Photo Date Stamps, GPS Locations and Privacy
A photo can reveal where it was taken in two different ways: GPS coordinates hidden in metadata and location text visibly printed on the picture. They have different privacy consequences.
Leave place stamping off unless you want it. Removing embedded GPS metadata does not erase a city or coordinates already printed on the pixels. Always review both settings before sharing.
Know which location is being used
Date Stamps can use historical GPS attached to the selected photo; it does not need your phone’s current location. A screenshot or image with no GPS should not be assigned a made-up place.
Choose whether to display the place
You may add coordinates, enter a place manually, or explicitly request a city name. Reverse geocoding a city is optional and requires sending the photo’s coordinates to Apple’s service; image rendering itself stays on the phone.
Check metadata separately
A new exported image can omit GPS metadata by default. If you add a visible “Tokyo” or latitude/longitude stamp, however, that text remains visible to anyone who receives the file—even when EXIF GPS was removed.
Consider iCloud Photos
Saving to Apple Photos does not upload an image to a Date Stamps server. If you have enabled iCloud Photos, Apple may still synchronize the exported file through your personal Apple account.
Does removing GPS metadata hide a city printed on the image?
No. Pixel text is still visible. Turn off the optional Place stamp to avoid showing the location in the exported image.