Hide Location from Abusers (GPS Spoofing & Burners)
To reduce an abuser’s access to your location, first map every account, device, and service that can share it. Make changes only when it is safe, preferably from a device the abuser has never controlled. GPS spoofing and prepaid phones are not reliable privacy tools; careful account checks and survivor-led safety planning are safer starting points.
If someone in your family may be tracking you, a sudden change can draw attention. A location setting is only one part of the picture: shared accounts, a mobile plan, a car app, or a wearable may reveal information too. Your safety comes before a complete privacy cleanup.
I approach this as a safety-planning problem, not a phone trick. The NNEDV Safety Net Project recommends considering the technology, the person who may be monitoring it, and the risk of changing access. If a change might increase immediate danger, do not make it on a monitored device. Contact a domestic-violence advocate using a safer device, if you can. In the United States, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-SAFE (7233). Call emergency services if you are in immediate danger.
Start with safety, not settings
Safety planning means choosing steps based on your situation, the devices you trust, and the chance that someone may notice a change. There is no single setting that makes a phone invisible. Before changing anything, consider whether the other person can see your screen, accounts, bills, or alerts.
Use a device the other person has never controlled, if one is available. This could be a trusted person’s device or one at a service organization. Avoid signing into your usual accounts on it if the other person can access those accounts. A new sign-in, password reset, or stopped location share may create a notification.
If you think someone is monitoring a device, avoid using it to search for help or make a safety plan. Use a safer device and ask an advocate how to proceed. If you may need evidence for legal or safety reasons, consider preserving it before changing settings. Do not put yourself at risk to collect it.
A useful first step is to write down, somewhere the other person cannot access:
- Which phones, tablets, watches, and computers you use
- Who can sign in to your Apple, Google, or other accounts
- Who controls your mobile plan
- Which people or services can see your location
- Whether your vehicle or wearable has its own app or account
Next step: Make a private map of possible access routes before revoking anything.
Find every path that can reveal your location
Location sharing is the ability to let another person or service see where a device or account appears to be. It can run through phone settings, apps, shared accounts, vehicles, and mobile plans. Checking only one phone setting may leave other routes open.
If you can safely use a trusted device, review the accounts and services the other person may access. Check Apple Find My, Google Maps Location Sharing, messaging apps, family-sharing plans, vehicle apps, and wearable devices. Consider shared cloud backups and shared login details as well.
Apple devices: Go to Settings → Privacy & Security → Safety Check. Review Manage Sharing & Access to see people, apps, and devices with access. Apple’s Emergency Reset can quickly stop sharing, but that sudden change may be noticed. Review first and choose a safe time before making changes.
Google Maps: Open Google Maps, tap your profile picture, then tap Location sharing. Review who can see your location. To check account access, open your Google Account and review Security → Your devices and third-party access.
Android devices: Go to Settings → Location → App location permissions and review which apps can access location. Where available, check whether Use precise location is on for each app. Menu names vary by phone maker and Android version.
Also check who controls the mobile plan and recovery options for your accounts. A plan administrator may have access to account details, and shared Apple or Google credentials may expose information beyond location. A vehicle account can be separate from your phone account.
Next step: List each access route and who controls it. Do not assume that changing one setting closes them all.
Make changes in stages, and verify them
A staged approach means reviewing access first, then making selected changes when you have considered the risk. It helps prevent a rushed change from cutting off support or creating an alert. If discovery could put you in danger, pause and plan with an advocate.
- Survey from a safer device. List accounts, shared devices, location recipients, and who controls the mobile plan. Preserve relevant evidence first if it may matter for safety or legal reasons.
- Choose a safe time and device. Assume a password reset, new sign-in, or stopped share could generate an alert. Seek advice before changing access if the other person may react.
- Revoke access selectively. Stop unwanted sharing in the relevant Apple, Google, app, or vehicle account. Remove unfamiliar signed-in devices only if it is safe to do so.
- Protect account recovery. From a trusted device, change passwords and set recovery methods the other person cannot access. A password change alone may not remove sessions on other devices, so review signed-in devices too.
- Verify the result. Recheck sharing lists and account sessions. If safe, ask a trusted person to confirm that they cannot see your location through the services you changed. Check again after app or account updates.
