How to Pause Location on Find My iPhone Without Others Knowing [2025 Complete Guide]

Need to pause your location on Find My iPhone without alerting friends or family? Whether you’re planning a surprise, seeking temporary privacy, or just want control over who sees your whereabouts, this comprehensive guide covers all effective methods.

Understanding Find My iPhone Location Sharing

Before exploring the various methods, you need to understand how Apple’s location sharing works. When you share your location through the Find My app, people you’ve shared with can see:

• Your current location on a map
• Location history (in some cases with Family Sharing)
• Your device’s battery percentage
• When your location was last updated (timestamp)
• The name of the device sharing location

This is why simply turning off certain settings might raise suspicion—they often display “Location Not Available” notices to others, which can be a clear sign you’ve manually disabled something.

Method 1: Use LocaRun to Pause Your iPhone Location (Most Effective & Undetectable)

LocaRun is a desktop-based GPS changing tool that lets you pause your location without showing any alerts or warnings in Find My.

Why Use LocaRun?

• Freezes your GPS location across all apps
• No “Location Not Available” messages
• Works on iOS 16–18
• No jailbreak required
• Compatible with all iPhones

This is the most seamless solution if you want full control without suspicion.

How to Use LocaRun to Pause iPhone Location on Find My iPhone

Step 1: Download and Install LocaRun

Go to locarun.com and download the Mac or Windows version. Follow the installer to complete the setup.

Step 2: Connect Your iPhone

• USB: Plug in your device and tap “Trust This Computer”
• Wi-Fi: First connect via USB, then enable Wi-Fi pairing for future use

Step 3: Launch Teleport Mode

Open the map inside LocaRun. Use the search bar or click the map to set your fake location.

Step 4: Set Your Desired Location

Choose a location manually or type in a specific address or coordinate. Then click “Move Here.”

Step 5: Verify in Find My

Check from another device or ask a friend. Your location will appear normal and static at the chosen point.

Step 6: Keep LocaRun Running

Ensure LocaRun stays active, and don’t disconnect your phone. If you’re using Wi-Fi pairing, keep both devices on the same network.

If you want to get detailed guide on how to use LocaRun on Mac/Windows for your iPhone, you can check this guide here.

Method 2: Use iPhone System Settings to Freeze Location

If you don’t want to use third-party tools, these built-in iOS options can help, though they may be more noticeable to others.

Option 1: Turn Off “Share My Location” Completely

This setting stops sharing your location with all contacts at once.

Detailed Steps:

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone (gray icon with gears)
2. Tap your Apple ID at the very top (your name/photo)
3. Scroll down and select “Find My”
4. Tap on “Share My Location”
5. Toggle the switch to OFF position (it will turn gray)
6. A confirmation dialog may appear – confirm your choice
7. Exit settings – your location is now paused for everyone

What Others Will See: “Location Not Available” with your name

What It Looks Like: Friends will see your profile picture with “Location Not Available” text underneath in the Find My app. This is quite noticeable.

The Downside: Anyone checking your location will immediately see that you’ve turned off location sharing, which might prompt questions about why you’ve done so. This method doesn’t allow you to freeze your location at a specific place – it simply stops sharing altogether.

Option 2: Stop Sharing with Specific People

For more targeted privacy control when you only need to pause location for certain contacts.

Detailed Steps:

1. Open the Find My app on your iPhone (blue icon with location pin)
2. Tap the “People” tab at the bottom of the screen
3. Scroll through and select the specific person you want to stop sharing with
4. Scroll down to the bottom of their information card
5. Tap “Stop Sharing My Location”
6. Confirm your choice when prompted
7. Repeat for each person as needed
8. You can always restart sharing later through the same menu

What Others Will See: Your profile will show “Location Not Available” only to those specific people you’ve stopped sharing with. Others can still see your location normally.

The Advantage: This method allows selective privacy. You can stop sharing with just your roommate while still letting your parents see your location, for example.

The Downside: The people you stop sharing with will know you’ve specifically chosen to hide your location from them, which might raise questions or hurt feelings.

Option 3: Disable Location Services

This more extreme option turns off GPS functionality for all apps on your phone.

Detailed Steps:

1. Go to Settings on your iPhone
2. Tap “Privacy & Security” (shield icon)
3. Select “Location Services” at the top
4. Toggle the master “Location Services” switch to OFF
5. A warning will appear about apps not functioning properly
6. Confirm by selecting “Turn Off”
7. Your iPhone will stop using GPS completely

What Others Will See: “Location Not Available”

What It Looks Like: Similar to Option 1, but this affects all location-based functionality on your device.

Major Drawback: This disables all location-based apps and features including:

• Maps and navigation apps won’t work
• The weather app won’t show local weather
• Rideshare services like Uber cannot locate you
• Photos won’t be geotagged
• “Find My” app won’t work for finding your own devices
• Many other apps will have limited functionality

This method is very obvious to anyone trying to see your location, and it significantly impacts your own usage of the phone.

