Last updated on October 24, 2022 by John Adebimitan
Location services allow you to share your current or live location with friends, family, and colleagues for many different reasons. For example, it could be for security reasons, to share the location of a particular place, or to know where to find someone.
Whatever your reasons, location services are here to make your job easier and faster. But what happens when your location turns off and on by itself? What are you doing and how can you fix this problem? Keep reading to find the answers.
Why does my location turn off and on by itself on iPhones and Androids?
If your phone's location keeps turning off and on by itself, it could be caused by an app that requires location services. When you open an app that requires location services, it automatically turns your location on – after you give permission – and as soon as you close the app, it turns your location off.
Therefore, if you notice that your location is constantly disabled, you can check which apps you are using and which ones require location services.
Find my device
If “Find my device” is enabled, your location may be constantly switched off and on. The “Find My Device” feature periodically activates your location and saves it in case you lose your phone. This feature can help you retrace your steps or even tell you exactly where the phone is. If so, don't worry: no one is spying on you.
Battery saving mode
Another reason why your location keeps turning off is that your phone may be in battery saving mode. When your phone is in battery saving mode, it automatically turns off services that drain the battery faster to preserve battery life and give you time to recharge it before it runs out.
How to Fix iPhone and Android Location That Keeps Turning Off
To fix your phone's location keeps turning off, you can turn off location services for certain apps that you don't use or necessarily need them. This will prevent your phone from turning your location on and off when you open and close the app.
To stop location sharing on a specific app on Android;
To prevent location sharing in a specific app on iPhone;
Also read: Why is my location wrong on my Android phone?
Battery saving mode
Another way to fix your location being cut off is to plug it in or out of battery saver mode. When the phone is in battery saving mode, it turns off certain services to preserve battery life as long as possible. If you plug in the phone, battery saving mode is turned off and services are re-enabled. You can also manually re-enable location.
Time zone
You can also fix your location by adjusting the time zone set on your phone – if possible, set it to automatic.
To automatically set the time zone on your iPhone;
To automatically set your time zone on Android;
Why does Share My Location turn off?
If Share My Location keeps turning off, your phone's location services may be disabled.
To enable location services;
You can also update your operating system to resolve this issue. Go to Settings > General > Software Update. There you will see the software update available for your device, if any. Just download and install it to update your phone.
Also read: How to Ping a Phone to Locate It
Why is my iPhone no longer sharing my location?
If your iPhone stops sharing your location, you should have chosen the sharing option for a certain amount of time, either an hour or until the end of the day.
When you want to start sharing your location with someone through iMessage or the People app, you have the option to share your location for an hour, until the end of the day, or indefinitely.
If you choose one of the first two options, your phone will stop sharing your location after the timeout expires. If you don't want your phone to stop sharing your location, you should instead select Share forever.
Should your phone's location always be active? Why and why not?
It's not really necessary to always leave your location enabled; the decision is 100% yours. Some people turn it off until an app needs it or they need to share their location, while others turn it on all the time. While it may drain your battery faster, leaving your location on all the time can help, but it's not necessary.
For
Cons
If you intend to leave your location permanently enabled, we recommend that you take some security measures to protect your privacy and yourself. First, check the apps that have access to your location and make sure they are trusted apps that actually need access to your location. Also check which social media apps have access to your location and make sure you change the settings so they don't share your location with the public.
It is not recommended to block social media apps from accessing your location, as this is how they can show you relevant content and connect you to those around you. However, you can change the settings to ensure that your location is not visible. And if you can't change the settings, you should be able to choose to only have them shared by people you follow, so you have a little control over who sees your location.
Finally, you should avoid downloading unknown apps, clicking on suspicious links, or connecting to public or untrusted Wi-Fi networks. If your phone is hacked while your location is still enabled, you risk being tracked by a hacker or stalker.
Also Read: Can Someone Track My Phone If My Location Is Disabled?
How to Find and Lock Location Services on iPhone to Stop Your Child From Turning It On
You can find location services on your iPhone from the Settings app. Just go to Settings > Privacy > Location Services.
To lock or restrict your location services settings;
NOTE: Restricting Location Services settings will prevent you from changing settings and prevent newly added apps from accessing your location. To grant them access or make changes to location settings, you will need to go to Settings >> Screen Time >> Content & Privacy Restrictions >> Location Services >> Allow Changes, Make Your Changes, or Allow the specific app to access your location, then tap Don't allow changes again.
How to enable Google location history on an iPhone and iPad?
To enable Google location history on an iPhone;
Conclusion
If you're trying to share your location with someone who's supposed to pick you up, and you notice your location turning off and on by itself, what do you do? Read this article!
Here you'll find reasons why your Location keeps turning off and on, how to fix it, how to keep it on or off, and how to protect yourself when your Location stays on.
Also Read: Does Life360 Notify You When Someone Checks Your Location?