Apple Maps May Be Logging Places You Visit – How to Disable

[MacRumors]

In iOS 26, Apple Maps has a feature called Visited Places that when enabled automatically logs where you've been, with the aim of making it easier to revisit your favorite spots or to share locations with friends.

While it can be useful for tracking your travels, you might prefer to keep your location history private. Here's how to disable the feature and clear your history.

What Is Visited Places?

Visited Places keeps a record of locations you've visited, organizing them by category such as restaurants, shops, or transit stops. The feature is end-to-end encrypted, so Apple can't read your data, and it syncs across all your Apple devices signed into the same account.

You can search your visited places by name, date, or category, add personal notes, and even save locations to custom guides. However, if you'd rather not have Maps tracking your movements at all, you can turn it off completely.

How to Turn Off Visited Places

When you upgrade to ‌iOS 26‌, the Maps app pops up an alert on first launch letting you know about the new Visited Places feature, so that you can opt in or opt out. If you opted in and now want to disable it, or you don't remember seeing the popup, here's what to do.

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
2. Tap through to Apps ➝ Maps ➝ Location.
3. Toggle off the Visited Places switch.

With the toggle disabled, Maps will no longer track the places you visit. Note that you can also access the toggle by going to Privacy and Security ➝ Location Services ➝ Maps.

How to Clear Your Visited Places History

In the Maps app's Visited Places card, the Keep Visits buttons gives you options to change how long visits are kept (three months, one year, and forever). If you want to delete the entirety of location history, you can also clear it from within the Maps app.

1. Open the Maps app on your iPhone.
2. Tap Places, then tap Visited Places.
3. Scroll to the bottom, tap Clear History, then tap Clear All.

Your visited places history will now be permanently deleted. You can also remove individual locations by tapping More (the three dots) next to any place card and selecting Remove.

Article Link: Apple Maps May Be Logging Places You Visit – How to Disable

 

[Stetrain]

"Apple Maps may be doing exactly the thing it said it would do in the dialog where it asked if you wanted to enable the feature"

 

[turbineseaplane]

I just can't stop laughing at this first image.

Just go ahead and make it totally transparent at this point - lmfao

 

[timborama]

I don’t have that setting.

 

[arbitrage]

I don't have that setting either. 14PM, IOS 26.0. Phone located in Canada if that matters.

 

[ridgero]

Apple Maps is always worth uninstalling on Day 1 anyway.

 

[neuropsychguy]

Apple Maps is always worth uninstalling on Day 1 anyway.

Why, what's better? For my driving I've found it's as good as Google Maps -- sometimes better, sometimes worse, but overall similar. I've not found anything else clearly better than either.

 

[PBG4 Dude]

Why, what's better? For my driving I've found it's as good as Google Maps -- sometimes better, sometimes worse, but overall similar. I've not found anything else clearly better than either.

My main issue is when Apple Maps doesn’t consider a turn, a turn, so doesn’t bother telling me a turn is coming up.

Other than that it gives me accurate directions.

 

[zinacef]

When am i supposed to see Preferred Routes show up? Since downloading iOS 26, I am not seeing the suggestions.

 

[vertsix]

"You May Be Logging Places You Visit On Apple Maps – How to Disable"

Fixed it. There is a pop-up when you open Apple Maps for the first time on iOS 26 that gives you this option. It is opt-in. The author is making it seem like this is something malicious.

 

[applicious84]

I would prefer that Apple pick up other features and improvements from Google Maps first, but oh well

 

[orbital~debris]

Article Link: Apple Maps May Be Logging Places You Visit – How to Disable

MacRumors, please consider writing posts with more ‘unbiased’ titles.

While the content is pretty fair, in that it describes the steps Apple have taken to keep this data private, encrypted etc., and that you can remove it, the title of the post is more likely than not to set readers into a particular frame of mind about the feature i.e. that it’s a bad thing that should be disabled.