Option 4: Enable Airplane Mode

This temporarily freezes your location at the last known point by cutting all connections.

Detailed Steps:

1. Swipe down from the top-right corner to open Control Center (or up from the bottom on older iPhones)
2. Tap the airplane icon (it will turn orange/highlighted when active)
3. Your phone will disconnect from cellular, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth
4. Your location will stop updating in Find My
5. To turn off, simply tap the airplane icon again

What Others Will See: Your last known location before enabling Airplane Mode, with an increasingly outdated timestamp.

The Advantage: Quick and easy to toggle on and off. No special tools needed.

Major Drawbacks:

• You cannot receive calls or texts while in Airplane Mode
• The timestamp in Find My will not update, making it obvious after a while
• All internet functionality is disabled (unless you selectively re-enable Wi-Fi)
• If you need to use your phone, turning off Airplane Mode will immediately update your real location

This method works best for very short periods when you don’t need phone connectivity.

Method 3: Alternative Device-Based Solutions to Pause iPhone Location on Find My App

These methods involve more significant changes but can be very effective in certain situations.

Option 1: Use Another Apple Device as Your Location Source

This clever trick uses a secondary device to broadcast your “location” while you move freely with your main device.

Detailed Steps:

1. Leave your iPad or secondary iPhone at your desired “location” (home, work, etc.)
2. Ensure the device is connected to Wi-Fi and has sufficient battery (or leave it plugged in)
3. On your main iPhone that you’ll carry with you:
   • Go to Settings > [Your Name] > Find My
   • Tap “Use This iPhone as My Location”
   • Change the selection to your other device (iPad or secondary iPhone)
4. A checkmark will appear next to the selected device
5. Exit settings and go about your day

What Others Will See: The location of your secondary device, which stays fixed in one place.

How It Works: When friends look you up, Find My reports the location of whichever device you’ve designated as your location source. They have no way of knowing which device is actually reporting.

Requirements:

• You must own multiple Apple devices (iPhone, iPad, etc.)
• The stationary device needs power and internet connection
• Both devices must be signed into the same Apple ID

The Advantage: This method is nearly perfect – others see a normal, updating location that never changes, with no indication anything unusual is happening.

Option 2: Power Off Your iPhone

The simplest but most obvious solution.

Detailed Steps:

1. Press and hold the side button and either volume button simultaneously
2. When the power off slider appears, drag it to the right
3. Wait for your device to shut down completely
4. Your location will stop updating in Find My

What Others Will See: “Last seen [time]” with your last known location before powering off.

Major Drawbacks:

• Your phone is completely unusable while powered off
• Anyone looking for you will immediately see that your device is off
• When you turn your phone back on, your location updates immediately
• You’ll miss all calls, texts, and notifications while the device is off

This method is only useful when you don’t need your phone at all and don’t mind others knowing it’s turned off.

Option 3: Disable Find My iPhone (Extreme Measure)

Note: Only use this if absolutely necessary, as it compromises the security benefits of Find My, including anti-theft protection.

Detailed Steps:

1. Go to Settings on your iPhone
2. Tap your Apple ID at the top of the screen
3. Select “Find My”
4. Tap “Find My iPhone”
5. Toggle off “Find My iPhone” (it will turn gray)
6. Enter your Apple ID password when prompted to confirm
7. Your device will be removed from the Find My system

What Others Will See: Your device will completely disappear from their Find My app. You won’t be listed at all – not even as “Location Not Available.”

Serious Downsides:

• Disables important security features like Activation Lock
• If your phone is lost or stolen, you cannot track it
• Remote erase features will not work
• Obvious to others that you’ve taken deliberate steps to hide
• Requires full reconfiguration to enable it again

This is a nuclear option that should only be used in situations where complete privacy is worth sacrificing device security.

FAQs

Conclusion: Which Method Should You Choose?

Your best option depends on your specific needs:

• For undetectable location freezing: LocaRun (Method 1) provides the most seamless experience without arousing suspicion
• For quick, temporary pauses: Airplane Mode (Method 2, Option 4) works well for brief periods when you don’t need your phone
• For complete privacy with minimal suspicion: Another Apple device (Method 3, Option 1) is nearly perfect if you have multiple devices
• For convenience with some detection risk: Stop sharing with specific people (Method 2, Option 2) is best when you only need privacy from certain contacts

Remember that location sharing is designed primarily for safety and convenience. While everyone deserves privacy, consider the concerns of those who might be checking your location out of care rather than intrusion.

Want to move freely without being followed on the map? The most reliable and undetectable method remains LocaRun, giving you complete control over your digital location footprint.