iOS18 has a lot of cool features, including Reader Mode, Safari’s own personal ad blocker.
8 ways your phone is tracking you - That you can stop now
You understand that your phone knows where you’re located. This is how GPS works, how Find My sees your location and why you get local ads on Facebook and Google. Like other data on your phone, that location data is a hot commodity for internet marketers.
Thankfully, you don’t have to stand for this kind of data collection. These tactics are legal because the companies behind them give you a choice to opt in or out, but not everyone knows how to change the settings. We’ll show you how to stop your phone from tracking you. Ready to go dark? Let’s get started.
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1. Tweak your phone’s location settings
You can prevent iOS and Android from tracking you, but companies don’t make it easy. The feature is buried inside your device’s privacy settings and, by default, records your daily routine.
Known as “Frequent Locations,” it keeps track of where you are and how long you stay there. It even knows where you live and work based on how long you’re there and when you visit.
If you find this unsettling, you can turn the feature off. Here are the basic steps, but depending on your specific model and operating system, you may need to follow different instructions.
Turn off location settings on Apple devices
- Open Settings.
- Tap Privacy & Security.
- Select Location Services.
- Scroll down and tap System Services.
- Choose Significant Locations to see the logged record of where you’ve been and toggle it off.
You can also clear your history here by clicking Clear History.
Make your app icons useful: On an iPhone running iOS 18, press and hold an app icon. At the top, you’ll see a few icons. Choose the second one to transform that app into a widget. Long-press again to change what that widget does. Apple’s Weather app widget, for example, can display the forecast. Neat!
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Well, kinda… Hollywood is spending millions to resurrect the likeness of screen legends like Judy Garland with AI. Creepy or fine? Plus, YouTube’s new pause ads, why to skip the blue light filter, and a warning for iPad Pro owners: iOS 18 is bricking devices!
Shop smarter: Try this Google Lens upgrade next time you’re shopping at a store. On Android or iOS, open the Google app, snap a picture of an item on the shelf, and voila! You’ll see product details, customer reviews, stock and price comparisons (online and nearby), and similar products in the same store. Fun times!
🔴 How to record a call on your iPhone: It’s built into iOS 18.1. During a call, hit the Start Call Recording button. (It’s not a secret — you and everyone else on the call will get an audio notification.) To stop recording, tap the Stop button or hang up. Recordings are automatically saved to a Call Recordings folder in your Notes app. Neato!
Cheaper phone bill, please: Not everyone has unlimited data. If you use Chrome on iOS, here’s an easy way to lower your data usage. In the lower right corner of Chrome, tap the three dots > Settings > Bandwidth > Preload Webpages > Only on Wi-Fi. Done!
Schedule text messages: With iOS 18, you can do this on your iPhone. Just open a text in Messages, tap the + (plus sign) > Send Later, then pick your time and confirm with the blue arrow. For Android users, it’s just as easy. Tap the + in your chat > Schedule Send > set the date and time > Send.
📶 Internet connection cutting out? Try a Wi-Fi extender to cover dead zones. Place it as far from your router as possible where it still picks up a strong signal. Pro tip: Download an app like NetSpot WiFi Analyzer (for Android and iOS) to test your signal quality and fine-tune your setup.
We may receive a commission when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.
Passwordless future: Google now lets you log into Android, Windows, macOS and Linux devices without a password. Instead, you’ll use a passkey stored in Google Password Manager, which can be authenticated via fingerprint, face scan or screen lock. Chrome and iOS support coming soon.
Nosy, nosy: With iOS 18, you can now bring up a list of all apps with access to your contacts. Open Settings > Privacy & Security > Contacts. Here, you’ll see a list of apps. Tap Limited Access for any that shouldn’t get every little detail.
🍏 Apple Intelligence update: Apple’s AI, built for iOS 18, will drop across several updates. Some ETAs: iOS 18.1 in October brings Siri’s new interface, natural conversation ability, and call recording and transcription. In December, iOS 18.2 brings image generation and ChatGPT integration. By March 2025, iOS 18.3 or 18.4 will add Siri’s on-screen awareness and app control.
Missed that one in QA: A weird bug in iOS 18 is crashing the Messages app. If someone shares an Apple Watch face via Messages and you reply in a threaded response, the app will crash for both people in the convo. The only fix is deleting the thread, meaning your full chat history is gone.
🚨 $1,300 paperweight: If you have a brand-spankin’-new iPad Pro with an M4 chip, do not download the iOS 18 update! It’s bricking Apple tablets, causing them to shut down and fail to restart. There’s no fix yet. If you’ve already been hit, take your iPad to the Apple Store for a replacement.
Rich Communication Services: RCS is the new texting standard replacing plain ol’ SMS. It’s built into Apple’s iOS 18 and makes texting your Android pals a lot better. Go to Settings > Apps > Messages. Scroll down, and if you don’t see the RCS option, it means your carrier likely isn’t supporting it yet.
Top reason to upgrade your phone to iOS 18
If you’ve got an iPhone, Apple’s latest iOS 18 update is free — and here’s why you should upgrade now.
🗺️ Awesome save: A woman who fell 60 feet down a mountain was saved because of the navigation app what3words (iOS and Android). The app divides the world into 10-foot squares, each named with a unique combination of three words to pinpoint an exact location (e.g., 51.520847, -0.19552100 ←→ filled.count.soap). With the coordinates, emergency responders knew precisely where the woman was located.
Love this idea: Two Colorado sisters launched a dating app designed for people with disabilities and chronic illnesses. Users can tap “X” or “❤️” to sort through matches, and there’s a “Dateability Deets” section where you check off terms that describe your condition. Check it out on iOS and Android.
Biometric bandwagon: Unlock your Amazon app on your iPhone with your fingerprint or face. On the web, open Amazon account settings, click Login & security, then click Set up next to Passkey. Once it’s ready, you can use your passkey with the iOS app. Sorry, Android peeps, but you’ll have to wait.
We may receive a commission when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.
Don't update older iPhones to iOS 18
Thinking about updating? You might want to hold off — sticking with your current version could save you a lot of headaches.