How to remove GPS location from a photo (iPhone and Android)
Almost every phone saves, inside each photo, the exact coordinates of where it was taken — accurate to a few meters. That data rides along in the file's EXIF metadata and isn't visible when you open the image, but anyone who gets the original file can read it in seconds. There are three points where you can cut that trail. Use whichever fits.
1. Stop your phone from saving the location
The most convenient option if you take a lot of photos to post. It stops writing coordinates from the moment you set it; existing photos are unchanged.
iPhone
- Open Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services.
- Scroll to Camera.
- Choose Never (or “Ask Next Time”).
Android
- Open the Camera app.
- Go to Settings (the gear) and look for Location tags, Save location or Geotagging.
- Turn it off. The exact name varies by brand (Samsung, Xiaomi, Google Pixel, Motorola), but it's always inside the camera settings.
2. Strip the location when you share the photo
Useful when you already took the photo with GPS on but haven't sent it yet.
iPhone (Photos app)
- Open the photo and tap the Share button.
- At the top, tap Options.
- Turn off Location and confirm with Done. The copy you send goes out with no coordinates.
Google Photos (iPhone and Android)
In Google Photos settings, under Location, turn on Remove geo location in items shared by link. Note: this only affects links you create from Google Photos, not photos you download or send through other apps.
3. Erase the location from a photo you already have
If the photo already exists with coordinates inside — one someone sent you, or one you took months ago — there are two routes:
- From your phone or Windows: in the iPhone Photos app you can tap Adjust → Location → No Location. In Windows, right-click → Properties → Details → Remove Properties and Personal Information. The catch: these methods clear the GPS but usually leave other EXIF fields intact (camera make and model, lens, dates, software).
- By rebuilding the file: this is the only method that guarantees a complete clean. The image is re-encoded from scratch, with no metadata at all. That's exactly what the SinRastro tool does: it shows you what the photo contained, lets you see the location on a map before deleting it, and hands back a visually identical copy that's empty of data. All inside your browser, with nothing uploaded anywhere.
Already took the photos? You can clean the EXIF metadata from your photos here — free, with nothing uploaded to any server and nothing to install.
How to check the location is gone
Don't assume it “should” be clean. To verify:
- On Windows: right-click the file → Properties → Details tab. Nothing should appear under GPS.
- On iPhone: open the photo and swipe up. If it doesn't show a map, it has no location.
- With a tool like SinRastro, which automatically verifies the final file has zero metadata when it finishes.
Which platforms strip location and which don't
Instagram, Facebook and X (Twitter) remove EXIF metadata when you upload a photo. But many other routes don't: sending the photo as a “file” or “document” on Telegram or WhatsApp, attaching it to an email, uploading it to Google Drive or Dropbox, or posting it on resale marketplaces. If the photo could end up downloaded in its original form, clean it yourself first.