nobody's business but me

My phone knows everywhere I go

Your devices

What is actually happening

It does, and so do apps you have forgotten you installed. The phone makers have tightened this considerably: since 2020 Android has not offered 'allow all the time' in the permission pop-up at all, and both platforms now let you grant approximate location instead of precise. Google Play policy explicitly forbids selling device location, and from January 2027 every app asking for precise location must justify why it needs it. None of that means it is not happening. It means the defaults are better than they were, and the settings are worth checking, because the protection only applies if you never granted the old permission.

What you can do yourself

Set every app to 'while using' or 'never', and switch precise location off for anything that does not need your exact position. Then open Significant Locations on iPhone, or Timeline on Android, and look at it once. Most people find that more convincing than anything we could tell them.

When to get help

If you are being followed or harassed, get advice before changing anything. Some changes are visible to a person who has access to your accounts.

How we know

A · Verified

Checked 4 Sep 2026 · Review by Mar 2027

Android developer documentation on background location, Google Play location policy, and the April 2026 Minimum Scope policy that becomes mandatory in January 2027.

Grading explained on the home page. Every correction we have made is published.