How to turn off location tracking in Facebook for Android

Unlike Apple’s iOS, the Android mobile operating system has pretty sparse privacy controls. Apps either have access to everything, or nothing, meaning many users reluctantly or unknowingly grant them more permissions than they need.

Facebook has now added the ability for users to turn off the continuous logging of users’ locations in the background. In its announcement, the social media juggernaut announced “Location Control and Checkup” options.

“With this update, you’ll have a dedicated way to choose whether or not to share your location when you aren’t using the app,” Facebook says. “For people who previously chose to turn their Location History setting ‘on,’ the new background location setting is “on.” For people who had turned Location History ‘off’ – or never turned it on in the first place – the new background location setting is ‘off.'”

The ‘checkup’ is what Facebook is rolling out for users of Apple’s iOS devices.

“For people who use Facebook for iOS, nothing is changing,” the company notes. “But we will send a similar alert to everyone who chose to turn on Location History in the past so they can check to make sure their settings are right for them.”

To access location privacy controls, open the Facebook app and then tap “Privacy and Settings” in the main menu. There, click on “Location” to choose your preferred setting.

“Location information makes it possible for people to use Facebook to plan events, see more relevant ads, mark themselves safe in a crisis and share their favorite places,” Facebook explains, adding that location information also helps keep your account secure.

But if you don’t use Facebook features that rely on location information, you might as well flip those switches to “off.”