Phones Canada Team – New iOS 17 Update Privacy Concern
Last week, Apple released its latest iOS 17, and probably many of you have already installed it. And, if you have but previously turned off the Significant Locations and iPhone Analytics features, you might want to check if they are still disabled.
Mysk, two iOS developers and security researchers, posted on social media that some users might see the Significant Locations and iPhone Analytics features turned on without permission after upgrading to iOS 17. According to reports, Apple is investigating this issue and once again states that it is committed to its users’ privacy.
PSA: iOS 17 turns these sensitive location options back on. If you have disabled significant locations as well as adding your location information to your iPhone analytics before upgrading to iOS 17, iOS 17 will turn the options on as shown in the screenshot.
While significant… pic.twitter.com/ROVEgPqw08
— Mysk (@mysk_co) September 23, 2023
Only a few users though, have experienced this issue, and most iPhone users remained unaffected after updating to iOS 17. But if you have previously disabled these two features and want to check if you are one of the unlucky ones to experience the issue, you should go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > System Service. The Significant Locations feature keeps track of your most recently visited places and uses that location data, for example, for predictive traffic routing. The feature is end-to-end encrypted, so any data gathered stays only on your iPhone. You can delete your significant location data by going to Settings> Privacy & Security > Location Services > System Services >Significant Locations. After that, simply tap on Clear History.
Mysk says, though, that despite the Significant Locations feature being end-to-end encrypted, “they (the data) can be abused as they record detailed information about the locations you visit frequently.” iPhone Analytics, on the other hand, are shared with Apple and security experts often advise to turn off the two features.
Last year, after Mysk revealed that Apple allegedly collects personal data even if the iPhone Analytics feature is disabled, a class action lawsuit was filed against the company.
