Curious how to turn-off the GPS geo-location information your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad can store in the photos you take? Geo-location can be a handy feature to keep track of where you took travel photos, but it can also raise privacy concerns, especially if you ever lose your iOS device, or someone decides to start tracking you — or your child — via pictures posted online.
iOS will ask you to opt-in to the location for the Camera app the first time you launch it, but if you later change your mind, it's simple to opt-out of and turn off.
- Launch Settings
- Tap Location services
- Toggle Camera to OFF
If you've already taken photos with your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad and want to share them but are worried that they might contain location information, you can quickly and easily wipe them clean before posting.
- Launch Photos
- Find the picture you want to share
- Take a screen shot of the photo (here's how).
- Go to the screen shot
- Share the screen shot instead.
Screen shots on an iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, and iPod touch 4 are 960×480, and on iPad are 1024×768, plenty big enough for Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Path, or whatever social network you're using. That way, when and if you choose to share the image, you're not also sharing the GPS coordinates of where you — and your family — are.
There's no reason to be paranoid, but there's no reason to be reckless either. Information is power and with power comes responsibility. (For more on why, see this excellent article by David Barnard of App Cubby.(
Surf safe.
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