Geotagging even though location setting is “never”

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Geotagging even though location setting is “never”

I have always had the location setting to “never” on my camera to avoid my location being tagged in photos. Out of nowhere, the location started tagging in my photos. I double checked and all apps that use my camera are all set to ”never”. Even the apps that need my location (maps, waze, etc) are set to “while using”. What could be the cause?

Posted on Jun 6, 2018 8:56 AM

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Answer 1

chuck_3rd

Community Specialist

Jun 7, 2018 4:55 PM in response to Mm2432

Hi there, Mm2432,

Thanks for stopping by the Apple Support Communities. From your post, I understand that recently your pictures have locations attached to them, despite the Location Services settings for all apps using the camera being set to "Never". I'm happy to help!

There could be a few things going on here, and our goal through troubleshooting is to isolate what is going on, and fix it, in the easiest possible correct way. Before we get started doing that, I would encourage you to create a backup of your iPhone. While none of the steps we're going to take should affect your data, settings may be changed or reset, and it's always a good idea to have a current backup. You can get instructions on creating a backup in either iCloud or iTunes here: How to back up your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch - Apple Support .

Once your backup is complete, I would suggest the following steps. Take a picture using the built-in iOS Camera app after each step, and see if it still has the location metadata tied to it. If so, continue on through the steps until the location no longer appears:

Check that Location Services for the Photos app is also set to Never.
Force close any open apps, to make sure nothing is accessing the camera: How to force an app to close on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - Apple Support. Then restart your iPhone: Restart your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - Apple Support.
Check for, and install, available iOS and app updates: Update your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - Apple Support.
Reset your Location Services using the steps under the "Reset or disable Location Services" section of About privacy and Location Services in iOS 8 and later - Apple Support. This will revert all Location Services settings to the factory default of Never. You can then adjust the apps you would like to grant access to using the same article.

If you're still seeing the location, don't hesitate to respond back. If you do, please include some additional information, such as where you see the locations (in the Photos app? In a third party app?). Also, do you also have cellular/mobile data turned off for these apps, and if not, does the location still appear if you turn it off ( Check the cellular data usage on your iPhone and iPad - Apple Support )?

Cheers!

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Geotagging even though location setting is “never”

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