Apple is introducing a significant privacy enhancement in iOS 27 that gives iPhone and iPad users greater control over location sharing in the Find My app. The new feature allows users to temporarily hide their location from specific people without sending them a notification, making location sharing more flexible while preserving privacy.
The update is currently available in the iOS 27 developer beta and is expected to roll out to all compatible devices later this year alongside Apple’s public release of iOS 27.
A Smarter Way to Pause Location Sharing
In previous versions of iOS, stopping location sharing with someone in the Find My app often made it obvious that sharing had been turned off. The new Hide Location option changes that behavior.
Users can now temporarily pause location sharing for selected contacts without triggering an alert on the other person’s device. Instead of receiving a notification that sharing has stopped, the contact simply sees “No Location Found” while the feature is active. Once the selected time expires, location sharing returns to its previous state automatically.
Apple says the feature is intended for legitimate situations where temporary privacy is helpful, such as organizing a surprise event or buying a gift without revealing your whereabouts.
Custom Location Sharing Durations
Another improvement in iOS 27 is the ability to choose custom time limits when sharing your location.
Earlier versions of Find My offered only a few preset options, such as sharing for one hour, until the end of the day, or indefinitely. With iOS 27, users can define a precise sharing period ranging from 15 minutes to 30 days, specifying the exact number of days, hours, and minutes.
This gives users much greater flexibility for situations like vacations, business trips, family outings, or temporary meetups.
How the Feature Works
Using Hide Location is straightforward:
- Open the Find My app.
- Go to the People tab.
- Select My Location.
- Tap the new Hide Location option.
- Your location is temporarily hidden from selected contacts without notifying them.
- When the selected period ends, your previous sharing settings are restored automatically.
The feature acts as a temporary pause rather than permanently removing someone from your shared location list.
Privacy Benefits
The update reflects Apple’s continued focus on user privacy.
There are many everyday situations where temporarily hiding your location can be useful without completely ending a trusted sharing relationship. Examples include:
- Planning surprise birthday parties
- Shopping for anniversary or holiday gifts
- Preparing family events
- Traveling without revealing your exact route
- Taking a short personal break while maintaining long-term location sharing
By allowing temporary privacy instead of forcing users to disable sharing altogether, Apple offers a more practical solution for real-world scenarios.
Additional Find My Improvements
The Hide Location feature isn’t the only enhancement coming to Find My in iOS 27.
Apple is also expanding landscape mode support within the app, making better use of larger displays and improving usability when an iPhone is held horizontally. This broader interface update is expected to benefit future hardware, including rumored foldable Apple devices.
Together with customizable location-sharing durations, these improvements make Find My a more capable and user-friendly location management tool.
Availability
The new Find My features are currently included in the iOS 27 developer beta. Apple is expected to release a public beta in July, followed by the full public rollout alongside compatible iPhone and iPad models later this year.
Final Thoughts
The new Hide Location feature in iOS 27 adds a thoughtful layer of privacy to Apple’s Find My app. Rather than forcing users to stop sharing their location completely, Apple now lets them temporarily pause location visibility without notifying the other person, while also introducing flexible sharing durations that better match everyday needs.
Although the feature may spark debate about potential misuse, it also provides legitimate privacy benefits for users who occasionally need discretion without disrupting ongoing location-sharing relationships. Combined with other Find My improvements arriving in iOS 27, it represents another step in Apple’s ongoing effort to give users more control over their personal information while keeping the experience simple and intuitive.
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