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App guide

How to turn off location on WhatsApp

A live location share runs for a set time in one individual or group chat. Stop it inside that chat, or end every live share at once from WhatsApp's own Privacy settings. WhatsApp does not document a notification when you stop, but the chat keeps the location you already shared as a static thumbnail.

Do they get told?WhatsApp does not document a notification when you stop sharing your live location. It documents what the chat still shows: once you stop, or the time you picked runs out, your live location is no longer shared, and the people you shared with continue to see the location you already shared as a static thumbnail image they can tap to see your last updated location.

Stop sharing live location in one chat

inside the WhatsApp app
Path
  1. WhatsApp
  2. the individual or group chat
  3. Stop sharing
  4. Stop sharing

From the vendor’s own page · WhatsApp iOS app, read 2026-09-17 · checked 2026-09-17 · source: WhatsApp Help Center — How to use live location (iOS)

Do they get told?WhatsApp does not document a notification when you stop. It documents that your live location is no longer shared once stopped or expired, and that the people you shared with continue to see the location you already shared as a static thumbnail image they can tap for your last updated location.
Who can still see you
Off
The people in that chat
Your live location stops updating for them. The location you already shared stays in the chat as a static thumbnail.
Still on
Your other live shares and every app
A live location running in any other chat keeps updating, and WhatsApp keeps its location permission.
Still visible
The network
Your carrier and any site you open still place you roughly by cell tower and IP address.

A live location share also ends on its own when the length of time you picked runs out.

Stop sharing live location in every chat

inside the WhatsApp app
Path
  1. WhatsApp
  2. Settings
  3. Privacy
  4. Live location
  5. Stop sharing
  6. Stop sharing

From the vendor’s own page · WhatsApp iOS app, read 2026-09-17 · checked 2026-09-17 · source: WhatsApp Help Center — How to use live location (iOS)

Do they get told?Ending every share reaches the same people as ending one, and WhatsApp documents no notification for either. It documents that your live location is no longer shared once stopped or expired, and that each chat keeps the location you already shared as a static thumbnail image.
Who can still see you
Off
Every chat you shared with
Every live location share ends at once. Each chat keeps the location you already shared as a static thumbnail.
Still on
WhatsApp itself and every other app
WhatsApp keeps its location permission, and location sharing in other apps is a separate switch that stays on.
Still visible
The network
Your carrier and any site you open still place you roughly by cell tower and IP address.

WhatsApp's page says you can open Settings from your profile picture instead.

Take location away from WhatsApp

in iPhone Settings
Path
  1. Settings
  2. Privacy & Security
  3. Location Services
  4. WhatsApp
  5. Never

From the vendor’s own page · iOS (current release), read 2026-09-17 · checked 2026-09-17 · source: Apple Support — Turn Location Services and GPS on or off on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, WhatsApp Help Center — How to use live location (iOS)

Do they get told?What the people in your chats see when WhatsApp's own access is set to Never is not documented on Apple's Location Services page, and WhatsApp's live location page does not describe it either. What is documented is the switch most people want instead: Stop sharing inside the chat, after which they still see the location you already shared as a static thumbnail image.
Who can still see you
Off
WhatsApp on this iPhone
The app can no longer read your position, so it has nothing new to send to any chat.
Still on
Every other app
This changes one app's permission only. Maps, Messages and everything else keep theirs.
Still visible
The network
Your carrier and any site you open still place you roughly by cell tower and IP address.

WhatsApp's own page prints this same path and ends it at Never.

Stop sharing live location in one chat

inside the WhatsApp app
Path
  1. WhatsApp
  2. the individual or group chat
  3. Stop sharing
  4. Stop

From the vendor’s own page · WhatsApp Android app, read 2026-09-17 · checked 2026-09-17 · source: WhatsApp Help Center — How to use live location (Android)

Do they get told?WhatsApp does not document a notification when you stop. It documents that your live location is no longer shared once stopped or expired, and that the people you shared with continue to see the location you already shared as a static thumbnail image they can tap for your last updated location.
Who can still see you
Off
The people in that chat
Your live location stops updating for them. The location you already shared stays in the chat as a static thumbnail.
Still on
Your other live shares and every app
A live location running in any other chat keeps updating, and WhatsApp keeps its location permission.
Still visible
The network
Your carrier and any site you open still place you roughly by cell tower and IP address.

