Where the location hides
Phones write a block of information called EXIF into every JPG photo. It holds the camera, the time, the settings and, if location services were on, the latitude and longitude, accurate to a few metres. A photo taken at home and sent to a stranger can show them where you live.
See what your photo says
Open it in the EXIF viewer. It runs in your browser and does not upload the photo. If GPS coordinates are present it will say so.
Remove it
The metadata remover takes out the hidden blocks. For ordinary JPG files it cuts them out directly and leaves the picture untouched, so there is no loss of quality. It handles a batch at once.
Stop it happening
- On an iPhone: Settings, Privacy, Location Services, Camera, then choose Never.
- On most Android phones: open the camera app, go to its settings and turn off location tags or geotagging.
- When sharing from a phone, look for an option to remove location before you send.
What platforms do
Many large social networks remove location data from the pictures they display. Email, direct file sharing, forums and many smaller sites often do not. Do not assume. Check the file you are about to send.
A screenshot is a blunt alternative
A screenshot of a photo carries none of the original's metadata, but it also lowers the quality and the resolution. Cleaning the original is better.