Last updated: April 10th, 2026 at 15:30 UTC+02:00
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Privacy has become a major concern for smartphone users, and Samsung phone owners often wonder about the various ways their devices might be sharing location data or personal information. Understanding phone tracking helps you take control of your privacy and decide what information you're comfortable sharing.
Your Samsung phone collects different types of data for various purposes, from improving your experience with personalized features to helping apps provide location-based services. The good news is that you have significant control over these tracking features, and turning them off won't break your phone's basic functionality.
Phone tracking refers to various methods your Samsung device uses to collect and share information about your location, app usage, and behavior patterns. This includes GPS location tracking, app usage monitoring, advertising tracking, and data collection by Samsung and third-party apps to improve services or target ads.
Your Samsung phone tracks information in several ways. Location services use GPS, Wi-Fi networks, and cell towers to determine where you are, which helps apps like Maps provide directions or helps weather apps show local forecasts. App usage tracking monitors which apps you use most frequently and how you interact with them, helping Samsung improve One UI and helping app developers enhance their services.
Advertising tracking creates a profile of your interests based on your app usage and browsing habits, allowing companies to show you targeted ads. Samsung also collects diagnostic data about how your phone performs, including crash reports and feature-usage statistics, to identify and fix problems in future updates.
You can identify tracking on your Samsung phone by checking location services in Settings, reviewing app permissions, monitoring unusual battery drain or data usage, and looking for location icons in your status bar. Samsung provides transparency tools that show you exactly what's being tracked and which apps are doing the tracking.
Start by going to Settings and tapping “Location” to see which apps have requested location access recently. You'll see a list of apps that have used your location in the past day, along with how frequently they've accessed it. Apps using your location in the background will show “Background” next to their names.
Check your notification panel for location icons. A small location pin icon in your status bar indicates that an app is actively using your location. You can tap this icon to see which specific app is accessing your location data.
Review app permissions by going to Settings, then “Apps,” and selecting individual apps to see what permissions they have. Look for permissions like “Location,” “Camera,” “Microphone,” and “Phone” to understand what data each app can access.
Turn off location tracking on your Samsung phone by going to Settings > Location and toggling off “Use location.” This disables GPS tracking for all apps. For more granular control, you can turn off location access for specific apps while keeping it enabled for others you trust.
To disable all location tracking, open Settings and tap “Location.” Toggle off “Use location” at the top of the screen. This stops all apps from accessing your location data, but some features like weather widgets, Maps navigation, and Find My Device won't work properly.
For selective location control, keep “Use location” enabled, but scroll down to “App permissions” and tap “Location.” Here you'll see three categories: apps allowed all the time, apps allowed only while using the app, and apps not allowed. Tap any app to change its location permission.
You can also turn off location history by going to Settings > Location > Google Location History and toggling it off. This stops Google from storing your location data over time, though individual apps may still access your current location when you use them.
Location tracking specifically refers to GPS and location-based services, while app tracking encompasses a broader range of data collection, including your app usage patterns, advertising preferences, and behavioral analytics. You can control these separately on your Samsung phone.
Location tracking uses your phone's GPS, Wi-Fi, and cellular data to determine where you are physically. When you turn off location services, apps can't access your geographic coordinates, but they can still track other information, like what you do within the app, how long you use it, and which features you access.
App tracking includes advertising tracking, which creates profiles of your interests for targeted ads; usage analytics that monitor how you interact with apps; and cross-app tracking that connects your activity across different applications. Samsung provides separate controls for these different types of tracking.
To control app tracking beyond location, go to Settings > Privacy > Ads and toggle on “Opt out of Ads Personalization.” This reduces targeted advertising. You can also go to Settings > Privacy > Customization Service and turn off personalized features that use your usage data.
Stop app tracking selectively by reviewing individual app permissions, turning off advertising personalization, disabling unnecessary background app activity, and using Samsung's privacy dashboard to control what data apps can access. This approach maintains your phone's functionality while protecting your privacy.
Start with the most privacy-sensitive permissions. Go to Settings > Apps, select an app, and tap “Permissions.” Turn off permissions the app doesn't need for its core function. For example, a flashlight app doesn't need access to your contacts or location.
Control advertising tracking by going to Settings > Privacy > Ads and enabling “Opt out of Ads Personalization.” This tells apps not to use your data for targeted advertising, though you'll still see ads that are less relevant to your interests.
Manage background app activity through Settings > Device care > Battery > Background app limits. Add apps to the “Sleeping apps” list if you don't need them running in the background. This reduces both tracking and battery usage.
Use Samsung's Privacy Dashboard by going to Settings > Privacy > Permission manager. This shows you which apps have accessed sensitive permissions like your camera, microphone, or contacts recently, helping you identify apps that might be collecting more data than necessary.
Taking control of your Samsung phone's tracking features helps protect your privacy while keeping the functionality you actually use. We recommend starting with location settings and app permissions, then gradually adjusting other privacy controls based on your comfort level. Remember that some tracking features do provide genuine benefits, so you can always re-enable them if you find your phone experience becomes less convenient.
First Samsung device: Galaxy S II
Daniel is the proud co-founder of SamMobile. He joined the SamMobile team in 2011. Most of his spare time is spent enjoying nature (and life in general) with his wife & dog, friends, and family.
