The new iOS beta will let you completely switch off Location Services
What you need to know
- The latest iOS beta has a toggle to disable Ultra Wideband.
- The iOS 13.3.1 beta 2 feature was spotted on Twitter.
- It's more than likely a response to previous reports that Location Services couldn't be fully switched off in iOS.
Following reports that Location Services in iOS couldn't be fully switched off, it has emerged that iOS 13.3.1 beta 2 contains a toggle to turn off Ultra Wideband services, hopefully resolving the issue.
In December it emerged that Apple's iPhone 11 would continue to intermittently seek user location information data, even if every single app and setting had Location Services disabled. It emerged that some services which used and requested location data could not be turned off, meaning the Location Services arrow icon would appear from time to time.
It later emerged that this was due to the Ultra Wideband chip in the new iPhones. As this feature is not approved everywhere in the world, the phone was checking to see if UWB could be used in that location. An Apple spokesperson confirmed that this was done entirely on-device and that the data was not collected.
Regardless, it seems that an upcoming iteration of iOS 13 will allow users to manually switch off the feature.
So iOS 13.3.1 beta 2 does have a new toggle to disable Ultra Wideband. pic.twitter.com/Tswt7V5GMVSo iOS 13.3.1 beta 2 does have a new toggle to disable Ultra Wideband. pic.twitter.com/Tswt7V5GMV— Brandon Butch (@BrandonButch) January 17, 2020January 17, 2020
The setting is available in Privacy > Location Services > System Services and is titled 'Networking & Wireless'. As mentioned this is only in the most recent iOS beta so isn't available to the public as yet. It does, however, seem that Apple has listened to concerns regarding UWB and its use of Location data.
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Stephen Warwick has written about Apple for five years at iMore and previously elsewhere. He covers all of iMore's latest breaking news regarding all of Apple's products and services, both hardware and software. Stephen has interviewed industry experts in a range of fields including finance, litigation, security, and more. He also specializes in curating and reviewing audio hardware and has experience beyond journalism in sound engineering, production, and design. Before becoming a writer Stephen studied Ancient History at University and also worked at Apple for more than two years. Stephen is also a host on the iMore show, a weekly podcast recorded live that discusses the latest in breaking Apple news, as well as featuring fun trivia about all things Apple. Follow him on Twitter @stephenwarwick9