What tracking means on your iPhone, and why you might want to stop it
Your iPhone collects data about where you go, what apps you use, and what you click on. Some of this tracking happens inside Apple's own system. Some happens because apps you installed ask permission to watch your activity. Disabling tracking means telling your phone and the apps on it to stop collecting that information, or at least to stop sharing it with companies that want to sell it or use it to target ads at you.
You cannot turn off all tracking — your phone needs to know some things about itself to work. But you can stop apps from following you around the internet, prevent your location from being recorded, and refuse to let advertisers build a profile of your habits. The steps below cover the main places where tracking happens and how to shut each one down.
Key Takeaways
- App Tracking Transparency, found in Settings > Privacy > Tracking, lets you deny individual apps permission to follow your activity across other apps and websites.
- Location Services in Settings > Privacy > Location Services controls whether apps can see where you are; you can turn it off entirely or choose which apps get access.
- Personalized Ads in Settings > Privacy > Apple Advertising lets you opt out of ads based on your behavior, though you will still see ads.
- Safari's Prevent Cross-Site Tracking setting blocks websites from following you between different sites, and is turned on by default.
- Siri and Search suggestions can be disabled in Settings > Siri & Search if you do not want Apple storing what you search for.
Turn off App Tracking Transparency to stop apps from following you
When you open an app for the first time, it may ask permission to "track" you. This means the app wants to follow what you do in other apps and on websites, so it can build a profile of your interests and sell that information to advertisers. App Tracking Transparency is Apple's system for asking your permission first.
To disable tracking for individual apps: Open Settings, tap Privacy, then tap Tracking. You will see a list of every app that has asked for permission. Toggle off the switch next to any app you do not want tracking you. If you want to deny tracking to all apps at once, toggle off "Allow Apps to Request to Track" at the top of the screen. This will prevent new apps from even asking.
Turning this off does not break the app — it just tells the app it cannot follow you elsewhere. The app will still work normally.
Control Location Services so apps cannot see where you are
Location Services is the system that lets apps know your GPS location. Maps needs it to give you directions. Weather needs it to show your local forecast. But many apps ask for location permission and then use it for purposes you did not expect — to track your movements over time, to sell location data, or to show you ads based on where you shop.
Go to Settings > Privacy > Location Services. You can toggle off Location Services entirely at the top, which will disable it for all apps. Or you can keep it on and control which apps get access. Tap each app and choose "Never," "While Using," or "Always." "While Using" means the app can see your location only when you have it open. "Always" means it can see your location even when you are not using it — choose this only for apps that genuinely need it, like Maps or your weather app.
Some apps will ask you to choose "Always" or they will not work properly. You can usually refuse and use "While Using" instead; the app will function, just with less convenience.
Opt out of personalized ads in Apple's advertising system
Apple shows ads in the App Store, Apple News, and Stocks. These ads are personalized — meaning Apple builds a profile of your interests based on what you do on your phone, and shows you ads it thinks you will click. You cannot remove ads entirely, but you can opt out of personalization so the ads are random instead of targeted.
Open Settings, tap Privacy, then tap Apple Advertising. Toggle off "Personalized Ads." Apple will still show you ads, but they will not be based on your behavior. This does not affect ads from other companies — only Apple's own ad system.
Block cross-site tracking in Safari
When you browse the web, tracking companies follow you from site to site using small files called cookies. A tracking company might place a cookie on a news website you visit, then recognize that same cookie when you visit a shopping site later, and use that to build a profile of your interests.
Safari has a setting called Prevent Cross-Site Tracking that blocks this. Go to Settings > Safari and toggle on "Prevent Cross-Site Tracking." This is turned on by default in newer iPhones, so you may not need to do anything. This setting tells websites not to share your activity with trackers, though some websites ignore the request.
If you want stronger privacy in Safari, you can also enable "Privacy Preserving Ad Measurement" in the same menu. This lets websites measure whether their ads work without learning who you are.
Turn off Siri and Search suggestions to stop Apple from storing your searches
When you search in Spotlight (the search screen you see when you swipe down from the top), Siri learns what you search for and stores it on Apple's servers. This helps Siri give you better suggestions, but it also means Apple has a record of what you look for.
To disable this, go to Settings > Siri & Search. Scroll down and toggle off "Siri & Suggestions" for any app you do not want Siri learning about. You can also toggle off "Suggestions in Search" to stop Siri from suggesting things based on your search history. These apps will still work — Siri just will not learn from them or suggest them to you.
Understand what you cannot turn off, and why
Some tracking is built into how your phone works and cannot be disabled. Your phone needs to know your location to connect to cell towers and WiFi. It needs to know what apps you use to manage storage and battery. Apple's servers need to know when you back up your data, what apps you have installed, and whether you are using iCloud.
You can minimize this by not using iCloud, not letting apps access location, and not installing apps that ask for unnecessary permissions. But you cannot eliminate it entirely without making your phone unusable. The steps above let you control the tracking that is optional — the kind that exists mainly to sell ads or data about you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will disabling tracking make my apps work worse?
Most apps work exactly the same. Some apps use location to function — Maps needs it for directions, weather apps need it for forecasts. But apps that ask for "Always" location access or permission to track you across other apps are asking for more than they need to work. Refusing these requests usually has no effect on how the app performs.
Does turning off tracking stop all ads?
No. Turning off tracking stops personalized ads — ads chosen based on your behavior. You will still see ads in apps and websites; they just will not be targeted to your interests. Some apps require ads to be free, so disabling tracking does not remove them.
Can I turn tracking back on for specific apps I trust?
Yes. Go to Settings > Privacy > Tracking and toggle on the switch next to any app you want to allow tracking. You can also change location permissions for individual apps in Settings > Privacy > Location Services. You control each app separately.
What is the difference between location and tracking?
Location is where you are right now. Tracking is a record of where you have been over time. An app can have location permission without tracking — it sees your current location only when you use it. Tracking happens when an app or company records your location history and uses it to build a profile of your habits.
Does disabling tracking affect iCloud backups or Find My iPhone?
No. Find My iPhone and iCloud backups are separate systems that do not depend on the tracking settings described here. Disabling App Tracking Transparency, Location Services, or personalized ads will not affect your ability to back up your phone or find it if it is lost.