Your IPhone Can Now Automatically Remove Location Data From Photos You Share Online
When you share photos or videos from your iPhone, you often also include the exact location where the photo was taken. Your iPhone records the location of every image by default, which is useful because it allows you to search for photos by location. This feature has helped me quickly find exactly the image I’m looking for , but at the same time, I have no desire to accidentally reveal the location of the image when I share it.
In iOS 18.2, you can stop your iPhone from sharing places with pictures and videos by default (though you’ll have to do this using the app). The new feature also allows you to remove captions and choose a default format for photos shared by third-party apps. Here’s how to get started.
How to Automatically Remove Location Data from iPhone Photos
This feature is available in iOS 18.2, which is in public beta at the time of writing. A stable release is planned for December, but to try it now, first sign up for Apple’s beta program , then unlock your phone and go to Settings > Software Update > Beta Updates . Select iOS 18 Public Beta , then click the Back button and select Update Now to iOS 18.2 Beta . Alternatively, you can register for a developer account to gain access to the developer beta, but there is no need to do that here. Please note that installing the beta version on your phone may cause your device to become unstable.
After installing the iOS 18.2 beta, follow these steps:
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Open your iPhone’s Settings app.
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Go to Privacy & Security > Photos .
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Choose any app that has access to your photos, preferably a messenger or social media app where you’re most likely to want to hide location information.
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In the “Private Access ” section, click “Options” .
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Under Enable, turn off Location and Captions . This will remove location data and captions added through the Apple Photos app when sharing images or videos with an external app.
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While you’re here, you can also choose the format that the media file you send to the app will use. The Most Compatible option lets you share jpg photos and H.264 videos, while the Current option downloads in the same format the media was saved in. Automatically allows iOS to select the best format depending on the application.
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Finally, repeat this process with other apps you regularly share photos with to keep your location data safe.
At the time of writing, many apps have not been updated to fully support this feature, but you can expect that to change in the future. In the meantime, if you want a more nuclear option, go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > Camera and select Never so that photos don’t include your location in the first place.