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Around Sixty Percent of all mobile users in the United States use an iPhone or an iOS device. iPhone sales are on the rise, and iOS app development companies are thriving. This growth is a direct result of Apple’s security and innovative features. One such feature is Find My iPhone, which lets you locate your lost devices or share your location with close friends and family.
However, you may pause your location on Find My iPhone for personal reasons. In that case, Apple offers the option to freeze or outright stop sharing your location with others. If you wish to stop sharing location with that one guy you were once close to, or if you want to eat at that one place without your siblings knowing, this blog will tell you how to do that.
This blog will cover all viable methods of pausing or stopping location sharing on Find My iPhone, including basic options that are easy to understand and perform, as well as more advanced techniques that make you virtually immune to location tracking.
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Find My is a helpful feature built into most Apple devices, including iPhones, Apple Watches, iPods, and AirTags. It allows you to locate, lock, or erase your devices in case you lose access to them or they are stolen. It utilizes the iCloud network and GPS to display the live location of your devices, even if they are disconnected from the internet or powered off. Find My offers several features that can help you retrieve your lost device:
If you lose your device, you can track it with its live location from the Find My app. You can also share your device’s live location with family and friends to help you find it. Share the link with them through the Find My app. This link stops sharing when you retrieve your device or expires automatically after seven days.
If you can’t find your iPhone or a nearby Apple device, you can play a sound to pinpoint its exact location. Most Apple devices come with a built-in speaker that can play a loud, audible noise, making the process even easier. Whether your iPhone is sneaking under the couch or hiding in a drawer, the Find My app has made finding it easier than ever. Playing sound works with devices like iPhones, iPods, AirPods, AirTags, and Apple Watches.
If you’re like me and always forget your iPhone or iPod when you go out, only to have your entire trip ruined, this feature is just for you. With the Find My application, you can enable notifications to receive reminders whenever you forget your devices at home. Turn on the “Notify when left behind” on the device of your choice. Suppose you want to leave your device at a place like your office or studio. In that case, you can manage the device and add location exceptions as needed.
If your iPhone or a different device goes missing, you can try activating Lost Mode. Lost mode starts tracking its location and automatically locks your device to protect your private data. Your passcode will be required to unlock the device and turn off Lost Mode. Additionally, you can display a custom message on the lock screen if your device supports this feature. Messages like “I lost this device, contact me here” or “This device is lost, please return it to this address” will help the person who finds your device return it to you.
If you are concerned that someone has stolen your iPhone and you believe it is unrecoverable, you can remotely erase your private data from your iPhone through the Find My app. Moreover, if you manage to retrieve your iPhone later, you can easily restore your data by using your iCloud backup.
Enabling Find My on any device automatically turns on the “Activation Lock” feature. Activation Lock prevents snatchers or anyone else from using or selling your iPhone. Erasing or reactivating your device will require your Apple account credentials. Even if someone manages to erase your Apple device, the Hello screen will still show that it’s locked and connected to a different Apple account.
Whether you are conscious of your privacy or simply want to temporarily stop sharing your location, the Find My app offers various ways to achieve this. Below is a step-by-step guide to help you easily pause your location on Find My iPhone.
It is one of the simplest and easiest methods. Turning on Airplane mode will freeze your last known location on the Find My app. Here’s how you can do it:
Step 1: Swipe down on the home screen.
Step 2: Turn off Airplane mode.
Although this method will pause your location on Find My iPhone, it will also prevent you from using your WiFi or cellular data. Moreover, others will see your location as unavailable on their Find My Friends/Family, letting them know that you have taken steps to stop your location tracking.
An alternative method is to turn off location services in your iPhone’s settings. This method will stop Find My from tracking your location until you turn it off. Will it notify others? No, not in the sense that it tells them, but if they visit your profile in the Find My app, they will be able to see that you have turned off your location services. To follow this method, follow these steps:
Step 1: Go to your iPhone settings.
Step 2: Scroll down to “Privacy and Security.”
Step 3: Tap on it and find “Location Services.”
Step 4: Click on it and choose “Share My Location”.
Step 5: Once done, turn off the “Location Services” option.
Although this method allows you to freeze your location on Find My, it also renders maps and other location-based services unavailable.
If you want to restrict location sharing specifically to Find My, you can turn off “Share my location” in the Find My settings. To access these settings, follow these steps,
Step 1: Go to your iPhone settings.
Step 2: Tap on your name at the top.
Step 3: Once in the Apple ID settings, scroll down.
Step 4: Tap on “Find My”
Step 5: Once done, turn off the “Share My Location” option.
With this method, you can turn off location sharing for “Find My” while still using maps and other location-based applications.
Suppose you want to stop sharing your location with a specific person. In that case, there is a way to pause your location on the Find My app without them knowing. Whether you’re an old friend with whom you no longer communicate or you’re moving on from a past relationship, follow these steps to pause your location discreetly with someone:
Step 1: Open the “Find My” App on your iPhone.
Step 2: Tap the “People” tab at the bottom of the screen.
Step 3: From the list of people you’re sharing your location with, select the person you want to stop sharing with.
Step 4: Scroll down and tap “Stop Sharing My Location.”