The confirmation button is Stop on Android and Stop sharing on iPhone. The share also ends on its own when the time you picked runs out.

Stop sharing live location in every chat

inside the WhatsApp app
Path
  1. WhatsApp
  2. Settings
  3. Privacy
  4. Live location
  5. Stop sharing
  6. Stop

From the vendor’s own page · WhatsApp Android app, read 2026-09-17 · checked 2026-09-17 · source: WhatsApp Help Center — How to use live location (Android)

Do they get told?Ending every share reaches the same people as ending one, and WhatsApp documents no notification for either. It documents that your live location is no longer shared once stopped or expired, and that each chat keeps the location you already shared as a static thumbnail image.
Who can still see you
Off
Every chat you shared with
Every live location share ends at once. Each chat keeps the location you already shared as a static thumbnail.
Still on
WhatsApp itself and every other app
WhatsApp keeps its location permission, and location sharing in other apps is a separate switch that stays on.
Still visible
The network
Your carrier and any site you open still place you roughly by cell tower and IP address.

From the Chats tab, the Settings step sits behind the three-dot menu at the top.

Take location away from WhatsApp

in Android Settings
Path
  1. Settings
  2. Apps
  3. WhatsApp
  4. Permissions
  5. Location
  6. Don't allow

From the vendor’s own page · Android (current release), read 2026-09-17 · checked 2026-09-17 · source: Android Help — Change app permissions on your Android phone, WhatsApp Help Center — How to use live location (Android)

Do they get told?What the people in your chats see when WhatsApp's own permission is set to Don't allow is not documented on Google's app permissions page, and WhatsApp's live location page does not describe it either. What is documented is the switch most people want instead: Stop sharing inside the chat, after which they still see the location you already shared as a static thumbnail image.
Who can still see you
Off
WhatsApp on this phone
The app can no longer read your position, so it has nothing new to send to any chat.
Still on
Every other app
Only WhatsApp's permission changed. Maps, Messages and every other app keep their own location access.
Still visible
The network
Your carrier and any site you open still place you roughly by cell tower and IP address.

Google's page lists All the time, Allow only while using the app and Ask every time as the other options here.

Location spoofing, fake-GPS apps and mock-location settings are outside this site on purpose. This page describes the settings the app and your phone provide, and what the vendor documents about them.

If someone is tracking you against your will, turning a setting off may not be the safest first step. Read this first.

Related

Before you tap

Question How to stop sharing location with one person Not everyone has to come off at once: Find My, Messages, Google Maps, Snapchat and Instagram all have a per-person control. In Find My it is People, the person, Stop Sharing My Location; in Google Maps it is Location sharing, the person, Stop. Apple is the only one of them that states whether that person is notified. Question How to turn off location temporarily Yes, several of these apps ship a timer, and it is the only kind of temporary this site will describe. Find My shares for an hour or until the end of the day and can hide you from one person until the next day; Snapchat's Ghost Mode takes 3 hours, 24 hours or Until Turned Off; a Life360 Bubble runs up to 6 hours. Everywhere else the temporary version is the ordinary switch, turned off and then back on by you. App guide Messages Messages carries two different location switches on two different systems. On iPhone, Messages shares through Find My, and Apple says the person that you stop sharing with won't be notified, while Apple's Personal Safety guide adds that they may notice you've stopped. On Android, Google Messages shares through Google Location Sharing, so stopping the share there stops it for every Google app that uses it. App guide Facebook & Messenger Facebook and Messenger carry separate switches, and they do different things. Stopping a live location ends one chat's share; taking each app's location permission away in your phone's settings is a different switch with a different result. Meta documents who can see a live location, but not a notice to anyone when you stop one. iOS 27 · iPadOS 27 iPhone & iPad One master switch, one switch per app, and a precise-or-approximate choice underneath each. Most people want the second one. Android 17 Android Android keeps three separate switches: Use location for the whole phone, one location permission for each app, and a precise-or-approximate choice under any app you have allowed. Google documents that with device location off, emergency location services or your mobile carrier can still send your device's location to emergency responders when you call or text an emergency number.