You can see a map of the most recent places your iPhone knows you’ve been — here’s how – January 16, 2023 at 05:13PM

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Reuters

• Location Services lets Apple and other apps use your location for directions and recommendations.
• You can see and clear the list of recent places you’ve been tracked at in the Settings app.
• The list, called Significant Locations, is end-to-end encrypted so Apple isn’t able to read it, and is opt-in.

Every time you’re looking up transit directions or searching for restaurant recommendations and things to do, most of your apps and services are probably using your location data in one way or another. 

If you have an iPhone, there’s a way to see a list of the most recent locations that have been logged through Location Services on your phone. Location Services is the feature that allows Apple and third-party apps to gather your location data so it can give you directions and suggestions as mentioned above.

Using GPS and Bluetooth signals, as well as crowd-sourced Wi-Fi hotspots and cell tower locations, Apple can find your iPhone’s approximate location.

The list of your tracked places is called Significant Locations, and it’s end-to-end encrypted, so Apple can’t read it. It’s also opt-in, and the list can also be turned off in the Settings app menu. 

Here’s how to view and clear the list of your Significant Locations.

Lisa Eadicicco previously contributed to this story.

Open the ‘Settings’ menu on your iPhone by tapping the icon on your home screen.

Lisa Eadicicco/Business Insider

Choose ‘Privacy.’

Lisa Eadicicco/Business Insider

Tap ‘Location Services.’

Lisa Eadicicco/Business Insider

Scroll down to the bottom of the list of apps that use Location Services and select ‘System Services.’

Lisa Eadicicco/Business Insider

Press the ‘Significant Locations’ option.

Lisa Eadicicco/Business Insider

After authenticating with your password or Face ID, you’ll see a list of places you’ve recently visited.

Lisa Eadicicco/Business Insider

Some iPhone users have complained in recent years about running into issues with this feature loading and displaying full location history. Apple did not return Insider’s request for comment on the feature’s updates since iOS 13.

Tap one of the places to view a map showing the locations that you’ve recently visited.

Lisa Eadicicco/Business Insider

If you want to delete your entire location history, go back to the ‘Significant Locations’ list, scroll down to the bottom of the list, and press ‘Clear History.’

Lisa Eadicicco/Business Insider

To turn off ‘Significant Locations,’ toggle the slider at the top of the ‘Significant Locations’ list.

Lisa Eadicicco/Business Insider

John Jason Fallows

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