First, let's look at Instagram Map to see who, if anyone, you're sharing your location with right now.

If you choose to share your location with friends, close friends, or select friends, your precise location will update on the Map every time you open Instagram, but it will disappear if you don't open the app again for 24 hours.

How to turn off Instagram Map location sharing:

1. Open Instagram and tap the Messages icon in the top right of your feed.
2. Tap Map at the top of your inbox. (If it's your first time using Map, dismiss the "Introducing Instagram Map" pop-up by tapping Not now, and then tap Map at the top of your inbox.)
3. Tap the Settings icon in the top right.
4. Under "Who can see your location," select No one. You may be asked to specify a time frame. You can choose "Until I turn it back on."
5. Tap Update or Done at the bottom to save your changes.

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This setting controls whether your friends can see your precise, last-active location on the Map. If you've never given Instagram permission to use your location, the Map feature will already be disabled by default.

Instagram Map also shows location-tagged content -- like your photos, videos, and Stories, if you tag a place in them. This happens even if you're not sharing your precise, last-active location with Instagram Map. That's because, if your account is public, tagged posts can be seen by anyone.

To prevent your location-tagged posts from appearing in Map:

1. When posting a photo, video, or Story, skip the Add location step.
2. If you've already tagged a location in a post, edit the post and remove the tag.

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Switching to aprivate account will prevent strangers from seeing your tagged locations.

Even if you've disabled location sharing in Instagram, the app could still access your location in the background if your device permissions allow it. To fully cut off Instagram's access, change your phone's settings.

On iPhone:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Scroll down and tap Instagram.
3. Tap Location.
4. Select Never or Ask Next Time.

If you still want Instagram to know your general city but not your exact spot, you can turn off Precise Location.

On Android:

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap Apps (or Apps & notifications).
3. Select Instagram.
4. Tap Permissions > Location.
5. Choose Deny.

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Disabling Instagram's permission to access your location entirely isn't necessary if you've already turned off Instagram Map location sharing, but it's an extra privacy layer you can add if you're feeling uneasy.

Without location data, Instagram can't use your whereabouts to target you with location-specific ads. It might also affect certain features, such as location tagging and the ability to share your location in a chat on mobile.