Apple has introduced a new security feature for select models of the latest iPhones and iPads, aimed at restricting the collection of precise location data by cell phone carriers. This move is designed to enhance user privacy and safeguard against potential threats from law enforcement, spies, and hackers seeking to access sensitive location information.
When activated, this feature alters the level of precision in location data shared with the cell carrier, providing only general neighborhood information instead of specific street addresses. Apple assures that this adjustment does not impact the accuracy of location data exchanged with apps or emergency services during critical situations.
The rollout of this privacy-enhancing feature includes support for devices like iPhone Air, iPhone 16e, and iPad Pro (M5) Wi-Fi + Cellular, running iOS 26.3, and is currently available on selected carriers worldwide, such as Telekom in Germany, AIS and True Thailand, EE and BT in the UK, and Boost Mobile in the US.
As concerns grow over unauthorized access to location data, this development underscores the ongoing vulnerabilities in global cellular networks that have facilitated surveillance and the need for enhanced privacy measures in the digital age.
Source: TechCrunch