How to turn off location history on your phone and delete the old records

Two separate things keep track of where your phone has been: the operating system, and the individual apps. On Android this runs through Google's Timeline feature (formerly Location History); on iPhone it is the Significant Locations setting. Both now keep the primary copy of that data on the device itself, so the old routine of managing it from a web page no longer applies. The steps below both stop the recording and delete what has already piled up. Menu names are given in English, with the Turkish equivalents in brackets for phones set to Turkish.

1. Understand which record you are switching off There are two different things here: (1) the history that accumulates your daily movements, and (2) the location permission you have granted to each individual app. Switching off the first silences Timeline or Significant Locations; until you handle the second, apps can still send your location to their own servers. For a lasting result you need to do both. Note also that Google Timeline data is now stored on the device, so if you reset the phone there is no way to recover deleted records.
2. Android: turn Timeline off Open Google Maps, tap your profile picture in the top right and go to "Your Timeline" [Zaman Çizelgeniz]. Open the three-dot menu at the top right and tap "Location & privacy settings" [Konum ve gizlilik ayarları]. Tap the "Timeline is on" [Zaman Çizelgesi açık] row and choose either "Turn off" or "Turn off and delete activity". The second option stops the recording and wipes the data already collected in one move.
3. Android: delete the Timeline data you already have On the same "Location & privacy settings" screen, tap "Delete all Timeline data" [Tüm Zaman Çizelgesi verilerini sil] and confirm on screen. If you would rather remove specific days, go to that day through the calendar on the Timeline screen and use "Delete day" in the three-dot menu. To remove a single stop, tap that visit and choose the removal option in its three-dot menu. Deletion cannot be undone, so see the tips below if you want to archive first.
4. Android: set auto-delete to the shortest period If you do not want to switch Timeline off entirely but also do not want data piling up, open "Auto-delete Timeline" [Zaman Çizelgesini otomatik sil] on the same screen. Pick the shortest retention period offered, which is three months. Older records are then cleared automatically and you never have to think about it again. You only need to set this once.
5. Android: review app location permissions one by one Go to Settings → Location → "App location permissions" [Uygulama konum izinleri] and read the list from top to bottom. Each app offers four levels: allow all the time, allow only while using the app, ask every time, and don't allow. For everything outside navigation and delivery, "only while using the app" or "don't allow" is usually enough. Turning off "Use precise location" [Kesin konumu kullan] on the same screen leaves the app with only your approximate location, which is plenty for weather and news apps.
6. Android: delete your advertising ID Even with location history off, the advertising ID lets apps match you across one another. Go to Settings → Privacy → Ads [Gizlilik → Reklamlar], tap "Delete advertising ID" and confirm. If you only want to rotate it, "Reset advertising ID" sits on the same screen. On older Android versions the path is Settings → Privacy → Advanced → Ads.
7. iPhone: clear Significant Locations and switch it off Open Settings and go to "Privacy & Security" [Gizlilik ve Güvenlik] → "Location Services" [Konum Servisleri] → "System Services" [Sistem Servisleri] at the bottom of the list. Tap "Significant Locations & Routes" [Önemli Konumlar ve Rotalar]; your iPhone may ask you to authenticate. Use "Clear History" to wipe the stored records, then turn off the switch on the same screen to stop new ones being kept. Clearing the history removes these locations everywhere you are signed in with the same Apple Account.
8. iPhone: tighten per-app location access Still in Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services, work through the app list. For each app choose one of "Never", "Ask Next Time Or When I Share", "While Using the App" or "Always". Turning off "Precise Location" on the same screen leaves the app with only your approximate position. If you are sure you never need location, you can switch off Location Services at the top of the screen altogether, but navigation and Find My will stop working too.
9. iPhone: turn off tracking and personalized ads Go to Settings → Privacy & Security → "Tracking" [İzleme] and keep app tracking requests switched off; you can also revoke individual apps from that list. Then go to Settings → Privacy & Security → "Apple Advertising" [Apple Reklamcılığı] and turn off "Personalized Ads". To cut geographically targeted ads as well, set the App Store and News apps to "Never" in the Location Services list. These settings do not reduce how many ads you see, only how well the ads know you.

⚠ This guide is general information. Yudum cannot be held responsible for the outcome of following it; for official procedures always rely on the institution's own statement. Steps and fees change over time.

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