New iPhones Access Location Info When Settings are Disabled Due to Ultra Wideband, Toggle Coming in Future Update

Thursday December 5, 2019 9:50 am PST by Juli Clover
Earlier this week, security researcher Brian Krebs found that the new iPhone 11 Pro models access user location data even when all apps and system services on the iPhone are set to not request the data.

Krebs told Apple that he had found a possible privacy bug as this presumably should not happen, but Apple told him that there were no concerns and the ‌iPhone‌ was operating as designed. "It is expected behavior that the Location Services icon appears in the status bar when Location Services is enabled. The icon appears for system services that do not have a switch in Settings," Apple said.


Krebs came to the conclusion that Apple has certain system services that check for location regardless of whether the setting has been disabled individually for apps and system services, which, as it turns out, is accurate.

Apple today provided more context in a statement to TechCrunch, explaining that the new ‌iPhone‌ models that have a U1 ultra wideband chip are using location data to make sure they're not in restricted areas.

As Apple explains, there are some areas where ultra wideband technology is not allowed because of international regulations, so the ‌iPhone‌ must make sure it is not in these locations.
Ultra wideband technology is an industry standard technology and is subject to international regulatory requirements that require it to be turned off in certain locations. iOS uses Location Services to help determine if ‌iPhone‌ is in these prohibited locations in order to disable ultra wideband and comply with regulations.

The management of ultra wideband compliance and its use of location data is done entirely on the device and Apple is not collecting user location data.
Apple says that the location checks are done on device and no data about location is being sent to Apple's servers.

In the future, Apple plans to provide a dedicated toggle that will turn off the ultra wideband technology and thus disallow the background location tracking that's currently going on.

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WiiDSmoker
7 weeks ago
We got caught.
Rating: 22 Votes
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V_Man
7 weeks ago
Well now that it’s public knowledge they will offer a toggle
Rating: 19 Votes
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jk1211
7 weeks ago
I dont care either way really. The explanation seems to jive with what was found and isnt "spying" on you but using the location for other things like to see if a feature can be used in a region (versus doing what say Pixel 4 did and just not sell the phone there)

I dont see that as a legit privacy concern if it stays on device; the chip says am I in this region? No. Ok. Am I i this region? No. ok.
Rating: 14 Votes
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iGeneo
7 weeks ago
A non-issue and a solid explanation from Apple

Move along, noting nefarious here. FairPlay to Apple for adding a toggle to satisfy the tin foil hat crowd
Rating: 13 Votes
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Dave-Z
7 weeks ago
It's discovered that Android devices use location services when those services are set to disabled. iPhone users laugh and mock.

It's discovered that Apple devices use location services when those services are set to disabled. iPhone users nod and accept.

The fact that Apple releases a statement after they are caught (just like with those Siri recordings) shows their true nature. If privacy was truly a priority for Apple, this information would have been disclosed before the fact and a toggle provided when such hardware was released.
Rating: 11 Votes
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jk1211
7 weeks ago


And all this for a useless chip. Come on Apple, what are you waiting for?


What is your legitimate privacy concern being griped about? Explain with facts not Apple opinion this or that.

If the ultra-wideband chip can only function in certain countries due to licensing issues, and the chip says to the processor, check gps location, am I in country x? No? Ok good I will stay on. And keeps doing that to check status to turn the UWB chip on or off.

If all of that stays on device, what is the legitimate privacy concern there?
Rating: 11 Votes
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jk1211
7 weeks ago


Prohibited locations? What possible use could this have unless the owner was working out of a classified military base?


Other countries and band licensing. Its still a radio wave and needs government approval to use that spectrum. Some governments wont approve it or it takes a long long time to get approval.

The same way the Pixel's Motion Sense (the hand radar) cant be used in say like India. Except they just dont sell the phone there instead.
Rating: 8 Votes
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CWallace
7 weeks ago

Apple should NOT violate its own App Store Guidelines, ever !!


It doesn't appear to be an App so not sure it violates the Guidelines.

Plus the issue is based on legal requirements, not Apple trying to clandestinely collect user location data.
Rating: 7 Votes
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Ahmed7
7 weeks ago
The other day when I went to pick up a friend from the airport, I got a notification from the Flight Radar app that said ”welcome to ‘my country’s airport” even though I had location disabled for the app. I haven’t even opened the app in days.
Rating: 7 Votes
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ElectricPotato
7 weeks ago
This is where we are headed: location will be required for more and more features subject to government restrictions. Past a point, any toggle will be meaningless since the choice will be effectively stop functioning or allow location data.
Rating: 7 Votes

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