Nothing was 'taken away' for pre-M users either, at least Maps-wise. This article (as originally written, they've updated it since) was stating that a privacy

Nothing was 'taken away' for pre-M users either, at least Maps-wise. This article (as originally written, they've updated it since) was stating that a privacy feature that never existed had been taken away. There never was a location services toggle for specifically Maps, and pre-M it's not possible to make one that works (at least, not one that someone who doesn't trust maps with their location should be using).