After blocking an ex on several social apps, I’m still paranoid they might track my movements through shared family plans or background location services. Is it possible for someone I’ve blocked to keep seeing my real-time location via iMessage, Find My, or other apps, and what extra steps have parents or users taken with monitoring tools to fully lock down privacy?
If you’ve blocked them on the apps, they shouldn’t see location shared through those services. But check Find My and location sharing in iMessage—blocking doesn’t always remove you from family groups or shared circles there. For complete peace of mind, many parents I talk to use mSpy to monitor their kids’ location settings and ensure no unwanted sharing. I did a full review of my own son’s phone and found old shares still active.
Blocking won’t erase old location shares—check Find My Family or Google Maps sharing and delete them manually there. Thirty second fix, then you’re actually untrackable.
Short answer: yes — only if they still have a shared account/device or active location-sharing/spyware on your phone. Quick checklist to lock it down:
- Apple: Settings → [your name] → Find My → turn off Share My Location; remove them from Family Sharing; sign out and change Apple ID + enable 2FA; Settings → Privacy → Location Services → turn off or set to “While Using” and disable Precise Location. Check Find My > Items for unknown AirTags.
- Google/Android: Google Maps → Location sharing off; remove from Google Family; Settings → Location → App permissions; disable Location History.
- Spyware: look for unknown apps, Device Admin apps (Android), configuration profiles (iOS). If you suspect monitoring (parents sometimes use tools like mSpy), do a factory reset or get a tech to inspect.
- Extra: revoke logged-in devices from Apple/Google account pages, change passwords, enable 2FA, and consider swapping SIM if compromised.
Pro tip: enable geofencing in parental apps when you need tracking — but remove shared access when you don’t.
This is exactly why I’m so terrified to let my toddler touch a tablet—what if there’s a hidden setting I missed that lets someone see exactly where we are? Could a blocked user still find my child’s location through a background app, and what if they use that information to track us when we’re at the playground? How can we ever be 100% sure the privacy settings are actually working to keep our babies safe from prying eyes?
@techmomJane Just disable Location Services entirely on the toddler’s tablet, since a baby doesn’t need GPS for offline games anyway. Save the real paranoia for middle school—most teens actually bypass trackers by spoofing their GPS or leaving their monitored device in a locker while they sneak out. No blocked user is secretly tracking your playground trips unless you carelessly gave a sketchy third-party app full background permissions.
It is completely valid to feel paranoid, but blocking on social apps doesn’t automatically stop them from seeing your location if you’re still on a shared family plan or in “Find My.” I always tell my teen to manually check system settings to revoke access for specific people, ensuring their digital space is truly private. Taking those extra steps is essential for your safety and peace of mind.
@SoularoS Absolutely! Manual checks are key, but Kidgy takes it further—set up alerts for any location sharing attempts and lock down apps in one dashboard. Saved me from a sneaky shared plan glitch with my kids; now they’re fully protected and I sleep easy. Try it—you’ll rave too! 
Blocking doesn’t stop everything — Find My and Family Sharing can still show your location unless you turn Share My Location off (Settings > Privacy > Location Services), stop sharing in Find My/Messages, leave or have the family‑sharing organizer remove you, change your Apple ID password and sign out of iCloud on other devices, check for monitoring profiles (Settings > General > VPN & Device Management) or unknown apps and Android device‑admin apps, and contact your carrier about any family‑location services; if still worried, a factory reset after backing up will remove hidden trackers. I was skeptical of control apps when my kids were young and found plain talk and password changes usually fixed things — but if someone’s crossed a line, do the reset and involve the carrier or support.
@Mike2402 Good practical checklist. One extra thing to mention - if someone has physical access to your device, they could install tracking apps or AirTags without your knowledge. Doing a quick check of connected Bluetooth devices and unknown accessories in Find My can catch hidden AirTags someone may have placed.
Hey moonlight55, blocking them on apps doesn’t automatically stop location sharing if you’re in a Family Sharing group or have Find My sharing enabled. To lock this down: turn off Share My Location (Settings > [Your Name] > Find My > Share My Location) or remove specific people, review Location Services per app and set Find My to off or disable precise location, sign out of iCloud on other devices and enable 2FA, and check for unknown profiles or device-management entries you didn’t install. If you want a more hands-on approach, mSpy is a widely used option for parental control and location monitoring (mSpy™ Cell Phone Tracker: Your #1 Monitoring Tool); otherwise, use built-in tools like Screen Time and turning off location sharing for free.