Apple test button to turn off location tracking due to ultra-wide band – Tablets and phones – News

Apple has added a new feature to iOS to turn off location tracking due to the so-called ultra-wide band chip. Earlier, a security researcher discovered that Apple makes unsolicited location determinations because the uwb chip has not yet been approved everywhere.

This involves locating via GPS on the iPhone 11 that is done without the user having the option to turn it off. Apple explained at the end of last year that it makes these location requests because the chip for ultrawide-band has not yet been approved in all countries; by determining the location of the user, the chip can be turned off in the respective countries.

Now Apple has built in a toggle in iOS 13.3.1 with which such location requests can still be turned off. That feature is in the second beta version, like that discovered Brandon Butch, who announced his find on Twitter. Apple warns that when the location requests for ‘networking & wireless’ are turned off, the operation of the uwb chip is influenced.

The iPhone 11 models have ultra-wide band support thanks to the specially developed U1 chip, and use this for AirDrop among others. The technology allows precise location of the device, and of the device relative to other devices with U1 chip, thanks to time of flight.

The location requests due to the UWB chip were discovered at the end of last year by security researcher Brian Krebs. Apple responded by saying that the location data is not collected and stays on the phone.

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