TikTok has quickly become one of the most popular social media apps, with over 1 billion active monthly users as of 2023. It allows users to create and share short videos, often set to music. According to statistics, TikTok had an estimated 1.2 billion global downloads just within the third quarter of 2022, underscoring its incredible popularity.
With such a massive userbase, questions naturally arise around how TikTok utilizes location services and whether your location can be tracked on the app. This article will provide an overview of TikTok’s location settings, discuss the various ways location can be shared, outline the potential risks, and offer tips to keep your location private if desired.
Does TikTok Track Your Location?
Yes, TikTok does track user location through various methods. According to TikTok’s privacy policy, the app collects location data such as your precise location information from Global Positioning System (GPS) when you use certain features. TikTok also gathers your approximate location based on your Internet Protocol (IP) address.
When you first open TikTok, you are asked to enable location access so the app can customize content for you. TikTok states that if you decline location access, it will still estimate your general location using your IP address in order to serve you relevant content and ads.
TikTok uses your location data for various purposes laid out in its privacy policy, including providing personalized content like nearby events and location tags. It also uses location to serve targeted advertising. So even if you don’t actively share your location, TikTok still has ways to gather where users are located.
TikTok Location Settings
TikTok gives users control over location access in the app’s settings. You can find the location settings by going to your profile, tapping the menu icon, selecting “Settings and privacy”, and then choosing “Privacy”. Under “Location services”, there are three options:
- Allow all the time – TikTok can access your location at any time, even when you aren’t using the app.
- Allow while using app – TikTok can only access your location when the app is open and running.
- Don’t allow – TikTok cannot access your location at all.
The location services setting controls whether TikTok can collect your GPS data, WiFi network info, and other location identifiers. Enabling location access allows TikTok to personalized content based on your area, connect you with local events and trends, and more. However, leaving it on all the time means TikTok can continuously track your location, even when the app isn’t in use. Users concerned about privacy may want to limit location access to “Allow while using app” or turn it off completely.
According to TikTok’s support page, location data may still be collected even with location services disabled, such as determining your country or region to provide relevant content and recommendations. But turning off location access limits the ability for TikTok to pinpoint your precise location.
Finding Friends Nearby
TikTok has a Find Friends feature that lets you connect with TikTok users based on proximity. This allows you to find and follow other users who are nearby your current location [1].
To use the Find Friends nearby feature, go to your profile page and tap the “Add Friends” button. Then select the “Find Nearby” tab. TikTok will then search for other users near your location and display their profiles. You can scroll through and follow any users you’d like to connect with.
The Find Friends nearby tool shows users within a certain radius of your location. So it’s a quick way to find and connect with other TikTok users who are physically close by. This can help you discover new content creators and trends that are popular in your local area [2].
Location Tagging in Posts
TikTok allows users to tag their posts with their location. When location tagging is enabled, the name of your city will appear on your posts under your username. Adding a location tag will make your location visible to all other viewers of your post [1].
Location tagging is optional, so you do not have to add your location to every TikTok if you don’t wish to share your precise whereabouts. However, location tagging can help connect you with other TikTok users in your local area.
To disable location tagging, you can turn off location access for TikTok in your device’s settings outside of the app. You can also avoid tagging your posts with your location when making a new TikTok video.
Location Data for Ads
TikTok uses location data to serve users relevant ads based on their location. As described in their Location Targeting help article, TikTok determines a user’s location through various signals like IP address, GPS, and wireless networks. While these signals vary in accuracy, combining them allows TikTok to estimate a user’s general location.
Advertisers on TikTok can target their ads by location at different levels of granularity. As explained in the Location Targeting FAQs, advertisers can target countries, regions, cities, or custom locations. TikTok will then show those ads to users estimated to be in the targeted locations. This allows advertisers to focus their ad spend on specific geographies relevant to their business.
In summary, TikTok does collect location data from users which it then uses to allow advertisers to target ads based on location. However, users do have some ability to limit location tracking as we’ll discuss in the next sections.
Making Your Location Private
There are a few ways to limit how much location data TikTok collects and shares about you:
You can turn off access to your location in the app’s settings. Open the app, go to your profile, tap the menu icon, choose “Settings and privacy”, then go to “Privacy” and switch “Location services” off (TikTok support). This prevents TikTok from accessing your location at all.
Making your account private will also stop your location from being visible to people you don’t specifically approve to follow you. Go to “Settings and privacy” then “Privacy” and turn “Private account” on (TikTok support).
You can also remove location tags from individual posts. Tap on a video to edit it, then tap the location tag icon to delete the location data. Just be aware that deleting the tag doesn’t remove location data already collected by TikTok.
Adjusting these settings prevents TikTok from accessing, storing, and sharing your location data as much as possible. It limits location tracking features and keeps your location more private.
Risks of Location Tracking on TikTok
There are some notable risks that come with TikTok’s location tracking features. Most concerning is the potential for strangers or stalkers to pinpoint your location and show up uninvited. As Wired reported, TikTok has previously allowed strangers to identify and locate children as young as 9 years old. While TikTok has since changed some defaults, users should still be wary of revealing location details publicly.
Another risk is the potential for location-targeted scams or phishing attempts. Scammers can use location data to make their messages seem more legitimate and personalized. For example, they may claim your car has been towed from a specific parking lot or that a package is waiting for you at a nearby post office. Teens and young users should be particularly cautious with sharing their locations to avoid personalized phishing attempts.
While TikTok’s location features may be convenient for finding nearby friends or targets ads, users should weigh the risks carefully. Enabling privacy settings, avoiding location tagging, and being wary of strangers can help minimize potential dangers. But ultimately, choosing not to opt into location tracking may be the safest option.
Parental Controls
TikTok offers robust parental controls through its Family Pairing feature. Parents can link their TikTok account to their child’s account to monitor and restrict certain activities.
One important control is the ability to limit visibility and turn off location services for teens under 16. As stated on TikTok’s safety page, parents can “Manage privacy and security settings like screen time management, restricted mode, direct messages, and more.”
TikTok announced new parental controls in March 2023, including the ability to turn off location sharing for teens. As reported on TikTok’s newsroom, “With Location Controls, parents can decide whether their teen’s location is visible on TikTok.”
So through Family Pairing, parents do have the ability to limit or disable location tracking for their child’s TikTok account. This gives families more control over privacy and safety.
Conclusion
In summary, TikTok does track user locations in various ways, but there are steps you can take to limit location tracking and visibility:
- Adjust your TikTok privacy settings to limit location data collection and sharing.
- Toggle off the “Nearby Friends” feature so your location isn’t visible to other users.
- Be cautious about tagging locations in your posts, as these are publicly visible.
- If you’re concerned about location tracking, consider not linking your account with any other social media profiles.
- Use parental controls to limit location tracking for teen accounts.
While location tracking has some benefits for personalized ads and connecting with nearby friends, it’s important to be aware of the privacy risks. Adjust your TikTok account settings accordingly to control how your location data is collected, stored and shared.
