Turn Off Location Services on Samsung

How to Turn Off Location Services (GPS Tracking) for the Whole Device on Samsung.

Learn how to turn off location services on your Samsung device to disable GPS tracking completely. If you want to stop apps from accessing your location or save battery life, I show you the steps to disable location settings.

I am showing you on a Samsung S23 Ultra running Android 15 with OneUI 7.0. These steps work on most Samsung Galaxy phones and tablets, including the S series and Note series.

In this guide, you will learn how to turn off GPS tracking on Samsung phones. You will also learn how to quickly toggle location on and off without digging through menus.

Two Ways to Turn Off Location Services on Samsung

There are two main ways to disable location services. The quick settings method is fastest. The settings app method gives you more control.

Method 1: Use the Quick Settings Menu

This is the fastest way to turn GPS on or off.

Here are the steps:

• Swipe down from the top of your screen to open the notification panel
• Swipe down again to open the full quick settings menu
• Look for the Location button (it has a pin or compass icon)
• Tap the Location button
• A pop-up will ask you to confirm
• Tap OK or Turn Off

After you do this, location services are off for your whole device. No apps can access your GPS location.

If you do not see the Location button in your quick settings, you can add it. Tap the pencil or edit icon in the quick settings menu, then drag the Location button into your active tiles.

Method 2: Use the Settings App

If you prefer using the main settings menu, here is how:

• Open the Settings app on your Samsung device
• Tap Location
• Toggle the switch at the top to the off position
• Confirm if asked

When the switch is off, all location services are disabled. You cannot customize individual app permissions while location is off because nothing can access your location at all.

Why You Might Want to Turn Off Location Services

There are a few good reasons to disable GPS tracking on your phone.

Here are the main ones:

• Save battery life – GPS uses power. Turning it off can help your battery last longer.
• Privacy – You stop apps and services from knowing where you are.
• Reduce data usage – Some apps use location data in the background, which uses mobile data.

An Important Thing to Know About Location Services

In some situations, location services might still be used even if you turn the toggle to off. This is rare, but it can happen depending on your phone model, carrier, or certain emergency features.

If you truly want no location tracking at all, here is the reality:

• Turn off your phone completely
• Or leave your phone at home

There is always a balance between convenience and privacy. The more secure a device is, the less convenient and useful it becomes. A phone with location off cannot give you driving directions, show you nearby restaurants, or find your lost device.

How to Turn Location Back On

Turning location back on is just as easy.

Here is what to do:

• Swipe down for quick settings
• Tap the Location button
• Confirm that you want to turn it on

Or go to Settings > Location and toggle the switch back on.

Quick Summary

Here is how to turn off location services on your Samsung device:

Using quick settings:

1. Swipe down twice from the top of your screen
2. Tap the Location button
3. Confirm by tapping OK or Turn Off

Using settings:

1. Open Settings
2. Tap Location
3. Toggle the switch off

Final Tip

Most people do not need to keep location off all the time. A good middle ground is to leave location on but manage which apps can use it. You can do this in Settings > Location > App permissions. Set apps to “Allow only while using the app” instead of “Allow all the time.” This gives you privacy when you are not actively using an app while keeping the useful features available when you need them.