handling tags in my guide to tagging someone on Facebook.
Hiding your location from friends versus from Facebook
These are separate. Removing a place from a post changes what people see on that post. It doesn't change what your phone shares with the app, which is the phone permission. If privacy is your goal, check both.
Want AI doing the heavy lifting in your marketing?
I build the systems that handle the boring 80 percent, so you get your week back. Done properly, with the human kept in.
Facebook location for small businesses and Page admins
A business Page has an address you choose to publish, and that's different from the location of your phone. Turning off phone location won't change what customers see on your Page. If you want to be found locally, keep the address on the Page and keep your own device location private. Facebook also has a help article about why it asks for location from people who manage Pages, which is worth a look if you're prompted. My guide on Facebook Page categories is a useful companion when you're tidying Page details.
Checking your Facebook location settings after an update
Updates to the app and to your phone's software can change permissions without you noticing. I'd make a habit of glancing at the location permission for Facebook whenever you update your phone. It takes seconds, and on a new phone, permissions often start fresh, so run through the steps again.
If you share a device with family, the phone-level setting applies to everyone using that phone.
If Facebook still seems to know where you are
Switching location off doesn't make you invisible. As Facebook's own help article says, it may still estimate your location from things like check-ins, events and your internet connection. That's a limit of what any setting can do, and I'd rather tell you than promise something Facebook doesn't.
Frequently asked questions
How do I turn off location on Facebook?
Turn off or limit Location Services for Facebook in your phone's settings. On iPhone, that's Settings, Privacy and security, Location Services, Facebook. On Android, it's Settings, Apps, Facebook, Permissions, Location.
What options does the phone give Facebook?
On iPhone, While using the app, Ask next time or Never. On Android, Allow only while using app, Ask every time or Don't allow.
How do I remove the location from a post?
On your own post, tap Options, select Edit post, tap Location, tap Remove next to the location name and tap Save.
Does turning off location stop Facebook knowing my whereabouts?
Not completely. Facebook's help article says it may still estimate your location from check-ins, events and information about your internet connection.
Will switching off location break the Facebook app?
No. The app still works, but features that use location, such as finding places nearby, will be less useful.
Does my business Page address disappear if I turn location off?
No. The address on a Page is something you publish yourself, separate from your phone's location.
