How to prevent Google from recording your movements

You can deactivate the Web & App Activity setting in your Google account.


Accused of continuing to track users’ movements even when they have turned off their location history, Google is being sued in the United States for unauthorised location data collection.

For those of you who are eager to protect your privacy, there is a way to prevent Google from tracking your smartphone.

To ensure that Google no longer collects any location data, the trick is to deactivate anything that relates to “Web & App Activity” as well as your “location history” in the “activity controls” setting of your Google account.

ALSO READ: Reminder: Your smartphone is likely tracking your location

Do bear in mind, however, that “Web & App Activity” data helps speed up searches and enhance recommendations for various Google services. Deactivating this functionality also considerably limits the utility of Google Assistant.

Finally, there is a even more radical and definitive solution, and that is to deactivate geolocation in the OS of your smartphone.

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.

Read more on these topics

google Mobile Science smartphones

Access premium news and stories

Access to the top content, vouchers and other member only benefits