How to prevent Google from saving your smartphone's location

Anyone wanting to turn off data collection on their Android device can do so by accessing the privacy menu in their Google account. — dpa

Turning off the Location History feature on your Android smartphone will not prevent Google from knowing where you go and when.

Information on your location will continue to be collected, as Google discloses in the fine print of the Android terms of use. Turning off the feature only ensures that the data no longer gets added to your monthly Location History. But some location data will, for instance, still be saved if you use Google Maps.

However, there is a way to completely turn off the data collection on your Android device. Open the privacy menu in your Google account and then select "Activity controls". Here, you can choose to turn off the "Web & App Activity". Only then will the compiled location data no longer be saved.

These steps can be taken directly on your smartphone in the Google app or through an Internet browser after signing into your account.

Also under the privacy menu, users can select "My Activity" to see which data is created when they use Google services and delete data if they wish to do so. – dpa