Apple says iPhone 11 Pro shares location data even when the feature is turned off due to ultra wideband tech, will provide a new toggle in an upcoming update
This week, security reporter Brian Krebs asked why the newest iPhone 11 Pro appeared to be sending out a user's location …
TechCrunchZack Whittaker
Context & Ripple Effects
The U1 ultra-wideband chip shipped in every iPhone 11 model as spatial-awareness hardware pitched for AirDrop and future tracking accessories, with location sharing folded into the normal Location Services switch users thought they controlled. Security reporter Brian Krebs's question forced Apple to admit the chip pings location even when that switch is off, because no separate control exists.
The admission lands awkwardly on top of Apple's own privacy framing from the same year, when it introduced one-time location grants in iOS 13. The company has committed to shipping a dedicated U1 toggle in an upcoming update, and the related coverage shows it followed through with an option to disable the U1 chip in iOS 13.3.1.
First-order effects
iPhone 11 Pro owners who turned off Location Services were still transmitting position data via the U1 chip until a fix arrives, meaning the visible privacy setting did not match actual device behavior.
Apple must ship a software patch that adds a new toggle specifically for ultra-wideband location sharing, turning a hardware radio into something users can now govern per-feature.
Second-order effects
Every new sensor Apple bakes into iPhones now invites the same audit: the promised Tile-like tracking tags built on this same U1 tech will launch under scrutiny about whether their radios obey the user's stated preferences.
Third-order effects
The pattern recurs in Apple's own record: research later suggested data collection continued even when the Device Analytics sharing setting was disabled, pointing toward regulators treating 'off means off' as a testable compliance requirement rather than a UI label.
The trend: Privacy controls are migrating from app permissions down to individual hardware radios, with each new onboard sensor forcing vendors to add a matching user-facing kill switch.
FWIW, tried to dig into this and replicate. it is very likely that it is something locally which does not have an exposed switch, no evidence of data sent to remote servers. begs the question: why does Apple not answer for this directly? https://twitter.com/...
Apple's new iPhone 11 Pro seeks the user's location info even when all apps and system services on the phone are individually set to never request it. Apple says this is by design, but that response seems at odds w/ the company's own privacy policy. https://krebsonsecurity.com/ .…
tl;dr - It was just for regulatory compliance in the 70+ countries the iPhone is sold in and was all client-side behavior. lol https://krebsonsecurity.com/ ...
In re: my story Tuesday about mysterious location requests on the iPhone 11 line that can't be disabled (yet), Apple now says it's related to new, short-range Ultra Wideband technology that lets iPhone 11 users share files locally. https://krebsonsecurity.com/ ... pic.twitter.co…
Do you get a feeling that many of the privacy features on your devices are toy buttons to make consumers happy, not doing a thing for real security? #Cybersecurity https://twitter.com/...
Apple took two days (and an initial 'no comment') to explain the apparent privacy issue, first noted by @briankrebs (you can read his story here: https://t.co/...). Here's what Apple said. And it makes sense! But it shouldn't have taken this long to begin with. https://twitter.co…
New: Apple has finally explained why its newer iPhones appear to share a user's location data — even when the setting is switched off. https://techcrunch.com/...
Everything should have a toggle. If something can't have a toggle for legal or dependency reasons, it should be disclosed. If it isn't disclosed because it's for still-unannounced new features or iOS 13 bugginess, it should be cleaned up ASAP. https://krebsonsecurity.com/ ...