The “Location Off” Switch Is a Lie: How Your Carrier Still Knows Where You Are

If you’re going somewhere anonymously—attending a politically sensitive event or visiting a confidential client—you might reasonably switch Location Services to “Off” on your smartphone. That should keep your location private, right?

Not quite. That toggle is more of a courteous request to your software than a guarantee of anonymity. Disabling location services stops GPS tracking for like-minded apps—but there are other ways your location can still be exposed. The most overlooked? Your carrier.

Your Carrier Is Always Watching

When your phone connects to a mobile network, it communicates with nearby cell towers. Your device and the tower can measure the round-trip time of transmission, allowing your carrier to estimate how far away you are. With multiple towers in range, triangulation can pinpoint your location within a few meters—even with Location Services turned off, and regardless of your OS or installed apps. These signals leak location metadata to your provider. (scholarship.law.gwu.edu, jolt.law.harvard.edu, support.google.com, ACLU)

Prepaid SIM Doesn’t Hide Your Home

Even if you bought a prepaid SIM with cash, carriers can still discover your home and work locations. By observing where your device regularly connects overnight, they can infer a “pattern of life.” This type of behavior-based tracking is used across intelligence and advertising industries. (nature.com, nspw.org, harvard.edu)

No SIM? Still Not Safe

Removing a SIM card doesn’t eliminate tracking. U.S. regulations require phones to connect with emergency services (E911) even without a plan. That means phones still broadcast signals to towers. Additionally, IMSI Catchers (aka Stingrays) can mimic towers and trick phones into revealing identifiers and location—even when you’re not actively using the device. (academic.oup.com, jolt.law.harvard.edu, eff.org)

OS and Software Can’t Save You

Installing GrapheneOS or LineageOS, disabling all location toggles, or using only FOSS apps might give you better control over your data at the software level. But none of these measures stop the physical hardware of your phone’s baseband from contacting towers. Every radio transmission betrays a little bit of your location.

So, What Can You Actually Do?

  • If true anonymity is needed, leave the phone at home.
  • If you must bring it, use a Faraday pouch or a physical kill switch (if your device supports it).
  • Consider using burner phones (though they too leak data unless very carefully used).

If your phone can talk to a tower, someone can place you on a map. Whether you’re at a protest, a clinic, or just want peace of mind, privacy begins with disconnection. That switch didn’t lie—but it didn’t tell the whole truth either.