India is reviewing a proposal that would require Apple to keep GPS location services permanently active on every iPhone sold in the country, according to Reuters.
Under the proposal, smartphone makers including Apple would be required to activate satellite-assisted GPS on their devices at all times with no option for users to disable the feature. The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) argues that location data from cell tower triangulation is not sufficiently precise for investigative use and that authorities should have access to meter-level coordinates provided by GPS.
GPS is typically activated only when specific apps request location access or when an emergency call is placed. The COAI has also asked the government to require smartphone makers to disable pop-up notifications that inform users when a carrier is attempting to access location information.
Apple has formally opposed the proposal. In a letter sent in July by the India Cellular & Electronics Association (ICEA), which represents Apple and Google, the companies warned the government that forcing GPS to remain active at all times would constitute a regulatory overreach.
The news comes shortly after India reversed a separate directive that would have required all smartphone makers, including Apple, to preinstall a government app and prevent users from disabling its functions. The order was rescinded after widespread criticism.
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