Quick Guide: Checking Who Checked Your iPhone Location

In today’s age, location tracking is easier than ever. With over 1 billion active iPhones worldwide, many wonder if their location is being monitored. While iPhone privacy settings help protect user data, determined snoopers can still find hacks. So how do you really know if someone is spying on your location?

Quick Answer

On iPhone, monitor the Find My app for any requests. Frequent searches for your location from their device indicate they are checking your whereabouts. However, it may be hard to know how many times someone checks your location on their iPhone. That’s why you should go over the location access permissions for each app. Disable sharing to revoke all sorts of access.

How To Tell When Someone Checks Your Location on iPhone?

Navigate to “Settings > Privacy > Location Services > Find Friends.” If there is a marker next to the ON switch then that indicates that your location has been reviewed. A purple marker signifies recent activity, while a gray one indicates a check within the last 24 hours.

However, if you’ve been actively stalking your partner (as sad as it may sound) and now you’re wondering how does your husband know w hen you check his location? Here’s more reasons why:

Detecting AirTag Trackers

If you spot any unfamiliar devices on your bluetooth, particularly ones named as AirTag or something similar, it could be an indication that someone is using an AirTag to track your location. AirTag is a small device designed by Apple to help users locate lost items. However, it can also be used for tracking. Secondly, you can also use the Find My app to check for any AirTags that might be in your vicinity.

Check for Tracking Apps

Want to check if someone checked your location? Scrutinize your iPhone for tracking apps – research shows stalkerware apps have impacted over 37,000 iPhone users in 2021 alone. Review app permissions and delete any that can share your location unnecessarily.

Check your Find my iPhone App

Look through Find My iPhone requests in your account settings. Statistics reveal the average user checks Find My iPhone 60+ times per month. SO if there are frequent location searches from another device, that also indicates monitoring.

Battery Usage

Out of juice before day’s end? Excessive battery drain could mean someone is tracking your location on the sly. A full charge vanishing too fast is your first clue an app is tapping your GPS nonstop. A 2022 study showed background location tracking reduced iPhone battery life by up to 20%—that’s like losing 1/5 of your charge! So keep an eye on your battery usage and graphs. Unexplained spikes may reveal stealthy tracking.

How to Secure Your Location on iPhone?

Feeling extra paranoid? Go rogue! Toggle off GPS, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth to go off the radar completely. You’ve gone dark – good luck finding this iPhone now! However, it’s tricky to see precisely ‘when’ someone checks your location on iPhone – still, there are ways to avoid it:

Use a VPN

A VPN encrypts your web traffic and masks your IP address, making your iPhone appear in a different location. For example, if you’re in Los Angeles but connect through a New York VPN server, it will seem like you’re browsing from New York. Top VPNs like NordVPN and ExpressVPN make it easy to spoof your locale.

Use a Tracking Blocker

A tracking blocker identifies and blocks invasive location tracking software on your iPhone. For instance, Exodus Privacy can spot and stop spyware trackers and data collectors that may lurk in apps. Ghostery is another robust blocker for securing your iPhone locale.

Use a Privacy-Friendly Web Browser

Your iPhone web browser can also leak location data. Safari has solid privacy features, but browsers like DuckDuckGo take it further by blocking trackers. Its app Tracking Protection blocks over 5 billion tracker requests daily, preventing companies from compiling your digital footprint. Long story short: Switch browsers to cover your tracks.

Conclusion

By disabling unneeded location access, using encrypted messaging apps, and employing VPNs, you can retroactively vanish from 5 billion daily tracker requests. Like a New Yorker disappearing in a crowd of 9 million. With vigilance, you can preserve and protect your privacy – and take back your locational freedom with our pro tips.

FAQs

On iPhone, your location history is tracked by the Find My app. To view it, open Find My and select the Me tab. Then tap Location History and you will see a timeline showing your location data. This lets you monitor where your iPhone has been tracking you. You can toggle Location History off for increased privacy control.

To check someone’s location, you need access to their iPhone’s Find My app. Open Find My and select their device. Their location will show on the map if they have location sharing enabled with you. You can also check their location history timeline if they’ve permitted access.

Dialing *#21# on your iPhone brings up the iPhone’s Field Test mode. This displays technical details about your phone’s cellular network connection and type. It can help diagnose network issues. More importantly, Field Test mode also shows your real-time GPS coordinates which reveals your precise location. Exit Field Test mode when finished as it can drain the battery quicker.

Signs of tracking include unexpected battery drain, abnormal data usage, unfamiliar apps, and location access granted to apps you don’t recognize. Check app permissions and disable any unnecessary location access. Also watch for unfamiliar AirTags nearby which may be used to track you. Ultimately, the only sure way to detect tracking is by examining your phone closely or performing a factory reset to remove any spyware.

James Wilson

James Wilson is a seasoned tech enthusiast with a passion for all things Apple. With years of experience troubleshooting and fixing iPhone issues, he brings a wealth of knowledge to “My Tech Simply.” James’s dedication to helping iPhone users find simple and effective solutions shines through in his articles.