This way, you stop sharing locations with them without them ever knowing, with notifications or messages. You should note that there will be a message about “stopped location sharing,” but it will only be visible to you, not to them. Although it doesn’t notify them, if they search for your name on the Find My app, they will be able to see that you two no longer share location with each other.
This method is comparatively easy and 100% foolproof, but it requires two working iPhones or other Apple devices, such as Apple Watches or an iPad. To stop location sharing, follow these steps to turn off location sharing from the settings on your main iPhone.
Step 1: Go to your iPhone settings.
Step 2: Scroll down to “Privacy and Security.”
Step 3: Tap on it and find “Location Services.”
Step 4: Click on it and choose “Share My Location.”
Step 5: Once done, turn off the “Share My Location” option.
Step 6: Once done, enable the location sharing on a second iPhone or iPad that you leave at home as a decoy.
This way, they will see that you are sharing your current location and that you are at your house, while you are free to go anywhere.
Using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) is one of the easiest ways of faking your location without anyone knowing. A VPN allows you to establish a virtual connection to a server hosted somewhere else. To set up a VPN on iPhone, follow these steps:
Step 1: Open the Apple App Store.
Step 2: Type VPN in the search bar.
Step 3: Choose the VPN that you find the best and click “Install” and wait for a few seconds.
Step 4: Once the installation is complete, tap on open.
Step 5: Accept the terms and conditions.
Step 6: Tap on “Connect”
Step 7: When a prompt appears, choose “Allow”
Step 8: To disable the VPN, simply open the app and tap “Disconnect”.
Although VPN allow you to fake your location, they only provide a limited number of locations.
This method is slightly complicated, but doesn’t require a secondary device or bind you to specific locations. This method utilizes a third-party application, “iMyFone AnyTo” in this case, to easily manipulate GPS locations without anyone knowing. This method changes your location not only for Find My but also for all other iOS applications that use your current location. To follow this method, follow these steps.
Step 1: Install “iMyFone AnyTo” or any other third-party spoofer on your Windows or Mac computer.
Step 2: Plug your iPhone into your computer.
Step 3: Launch the application and wait for it to install Apple drivers.
Step 4: It will ask you to unplug and replug your iPhone.
Step 5: After doing so, you will be greeted by the homescreen.
Step 7: You have multiple options to choose from
Step 8: Select your desired mode and enter the location or coordinates.
Step 9: Click on “Move,” and you’re done.
You can safely disconnect your iPhone, and it should now show the fake address as your current location. To return to your actual location, simply restart your iPhone. This method is by far the most robust; there’s virtually no way for anyone to figure out that it’s a fake location unless you are moving from state to state in a matter of minutes.
Find My iPhone is a valuable application that enables you to locate your lost devices and share your location with those close to you, providing peace of mind. It offers several effective methods for retrieving your missing phone, including alert sounds and activating Lost Mode.
But Find My iPhone is a double-edged sword; while it helps recover devices, it can also be used by overprotective parents or controlling partners without appropriate boundaries. This guide provides detailed information on effective methods for stopping or temporarily pausing your location sharing, ranging from basic solutions, such as enabling airplane mode, to advanced solutions that are nearly undetectable.
If you need help or have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us at Trango Tech, a custom app development company with years of experience in app development and technology.
Yes, it is possible to fake your location on the Find My iPhone app. The easiest way is to set it up on a second phone and turn off location sharing on your primary phone. Now, keep the second phone at your house, so wherever you go with your primary phone, your decoy phone at home can continue to fool others.
If the method isn’t relevant to you, you can use a third-party application like “iMyFone AnyTo” to fake your location. With this method, you can even simulate your visit to one or multiple locations.
If you suspect someone might be faking their iPhone location, there is no concrete way to prove it without literally going to their location and confronting them. However, you can look for irregular patterns, such as unnecessary visits, high speeds even in traffic, or looping walking patterns. Checking these things can give you an idea if they are faking their location, but they are not reliable signs. Ultimately, it all comes down to your instincts.
If someone is hiding their location, you should check their Find My profile to see if their location is available. If it says “location not available”, it may be because they have hidden their location or stopped sharing with you specifically. However, this should be taken with a grain of salt, as it’s relatively common for locations to become unavailable due to network issues, system glitches, or the phone running out of power, and an unavailable location is not always intentional.
If you have a mobile phone and someone wants to track you hard enough, there will always be a way to be tracked. To make it virtually impossible to track, you must turn off your Wi-Fi, turn off your cellular connection, turn off Bluetooth, deactivate all location services, and power off your phone, which completely defeats the purpose of having a mobile phone and leaves you with a brick that you paid hundreds of dollars for.
The most practical thing is to mitigate the number of ways you can be tracked, such as using a VPN, turning off location sharing, and turning off your cellular connection. If you follow these security measures, you will be much harder to track, but still not invisible.
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Zarar is a tech enthusiast, athlete, content writer, and a self-proclaimed indie game critic. He is a person who values and appreciates quality, whether it's in the media he consumes or the content he creates. He started as a freelance ghostwriter and has since transitioned to a writing position at an app development company. When he's not at work, he's usually found watching obscure documentaries or browsing for things he can't afford.
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