Khaberni - This week, Apple launched a security feature described by experts as "revolutionary" in specific models of the latest iPhone and iPad devices, aimed at reducing the ability of law enforcement, spies, and hackers to extract precise location data from mobile service providers.
According to the company's announcement, the feature works to restrict the accuracy of location data shared by iPhone and iPad devices equipped with cellular networks with telecommunications companies, sharing less precise coordinates, such as the general neighborhood instead of the street address, in order to protect user privacy.
Apple confirmed that enabling this feature does not affect the accuracy of the location data shared with apps or that sent to first responders during emergency calls.
The feature is available on iPhone Air, iPhone 16e, and iPad Pro (M5) Wi-Fi + Cellular devices running iOS 26.3, at a limited number of global telecommunications companies, including Telekom in Germany, AIS and True in Thailand, EE and BT in the United Kingdom, and Boost Mobile in the United States.
This step comes at a time when law enforcement agencies rely on telecommunication companies to access individuals' location data, whether to track their movements instantaneously or to review the places they visited over a specific period.
Telecommunication companies have also become a frequent target of cyberattacks, with major American companies such as AT&T and Verizon, last year, suffering breaches carried out by the Chinese group "Salt Typhoon," targeting call logs and messages of top U.S. officials.
Experts believe that despite its availability on very few operator networks, Apple's feature represents an important step towards enhancing user privacy controls and granting them more control over their location data.
