How to Get Rid of the Hollow Arrow on iPhone

Use Settings to remove the location services icon from the status bar

By
Saikat Basu
Saikat Basu
Saikat Basu
Writer
  • University of Pune (India)
Saikat has been a technology writer for 12+ years. His writing has appeared at MakeUseOf, OnlineTechTips, GoSkills, and many others.
lifewire's editorial guidelines
Published on August 17, 2022

What to Know

  • To turn off the arrow, go to Settings > Privacy > Location Services > System Services > Status Bar Icon > Off.
  • To block app-specific location access go to Settings > Privacy > Location Services > Allow Location Access > Never.

This article will show you two ways to get rid of the hollow arrow on an iPhone. You can use more than one method to remove it from the top left corner of the iPhone's screen when you find it an unnecessary distraction.

How to Switch Off the Status Bar Icon

This is the easiest method to get rid of the arrow icons used by Location Services. However, location services for iOS and third-party apps will continue running in the background even if you disable the status bar icon.

  1. Open Settings.

  2. Select Privacy.

  3. Select Location Services.

    Settings, Privacy, and Location Services on iOS

  4. Select System Services by going down the list of apps that use location services on the iPhone. Notice the mention of the three different arrow icon types mentioned on the screen.

  5. Swipe to the bottom of the screen and toggle the Status Bar icon to switch off the Location Services icon in the status bar.

    System Services and Status Bar toggle in iOS Location Services

  6. You can toggle the setting again to enable location services on iOS and bring back the arrow on the display.

How to Limit Location Access

Your iPhone will display the hollow arrow according to the location permissions you have configured for it. Change the location access to manage the indication on the screen.

  1. Open Settings > Privacy > Location Services and go down the list of apps that need location information.

  2. Select the specific app to manage the location access permission.

  3. Under Allow Location Access, choose Never to block the app from accessing your location and disabling the hollow arrow.

    Location Services, Snapchat, and Never in iOS Settings

    Tip:

    Some apps use location services only when they are open or in the background. Get rid of the hollow arrow by shutting down the iOS app by swiping the app's thumbnail away from the multitasking view.

What Is the Hollow Arrow on the iPhone?

The hollow arrow is a specific icon used by Location Services on iOS. It means that an app will use your location information under some conditions decided by the app or configured by you in the app permissions.

Note:

This hollow arrow always indicates that location services is enabled. The arrow gets filled in when any app or a process requests your iPhone’s location. Once the app receives the location information, the arrow returns to a hollow icon again.

FAQ
  • How do I share my location on iPhone?

    To share your location on an iPhone with a Family Sharing or iCloud account, go to Settings > your name > Find My and turn on Share My Location. In a Message, tap Info > Share My Location.

  • How do I see someone's location on iPhone?

    The easiest way to track someone with an iPhone is to use the Find My app. To find and be found using the Find My app, you must enable Share My Location with your friends. Once enabled, you can track them on a map, and they can track you.

  • How do I check my iPhone location history?

    To check your iPhone location history, go to Settings > Privacy > Location Services > System Services > Significant Locations. In Google Maps, tap your profile image > Your data in Maps > See & delete activity.

Was this page helpful?