How to stop your phone from giving away your location?

Smartphone with the availability of many apps and features have made our life and business easier. There are both free and paid applications which are able to utilize various functionalities of your mobile phone. The apps on your phone can collect a lot of data which might reveal your personal habits and daily activities. They can also track locations of users down to a few yards and that too very frequently. AVG Antivirus 2019 can provide the ultimate protection for your devices including PC, Mac, and mobile phones.

The location data collected by apps can be used to provide a personalized experience and offer additional information about your surroundings. Many parents use the location data of their children to ensure that they are safe and at expected place. However, those details are also valuable to advertising companies and utilize it for highly-targeted marketing opportunities. Data from location-enabled apps can help business owners, regional planners, and government officials to make informed decisions and enhance lives.

How your smartphone and apps collect location data?

Before the advancement of GPS and 4G technology, the location of a mobile device was pinpointed by using triangulation. This could help to assess how far your device is from three or more cell towers in relation to a fixed location. AVG Retail Activation can offer plenty of security and performance features.

But now the smartphones are equipped with Wi-Fi and a GPS which works in combination with precise detection. Thanks to the built-in Wi-Fi chip, your smartphone can obtain accurate details on your location. This, in turn, makes location-based apps and services much more useful. You can get all-in-one antivirus and advanced protection for all your devices from avg.com/retail. In addition, it might offer ultimate protection against viruses, spyware, malware, and other online threats.

How advertising companies use your location data?

Most people are unknowingly trading their digital privacy for apps’ features and benefits because of convenience. There are parents who use location-based apps to get the exact location of their family members in real-time. This data set can be used by marketers to deliver targeted ads and mobile experiences.

You might also receive promotional messages via SMS or push notifications about coupons and discounts. This is mainly triggered when you enter a particular location like a virtual predetermined virtual perimeter. AVG Activation Code can safeguard your mobile phone against malware attacks and threats to your privacy.

How to stop your phone from giving away your location?

Keep your location turned off – You can either completely turn your location services off or just for some selected apps. Even if apps prompt for location permission, most do not require that to function normally. Therefore, manage your location by looking under Settings for Privacy option in both Android and iOS devices.

Get a VPN – A virtual private network or VPN can create a private tunnel between your devices and the internet. This allows it to encrypt your traffic and web activity and prevent hackers from getting in. Furthermore, it could also prevent advertising companies to target you based on your actual location.

Uninstall unwanted apps – There might be many apps on your smartphone that you have not used for a long time. If app developers do not regularly update their apps to patch potential security flaws, it is recommended to uninstall them. In addition, you should also remove apps that you do not have any use.