I think Apple created the feature with good intentions, and it should be taken in that light.

The article could simply describe the feature, and then have a paragraph/heading about disabling if you wish to.

 

[Wags]

I don’t have that setting.
View attachment 2562709

Same. I did already have significant locations off in Privacy. Think it needs that on too to track maps.

 

[cjsuk]

I just can't stop laughing at this first image.

Just go ahead and make it totally transparent at this point - lmfao

View attachment 2562707

It doesn't look like this unless you choose it to look like that.

And then I question your eyes and what they are connected to

 

[turbineseaplane]

It doesn't look like this unless you choose it to look like that.

Perhaps the article shouldn't use this as the main/first huge image?

 

[Tdude96]

Apple Maps May Be Logging Places You Visit

This makes it sound like it's logging personal location data for Apple to use for data sales or other nefarious reasons.

Is that true? Or is this a non-story and the data is protected in similar ways to other Apple Maps data for privacy, and if shared across devices is protected by Advanced Data Protection. My assumption is that the headline is clickbait and what's buried midway through the article is the actual truth:

The feature is end-to-end encrypted, so Apple can't read your data, and it syncs across all your Apple devices signed into the same account.

 

[technolambo]

The headline here and framing is complete FUD. This is exactly the type of article my family will read and follow mindlessly out of fear.

In iOS 26, Apple Maps has a feature called Visited Places that when enabled automatically logs where you've been

It isn't doing it "automatically" - it's doing it when you enable it. It is opt-in and users are asked explicitly.

While it can be useful for tracking your travels, you might prefer to keep your location history private

Complete FUD - it is private and encrypted, as the article itself points out:

The feature is end-to-end encrypted, so Apple can't read your data,

 

[idahohand]

Why, what's better? For my driving I've found it's as good as Google Maps -- sometimes better, sometimes worse, but overall similar. I've not found anything else clearly better than either.

Add to that the fact that Google is ABSOLUTELY recording where you go and storing that information for their own use. The Apple feature this article is about is for the user's information only. Apple doesn't use it to send targeted ads or sell it to 3rd parties. Waze, I'm talking to you.

 

[tennisproha]

Such a clickbait title by a website built off the backs of the company the title is trying to vilify

 

[Amazing Iceman]

Why, what's better? For my driving I've found it's as good as Google Maps -- sometimes better, sometimes worse, but overall similar. I've not found anything else clearly better than either.

Yeah. I prefer Apple Maps over other options. While not perfect, it works great. I use it all the time. Arrival times are precise to the minute, routes suggested are optimal and traffic reports are current.

 

[Amazing Iceman]

MacRumors, please consider writing posts with more ‘unbiased’ titles.

While the content is pretty fair, in that it describes the steps Apple have taken to keep this data private, encrypted etc., and that you can remove it, the title of the post is more likely than not to set readers into a particular frame of mind about the feature i.e. that it’s a bad thing that should be disabled.

I think Apple created the feature with good intentions, and it should be taken in that light.

The article could simply describe the feature, and then have a paragraph/heading about disabling if you wish to.

I sometimes use this feature to backtrack any locations I have been to, in order to update logs and notes on my visits to those sites.

Unless you visit sites you are ashamed to visit, there's nothing to worry about.

 

[Wizec]

Apple Maps is always worth uninstalling on Day 1 anyway.

Google Maps tried to send me the wrong way down a one way street in Colorado. That was fun. No map app is perfect, though with the amount of people offering feedback, it seems like they could get awfully close.

 

[mikethebigo]

Apple doesn’t do this by default, it asked with a very clear dialogue in the Maps app.

 

[idrewuk]

It’s Private regardless of whether you then it on or not, so why is this article trying to make it sound bad?

 

[hagjohn]

I just can't stop laughing at this first image.

Just go ahead and make it totally transparent at this point - lmfao

View attachment 2562707

Mine is not that transparent.