IPHONE owners have been warned over a suspected iOS 17 bug that resets their privacy settings without permission, according to reports.
Apple has said it is investigating the claims.
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Two iOS developers and security researchers going by the joint name Mysk on X (formerly Twitter), found their Significant Locations and iPhone Analytics being tracked when they hadn’t given permission.
These toggles being on is simply a default, but somehow the settings were reset after installing Apple’s new iOS 17 update.
Apple confirmed to 9to5Mac that these settings should not change after updating to iOS 17.
While this may sound concerning, most iOS 17 users have been unaffected.
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Significant locations are also end-to-end encrypted and cannot be read by anyone – even Apple, according to the company.
The location feature is used to keep track of recently visited places to better predict traffic routing, app recommendations and Memories in the Photos app.
Despite this, Mysk have warned: “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 locations remain local on your iPhone, they can be abused as they record detailed information about the locations you visit frequently.
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“iPhone analytics, on the other hand, are shared with Apple.
“Having your location information included in these analytics reports might have privacy implications, even if the reports don’t identify you.
“Security experts have always advised to turn these two options off.”
To follow security advice, open your iPhone Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > System Service > turn them off.
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