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Permanently stop asking to allow location services

My 80 years old father has Alzheimer but is not progressed enough that he still drives, takes train to go far etc. (does not live in the US). I have installed an app to locate him. This has given my also elderly mother a great deal of comfort. However, she sends me a text almost weekly to tell me his GPS is turned off and she can't track him. I sent screen shots and video clip to walk her through how to turn on his location service every time to try to explain to my mother who has no clue how these things work long distance. It seems like enough people were annoyed by the fact that their Iphone kept asking for permission after responding to "ALWAYS" many times that there was a forum in 2019 with iOS 13. At the time, some suggested to send feedbacks to Apple to fix this. It seems like it has not been fixed..... Any possible new solutions?

iPhone 11

Posted on Aug 19, 2023 5:51 PM

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Posted on Feb 2, 2024 10:47 AM

This is a pretty detailed explanation of why Apple does this but it doesn’t actually answer the question about how to stop. Like the original poster, I run a number of apps that require constant fine-grained location, and I am aware of their need for fine-grained location and have opted in to it. I am getting really tired of the regular prompts asking me to verify that I still want to “always allow.” There needs to be an “always allow and stop asking” option on a per-app basis - I don’t want every app to be able to track me like that but for the ones which I do, I really do!

14 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Feb 2, 2024 10:47 AM in response to SravanKrA

This is a pretty detailed explanation of why Apple does this but it doesn’t actually answer the question about how to stop. Like the original poster, I run a number of apps that require constant fine-grained location, and I am aware of their need for fine-grained location and have opted in to it. I am getting really tired of the regular prompts asking me to verify that I still want to “always allow.” There needs to be an “always allow and stop asking” option on a per-app basis - I don’t want every app to be able to track me like that but for the ones which I do, I really do!

Nov 1, 2023 1:34 PM in response to okanos

I'm not sure if you've found a fix or not for this but I also have been wondering the same thing & came across this suggestion that I am personally going to try & figured I'd share. Lets keep our fingers crossed that it helps!

You may be able to prevent these alerts by setting restrictions in Screen Time. To do so, go to Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions > Location Services. Selecting "Don't Allow" should stop the iPhone from sending alerts: Use Screen Time on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - Apple Support

Mar 5, 2024 7:13 AM in response to okanos

Edit: sorry didn’t see the previous post already explaining since the thread was still open I thought it was unanswered. I can’t seem to delete the comment. My first post here. LOL.


If you go to Screen Time, content and privacy restrictions, location services, don’t allow changes.


I have had it ask to switch things I’ve said to only while using to change to always allow and vice versa and it comes up several times a day on multiple apps.


This was the only thing to give me peace.


If you want to change the location permission of an app you would have to change it on this screen but new apps still ask me from what I can tell but I don’t install new apps that require location services very often.

Aug 20, 2023 12:30 AM in response to okanos

If you've set your iPhone's location settings to "Always Allow" for third-party apps, but you're still receiving prompts asking for permission to share your location periodically, there could be a few reasons for this behavior. Here are some potential explanations:


  1. Even if you have set your iPhone's location settings to "Always Allow," individual apps might have their own location permission settings. This means that while the overall iPhone settings are set to allow location access, specific apps could still require you to grant permission for location access within the app itself.
  2. Apple places a strong emphasis on user privacy and security. Sometimes, apps might request location access to ensure that they have up-to-date and accurate location information for their services. This can be important for certain types of apps like navigation, weather, or location-based services. Periodic location access requests might be designed to confirm your ongoing consent and to ensure that you are aware of when and why your location is being accessed.
  3. Sometimes, app updates can reset or change your location permission settings for that app. This could result in the app requesting permission again even if you had previously set it to "Always Allow."
  4. In some cases, apps might request temporary access to your location for specific purposes, and this might lead to periodic prompts for permission. For example, an app might want to access your location for a limited time to provide you with location-based content or services.
  5. If you encounter any challenges with third-party applications, the best course of action is to directly contact the app developer for further assistance. Here's a brief guide on how to do it:
    1. Identify the app developer.
    2. Visit their website or app store listing.
    3. Look for their contact information or support channels.
    4. Clearly describe the issue you are facing.
    5. Provide any necessary information they may need.
    6. Follow their instructions and provide feedback.
    7. Be patient and follow up if needed.
    8. By reaching out to the app developer, you increase your chances of receiving accurate and personalized support for the challenges you're experiencing. To contact an App developer --> How to contact an app developer - Apple Support


In terms of security issues, the main concern here would be if a third-party app is repeatedly asking for location access when it shouldn't be. This could potentially indicate a malfunctioning app or even a malicious app trying to gather your location data without proper authorization. It's always a good practice to review the apps you've granted location access to and ensure they are reputable and necessary for their intended functions.

Jun 22, 2024 2:11 AM in response to SravanKrA

The concern OP described isn’t that an app is using location when it shouldn’t, it’s that it SHOULD have 24/7 location access and the phone keeps asking for confirmation with popups that freeze the phone until they get frustrated and turn the app off, even though they still need live location. They set the app permissions to “always allow” and then a few days later they get an annoying prompt to block it.


For example, I wanted to use life360 for my mother’s peace of mind, and I kept getting popup menus multiple times a week telling me that it was using my location in the background, do I want to allow that? YES, yes I still want that, just like I wanted it last time you asked! It got so annoying that I frightened my mother by giving up on it.


Hopefully the fix others have mentioned here works.

Oct 19, 2024 6:13 AM in response to okanos

Hello, I work in IT and this was even a problem for us. I happen to figure out the answer to this.


if you enable Screen time on the device and then restrict access to location services, Apple will no longer prompt for location changes since the current user does not have permission to change it.


Have a great day!

Permanently stop asking to allow location services

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