What You Need to Know About Android’s Location Settings

The new Motorola Razr HD smartphone is displayed at the launch of three new smartphones under the Razr brand that will become available for Verizon customers in New York City on Sept. 5, 2012. The new phones, the Droid Razr HD, the Razr M and the Razr Maxx HD, will all use Google's Android operating system. Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Do you want your Android phone to project your location out to the world? If your answer isn’t yes, then you need to be careful to avoid clicking “OK” to all of the default settings.

Out of the box, your phone will regularly check for, store, or announce your location unless you tell it otherwise. Here’s what you need to know to take control over when and how your phone checks for your location – and what it does with it afterwards.

Android’s Three Location Modes

When you hit up Android’s settings menu, there are three modes available under Location: “High accuracy,” “Battery saving,” and “Device only.”

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