How to Turn Off Location on iPhone Photos

To turn off location on iPhone photos, open Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services, tap Camera, and select Never. From then on, new photos and videos won't record GPS coordinates. Existing photos keep their location until you remove it, either one photo at a time in the Info panel or automatically each time you share.

Turn off location for new photos

The steps are the same on iOS 18 and iOS 26.

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap Privacy & Security.
3. Tap Location Services.
4. Scroll down and tap Camera.
5. Select Never.

On the same screen you'll see Precise Location. Turning that off (while leaving location on) records an approximate area instead of exact coordinates. It's a middle ground if you like seeing photos on a map by city but don't want your exact address embedded.

Check that it worked

1. Take a test photo.
2. Open it in Photos and swipe up, or tap the Info button ("i").
3. You should see no map. You'll see a prompt to add a location instead.

For a closer look at everything a photo contains, use the photo metadata viewer or follow how to check photo metadata.

Remove location from photos you already took

Turning off camera location only affects new photos. For older ones:

One photo

1. Open the photo in Photos.
2. Swipe up or tap Info ("i").
3. Tap Adjust under the map.
4. Tap No Location.

Several photos

1. In Photos, tap Select and choose the photos.
2. Tap the More button (three dots).
3. Tap Adjust Location, then No Location.

These changes apply to the photo in your library, and with iCloud Photos on, they sync to your other devices. If you'd like to keep the location for yourself but not share it, don't remove it from the library; strip it on the way out instead.

Share without location (and keep it for yourself)

Many people like having their photos on a map, as a personal travel log, but don't want to send coordinates to others. iOS handles this at share time:

1. Select the photos and tap Share.
2. Tap Options at the top of the share sheet.
3. Turn off Location.
4. Leave All Photos Data off.
5. Tap Done and share as usual.

The setting resets for each share, so it becomes a habit rather than a set-and-forget. For a full walkthrough of other metadata, see how to remove EXIF data from photos on iPhone. If you need a clean file for a marketplace or forum, run it through the EXIF remover.

What you give up by turning location off

It's worth being clear about the trade-off, because location data is genuinely useful to you:

• Places map. New photos won't appear on the map in Photos.
• Search by place. Searching "Rome" or "beach" relies partly on location; it'll be less accurate for new photos.
• Memories. Trip-based Memories are built partly from location.
• Finding where you parked, or that restaurant. Many people use photo locations as a memory aid.

A reasonable middle ground for many people:

• Keep camera location on (maybe with Precise Location off).
• Always turn off Location in the share sheet's Options.
• Remove location from the specific photos that reveal your home, your kids' school, or other places you'd rather keep private.

Other places your location leaks through photos

Turning off GPS data handles the metadata. It doesn't handle what's in the picture:

• Visible clues. House numbers, street signs, license plates, mail on a table, a view from your window.
• Shared albums. Recent iOS versions can include location when you add photos to a shared album. Check the toggle when you share.
• Screenshots of maps. A screenshot has no GPS data but can show exactly where you are.
• Photos sent to you. Images you save from others may carry their location.

For private photos: keep location out entirely

Some photos are meant to stay private: an ID card, a medical image, a document you need to keep. For those, location data is pure risk with no upside.

sigil. strips location and other EXIF metadata when you import photos into a vault and again when you export them. The private camera captures photos directly into the vault, so they're never written to the Camera Roll, never synced by iCloud Photos, and never carry location in a readable copy.

• Each vault is encrypted with a 256-bit key that only the sign you draw on a 5×5 grid can unlock. See pattern encryption.
• No account and no server.
• If you export a photo, the app warns you that you're creating an unencrypted copy.

Troubleshooting

The Camera option is missing in Location Services. Make sure Location Services is on at the top of that screen; the per-app list only appears when it's on.

Photos still show a location after turning it off. Either they were taken before the change, or they came from another source, like a photo saved from Messages or taken with a different camera app.

Screen Time is blocking changes. Go to Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions > Location Services and allow changes.

Videos. The same Camera setting covers videos, and the share sheet Location toggle works for videos too.

Summary

If you're preparing your phone for travel, border crossings covers a few more steps worth taking.