Alert: Your Phone Has a Secret Map That Shows Where You've Been - But Here's How You Can Get Rid of It
Consumer technology expert and radio host Kim Komando recently pointed out that Apple iPhones could be tracking their users’ every move.
The host identified the way in which the phones track the movements of those who carry them. She also offered a solution regarding how to put a stop to it.
In an exclusive column for the U.K.’s Daily Mail, Komando offered a way for people to access what she called an “internal log” setting that can be disabled with a few simple steps.
The setting is on by default, The Western Journal confirmed after a review of three such devices.
“Your iPhone has been keeping track of everywhere you’ve ever been, and you can view it in map form with a few clicks,” Komando stated.
She further noted, “It can be quite a handy feature if you are forgetful. For example, your phone can automatically generate directions home or find your parked car.”
iPhone users might have noticed, for example, that their device might suggest them a location when they head out the door.
Others might have noticed they look at their map and it might designate their home as “home” or where their phone believes their vehicle is parked.
This information is stored as the phones follow the habits of their owners over time.
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Komando said of what some might consider invasions of privacy, “The tracking function is part of location services, and a more in-depth thing called Significant Locations.”
For those who might be curious as to whether they are being tracked by their phones, Komando offered a roadmap on how to find out.
Users can find this data if they:
- Open their iPhone’s settings.
- Tap on Privacy & Security.
- Select Location Services.
- Scroll down and tap System Services
- Scroll down to an option called Significant Locations and tap on it
At that point, iPhone users are prompted to use their password or their face ID to open the Significant Locations page.
Significant Locations shows a map of places that the phone has either visited or has been in close proximity to.
Some locations that are logged might be a bit off for those who view them, but that is because the location is not always precise.
For example, my iPhone tells me it has collected 187 separate location records on me throughout the last seven weeks. Some are near my usual stops, but others are off by as much as three city blocks.
The device has been logging the locations of my home, where I buy coffee, where I exercise and even where I shop for groceries.
The Significant Locations page has an option at the bottom to “Clear History,” which deletes all previous locations the phone has saved.
As Komando pointed out, iPhone users can stop their devices from collecting similar data in the future once the history is cleared.
In order to turn off the setting, users need to simply:
- Go to Settings
- Tap on Privacy & Security
- Visit the Location Services option
- Click on System Services
- Again select Significant Locations.
At the top of the Significant Locations page, there is a button that can be toggled to the left or to the right.
If the button is toggled to the left, Significant Locations is disabled and prevents the device from again tracking locations without their owner’s permission.
It can be enabled again by following the same roadmap and toggling the button to the right.
Komando noted, “According to Apple, this feature exists so the phone can learn places that are significant to us and therefore be able to provide personalized services, like predictive traffic routing and improved Photos Memories.”
Apple has said the locations logged on a phone can be viewed only by the owner of the device or someone who has their password.
But having such information obtained by a third party can be prevented by simply disabling the setting altogether.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
