iOS 17 was rolled out to users globally last week, bringing noteworthy changes to Apple's operating system for recent iPhone models. However, the Cupertino company is reportedly investigating claims made by users that the update to iOS 17 reset some of the privacy settings at the operating system level. According to security researchers, the two settings on iOS 17 that are claimed to be affected by the update could affect users' privacy as they contain information about a user's location.
Apple confirmed to 9to5Mac that it was investigating an issue flagged by two cybersecurity researchers known as Mysk on X (formerly Twitter) related to the iOS 17 update. According to Mysk, some users have reported that the iOS 17 update enables the setting for Significant Locations and iPhone Analytics in the Settings app when they were previously turned off on iOS 16.
🚨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
In a post on X, Mysk explained that both Significant Locations and iPhone analytics keep a record of a user's location information. The former is stored on a user's smartphone and synced between devices using end-to-end encryption, which means Apple cannot access the information. iPhone Analytics, on the other hand, creates analytics reports shared with Apple that could contain location information, even if anonymised.
Aside from some users replying to Mysk's post on X stating that the settings were enabled on their iPhone, Gadgets 360 was able to confirm that both settings that were previously disabled on iOS 16 appear to have been enabled after the update to iOS 17.
It is worth noting that both these settings can be manually disabled once again by opening the iOS Settings app and tapping on Privacy & Security > Location Services > System Services > Turn off Significant Locations and iPhone Analytics.
Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.
For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on Twitter, Facebook, and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel.
As a writer on technology with Gadgets 360, David Delima is interested in open-source technology, cybersecurity, consumer privacy, and loves to read and write about how the Internet works. David can be contacted via email at [email protected], on Twitter at @DxDavey, and Mastodon at mstdn.social/@delima. More
Related Stories
-
iOS 17 Update Rolling Out Alongside iPadOS 17, macOS Sonoma, watchOS 10 and tvOS 17: Check Features
18 September 2023
-
iOS 17 With StandBy Mode, Contact Posters and More Rolls Out Today: How to Download on Eligible Models
18 September 2023
-
iPhone 15 Pro Models Get Support for India's NavIC, Apple May Let You Limit Charging Percentage on New Lineup
14 September 2023
-
iOS 17, iPadOS 17, macOS Sonoma, watchOS 10 Release Date Unveiled; Check Compatible Devices, Features
13 September 2023
-
iPhone 15 Pro Action Button Controls for Silent Mode, Camera, Flashlight, More Found in iOS 17 Code: Report
28 July 2023