Decision sheet — Android & iPhone
Stop a phone tracking app and regain control of sharing
Stop it in three places, in this order. In the service: end the sharing session or remove the people who can see you. On the phone: set the app's location permission to Don't allow on Android or Never on iPhone. Then, if you no longer trust the app, delete it and ask the developer to delete your data. On iPhone with iOS 16 or later, Safety Check can stop sharing with people and apps in one pass. If someone else may have installed the app, plan first — removing it can alert them.
- Read7–9 min read
- You needThe phone in your hand, unlocked
- Works onAndroid (labels vary by maker) · iPhone (Safety Check on iOS 16 and later)
Verified: October 2026 against Apple Support, Apple's Personal Safety User Guide, Google Android Help, Google Play Help and the FTC.
Stop sharing at the service level and review device permissions. If you no longer trust the app, remove it and use its data-deletion process — uninstalling closes access on the phone but does not, by itself, delete what the provider already holds.
How to stop an app and confirm it stopped
- Stop the sharing inside the service. Open the app and end any live share, remove people from its sharing or family list, and turn off any share link you created. For Find My on iPhone: People › the person › Stop Sharing My Location. Apple says the person isn't notified and can't see you in their list of friends.
- Revoke the permission. On Android: touch and hold the app icon › App info › Permissions › Location › Don't allow, then review its other permissions. On iPhone: Settings › Privacy & Security › Location Services › the app › Never.
- Use one-pass tools if there are many. On iPhone with iOS 16 or later, Settings › Privacy & Security › Safety Check › Manage Sharing & Access reviews people and apps; Emergency Reset stops sharing with all people and apps immediately.
- Remove the app if you no longer trust it. Android: Play Store › profile › Manage apps & devices › Manage › the app › Uninstall. iPhone: touch and hold the app › Remove App › Delete App. Some preinstalled Android apps can't be deleted, only turned off on certain phones.
- Ask for your data to be deleted. Google Play requires apps that let you create an account to offer an in-app path and a web link to delete the account and its data. If you can't do it inside the app, contact the developer. On iPhone, data the app kept in iCloud isn't deleted with the app.
- Check the result. Reopen the permission page and the service's sharing list, and look at Android's privacy dashboard or iPhone's App Privacy Report over the next days for any new access.
Whose app is it?
Pick the situation that matches the app you want to stop.
Straightforward.
You can end sharing, revoke the permission and uninstall in any order, then request deletion through the app or the developer.
Do this: Follow the six steps above and check the result.
Talk, then change it.
The arrangement was agreed, so ending it is also a conversation. Stopping sharing in Find My does not notify the person, but they may notice your location is gone.
Do this: Say you are ending it, stop sharing in the service, then revoke the permission.
You manage it together.
For a phone you look after for a child in your care, the same settings apply. Explain what you are changing and why.
Do this: Change the permission with your child, and review again when the arrangement changes.
Plan before you remove it.
The FTC warns that removing monitoring software could alert the person who installed it and may escalate abuse. It recommends reaching out to a domestic violence advocate through the National Domestic Violence Hotline first.
Do this: Make a safety plan; a factory reset may remove the software once you are ready.
Edge cases — what stopping does not undo
- What was already seen
- Stopping sharing ends future updates. It does not recall a screenshot or anything a recipient already saw, and the official help does not describe any way to recall shared copies.
- Uninstalling is not cancelling
- The official help does not describe uninstalling as cancelling a subscription. Check billing in the app store or the service separately.
- Location off still serves emergencies
- Turning location off stops apps from using it, but Google and Apple both note that your location can still be sent to emergency responders when you call an emergency number.
- Safety Check is not everything
- Apple lists accounts and passwords, social media sharing and information shared from another device as things Safety Check can't review or change. Review those by hand.
- Preinstalled apps
- Some system apps on Android can't be deleted; on some phones they can only be turned off, and Google refers you to the device manufacturer for how.
- Restarting sharing later
- After Safety Check, sharing with someone restarts only when you share again from the app or service. In Find My, the person gets a notification if you start sharing again.
What each step stops
| Future location updates | People who can see you | Data the provider holds | |
|---|---|---|---|
| End sharing in the service | Stops for those people | Yes | No |
| Revoke the location permission | Yes, from the phone | Not directly — they see no new points | No |
| Safety Check (iOS 16+) | Yes, for apps and people it covers | Yes, for sharing it covers | No |
| Uninstall the app | Yes, from the phone | Not inside the service | No — iCloud and server data remain |
| Deletion request | — | — | Yes, under the app's policy |
| Factory reset | Yes, on that phone | Apple: resets location sharing with people and apps from that device | No |
Check the result after stopping
Service sharing
Verify that the intended recipient or link is no longer active.
Device access
Reopen the permission page and confirm the app no longer has access you meant to remove.
History and billing
Inspect deletion and cancellation separately. Uninstalling is not proof that either has completed.
New access
Watch the privacy dashboard or App Privacy Report for a few days for any new use of location.
Stopping an app happens on the phone and inside the service, by the person who uses them. No outside website can stop an app on your phone for you, and none can start one from a phone number. If you think software was put on your phone by someone else, the FTC's guidance is the safer starting point than any app that promises to detect it.
Official sources (checked October 2026)
Questions people ask
If I stop sharing my location in Find My, will the person be told?
No. Apple says that if you stop sharing in Find My, the person isn't notified and can't see you in their list of friends. If you turn sharing back on, they get a notification.
Is revoking the permission enough?
It stops the app reading location from the phone. It does not remove people from the service's sharing list or delete stored history, so do those separately.
Does uninstalling an app delete my data?
On iPhone, deleting an app removes it and its data from the phone, but data it stored in iCloud isn't deleted. Data on the provider's servers needs a deletion request.
How do I ask an app to delete my data?
Google Play requires apps with accounts to offer an in-app path and a web link for deleting the account and its data. If you can't find it, contact the developer; the app's privacy policy explains the process.
What is Emergency Reset on iPhone?
Part of Safety Check on iOS 16 or later. Apple says it lets you quickly stop sharing with all people and apps, review your emergency contacts, and review the devices connected to your Apple Account.
I think someone else installed the app. Should I delete it now?
Pause first if your safety may be at risk. The FTC warns that removing monitoring software could alert the person who installed it and suggests contacting a domestic violence advocate before removing it.
Will turning off location stop emergency services finding me?
No. Google and Apple both note that your location can still be sent to emergency responders when you call or text an emergency number.