I understand that you sometimes turn off your location to prevent advertisers, social media platforms, apps, websites, and even individuals you’ve shared location data with from tracking your movements. However, did you know that by sending a picture to someone, you may inadvertently give them access to your location?
Remember, when you use Google Maps for directions, your location needs to be on. Social media apps also rely on location data to tag your location in posts. Without location services enabled, you can’t use ride-hailing services like Uber or Bolt.
Camera Permissions and Geotagging
When you install an app, it typically requests certain permissions. You can decide whether to grant or deny these permissions. The camera app on your phone is specifically designed to access the camera hardware for taking photos and videos, and you, as the user, grant that permission. Without it, the camera app would be ineffective.
While sending a picture doesn’t directly give your exact location, the image can contain visual clues—recognisable backgrounds or landmarks—that suggest your general area. More importantly, the camera app can embed location data (identifiable buildings, street signs, or geographical features) into the metadata of your photos and videos, a process known as geotagging.
Geotagging allows you to organise photos by location and remember where you took them. This is why I asked, “Did you know that by sending a picture, you give that person access to your location?” In this article, I will guide you on how to stop this by restricting location access to your camera.
Restricting Camera Location Access
Step 1: Go to your phone’s settings and look for “Apps Access to Location.” On some devices, like my Galaxy A05, this may be labeled “App Permissions.”
Step 2: Next, scroll down and tap “Camera.” You will find three options for location access: “Allow only while using the app,” “Ask every time,” and “Don’t allow (or Deny).” The first option is the most common choice, so you should change this to “Ask every time.”
As you know, knowledge is ineffective if not applied. Therefore, I encourage you to try these tips and see how much more control you can gain over your location sharing.
I have written a guide on how to prevent Google Photos from displaying your private or sensitive images to others. It’s essential reading if you want to avoid any embarrassing situations. You can find it here: Google Photos Could Be Sharing Your Secret Photos—Here’s How to Stop It!