You may need to keep some sharing in place for safety, childcare, or other practical reasons. The aim is not to shut off every service automatically; it is to understand who has access and make informed choices.
Next step: After each change, confirm what changed and consider whether the other person could have received an alert.
GPS spoofing and burner phones: what they can’t promise
GPS spoofing means making an app or device report a false location. It is not a dependable safety measure: it may fail, reveal data, violate service terms, or create false confidence. A prepaid or “burner” phone is not automatically anonymous; accounts, contacts, network records, backups, or physical discovery may link it to you.
I do not recommend GPS-spoofing apps or configuration tricks to hide from an abuser. They may affect only one app’s location reading, while other services or account access continue to reveal information. A false location can also create a dangerous gap between what you believe is shared and what is actually visible.
Turning off Location Services, using Airplane Mode, or removing a SIM does not reliably make a phone unlocatable. Network data, Wi-Fi, account sharing, apps, and emergency-call systems may still disclose location. Do not disable emergency-location features as a privacy workaround.
A separate phone may help in some safety plans, but it is not anonymous by itself. It can be linked through accounts, contacts, network records, shared backups, or physical discovery. If you are considering one, plan with an advocate and do not sync it to accounts the other person controls.
| Option | What it may change | Important limit |
|---|---|---|
| Stop a specific location share | Access through that service | Other apps or accounts may still share |
| Review signed-in devices | Account sessions you can see | A new sign-in or removal may be noticed |
| GPS spoofing | A location reported by some apps | Not reliable across services or devices |
| Prepaid phone | A separate device and plan | Not anonymous or safe by itself |
| Airplane Mode or SIM removal | Some wireless connections | Does not guarantee the phone cannot be located |
Next step: Use account controls and safety planning rather than relying on a false location or a supposedly anonymous phone.
Illustrative safety-planning scenarios
These scenarios are examples, not reports of real people. They show why the safest response depends on who controls the device and accounts. A domestic-violence advocate can help tailor steps to your situation and reduce the chance that a change raises risk.
A shared Apple account: Imagine a person finds that a former partner may still have access through Find My. Rather than immediately using Emergency Reset on a phone the former partner can inspect, they use a safer device to review access and talk with an advocate. They choose when and how to change sharing, then verify access afterward.
A phone plan controlled by a partner: Imagine someone turns off location sharing in Google Maps but learns the other person manages the mobile account and knows the account password. The Maps change may not address those other access routes. With support, they review account access, recovery options, and the plan administrator before deciding what is safe to change.
The key lesson is that the visible setting may not be the only route. Next step: Match each change to the specific account or person it is meant to block, then check whether other routes remain.
Frequently asked questions
Can I hide my location by turning off Location Services?
Not reliably. Other account sharing, network data, Wi-Fi, apps, or emergency-call systems may still disclose location.
Will Airplane Mode stop an abuser from tracking my phone?
It is not a reliable guarantee. Do not rely on it as a safety measure or disable emergency-location features to hide.
Does removing my SIM card make my phone untraceable?
No. A phone may still share information through other connections, apps, or accounts. Removing a SIM does not ensure privacy.
Is GPS spoofing a safe way to show a false location?
No. It may fail or affect only one app, while other services continue to share information. It can create false confidence.
Are burner phones anonymous?
No. A separate phone can be linked through accounts, contacts, network records, backups, or physical discovery. Plan its use with an advocate.
How do I check Google Maps location sharing?
In Google Maps, tap your profile picture, choose Location sharing, and review who can see your location. Make changes only if it is safe.
How do I check location access on an iPhone?
Open Settings → Privacy & Security → Safety Check. Review Manage Sharing & Access before changing anything. Emergency Reset may abruptly stop sharing and be noticed.
Can changing a password stop access from another device?
It may not end every existing session. Review signed-in devices and recovery methods as well, and consider whether the change could trigger an alert.
What if I think my phone is monitored?
Avoid using it for sensitive searches or changes if that could raise risk. Use a device the other person has never controlled and contact a domestic-violence advocate.
Who can help me make a safer plan in the United States?
The National Domestic Violence Hotline is 800-799-SAFE (7233). If you are in immediate danger, call emergency services.
(This article was written by one of our staff writers, Richard Montclair. Visit our Meet the Team page.)
