Apple Secretly Tracks Your Location: Here’s Why
Soon you will no longer be able to use all functions of your iPhone. Apple keeps track of your location for this. iPhoned explains what is going on.
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Apple tracks location with secret setting
Your iPhone works anywhere in the world, but there are some functions that you are not (yet) allowed to use. For example, in the Netherlands we still do not have the search function for gifs in Messages and certain functions of Apple Pay. In other countries, the situation is even more extreme. For example, in the United Arab Emirates you are not allowed to FaceTime and in China AirDrop was temporarily restricted.
Until now, it’s been fairly complicated for Apple to disable these features based on location. On the one hand, this was possible via the region settings of iOS. Works fine, but can hardly be called waterproof. Because you can easily switch regions, and thus gain access to functions that Apple has not intended for you. On the other hand, Apple also limits features on a hardware basis. A well-known example is the camera sound of Japanese iPhones that cannot be turned off. That works reasonably reliably, but you cannot prevent customers from buying an iPhone abroad.
Apple’s new method
But Apple has been secretly working on a new method. And secretly it has been on your phone since iOS 16.2. The system is called ‘countryd’ and determines your actual location based on a number of factors. Your GPS location is of course looked at, but iOS also checks the country code of your WiFi network and data on your SIM card. Based on this information, it is fairly certain to find out the country where you live. This way, Apple can ensure that you see functions that are intended for you.
Why is Apple making so much effort now?
The question remains: why is Apple making so much effort right now to build a system that can determine the exact location of its users? Is Apple jettisoning its privacy principle? No, it has everything to do with a new feature of iOS 17, which should be released in September.
According to European guidelines, it must be possible to use alternative App Stores – also known as sideloading. That is a thorn in Apple’s side, because it harbors some security risks. So the company wants to ensure that sideloading is only accessible to Europeans within the EU.
The beta of iOS 17 that we expect during WWDC in June will undoubtedly already contain a lot of references to this. Do you want to stay informed about all developments around iOS 17, that secret feature and Apple in general? Sign up for our daily or weekly newsletter.
