"Smartphones are one of the most important electronic devices we carry with us, and we use them all the time. what you did before and after opening. The application or website, and the companies that provide your preferred services.
There are some unavoidable tracking cases where carriers keep track of your location because your phone searches every few seconds for the strongest signal from nearby cellular towers, and they track you to make sure you can be found in an emergency.
Recent reports have shown how easily people can be identified and geographically identified by anonymous data collected by applications on smartphones. Although the information provided by applications does not always identify the user´s identity, the location tracking is often very accurate So that it can be used to identify the behavior and habits of the person, as it shows where he goes during the day, and so many of these applications use this data for their benefit, or sell to advertisers and other companies that need this data.
This is where the frequently asked question arises from smartphone users, what can be done to prevent the phone, and applications from intruding?
Here are 6 tips to help you prevent your smartphone, apps from tracking your location:
1. Check your privacy settings and location for apps
The first steps to protect your privacy on your smartphone are to check your privacy settings and the location of each application installed on your phone.
Delete all the apps you no longer use. Many of us do not need half of the apps installed on your phone, and getting rid of these applications will make your phone work faster. Also, disable access to your site in apps, and services whose work does not depend on where you are.
2. Optimize location settings in apps
Some apps need to collect your location data to work, but you can adjust their settings to better protect your privacy.
First for iOS users, they can follow these steps:
• Go to Settings.
• Click Privacy.
• Click the Location Services option, you will see a list of applications, as well as the location setting for each.
• Within each application you will find three options, from which you can determine the level of access to your data: Always Always gives the app access to the site´s data all the time even if it is not used, the second while using the application while using the app, App from tracking your site.
Second: For Android OS users, they can follow these steps:
• Go to Settings.
• Click the Security & Location tab.
• Under Privacy, scroll down until you reach the Location option, click it.
• Click the App-level permissions option, you will see a list of applications, to turn off the site for the application you want, press the switch button next to it.
3. Turn off the Location History setting
Apple and Android devices keep a list called Frequent Locations, which includes all the places you visit and the duration of your stay. To protect your privacy, clear this registry from the settings.
4. Use VPNs
VPNs encrypt your activity over the Internet, and allow you to direct site visits to different servers to hide where you are.
When looking for a VPN provider, it´s important to be known and trusted. App stores include many free VPN applications, but they do questionable practices.
5. Opt out of targeted ads
Targeted Advertising is a way for advertisers to target potential customers based on a number of factors including gender, age, level of education, income level, and economic status. There are different types of targeted ads targeting: searches, social networks, and geographic location.
If you´re one of the millions of people who are bothered by this practice, you can opt out of targeted ads, remove some unwanted ads, and stop showing ads based on your interests and information.
6. Turn off all location services on your phone
As a last resort, you may consider disabling location services on your phone, but this is an impractical solution. Without site services, you will not be able to use maps to access places you do not know, and you can not use shared transport apps like Cream, Your phone is lost or stolen.
Bottom line: Using a smartphone means giving away access to full privacy, but taking some precautionary steps can secure your data, as well as protect your privacy from those you do not want to share your information with.