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Maybe I'm being pedantic but did the Author just not comprehend what Apple has said? > Apple : "The icon appears for system services that do not have a switch

Maybe I'm being pedantic but did the Author just not comprehend what Apple has said? > Apple : "The icon appears for system services that do not have a switch in Settings" To me, Apple is saying you can't selectively disable certain services because there isn't an option. If Location Service is enable, these services will have access to them and there's nothing to be done about it. This seems lost on the Author. > Article Author : "it seems they are saying their phones have some system services that query your location regardless of whether one has disabled this setting individually for all apps and iOS system services." The Author seems to miss the fact that the unknown service causing the icon to appear isn't in the list of individual settings. \* Regardless of whether Apple should be allowing an App/Service access to Location Services, when enabled, without user consent; to their credit they aren't hiding the fact that it's happening which to me is a good thing. It's nuanced but it's the difference between "it's happening and you have no say" versus "I'm hiding the fact that it's happening from you because you have no say".

AKrumbach 7y ago
>> Apple : "The icon appears for system services that do not have a switch in Settings" > ... If Location Service is enable, these services will have access to them ... > The Author seems to miss the fact that the unknown service causing the icon to appear isn't in the list of individual settings. OK, so how do we know what this mystery service does? The obvious candidates (E911/SOS, FindMyPhone, Location-based ads, etc) all appear in the list. I think this definitely raises questions about what remaining service is asking for location, and especially what that is being used for. Given that this article is coming from a security blog, there is a definite implication of questioning the intentionality / consent of a broad setting like "location services on/off" has unknown, unlisted users [and especially when most users of such a setting have individual toggles].
- cptskippy 7y ago
  > OK, so how do we know what this mystery service does? We don't, Apple didn't say. > I think this definitely raises questions about what remaining service is asking for location, and especially what that is being used for. Yes absolutely. > Given that this article is coming from a security blog, there is a definite implication of questioning ... What I'm saying is that the blog missed the point entirely. They're saying it's a bug and that something isn't respecting an individual setting. Apple is saying that for the particular service there IS NO INDIVIDUAL SETTING. It definitely raises questions as you stated AND it demonstrates that even when Apple considers something above user choice, they still do not hide it. They created a means for an App/Service to access Location Services, when enabled, without user's consent BUT they didn't create a way to hide it. If Location Services are accessed, you receive a notification.
DaveSchmindel 7y ago
Regardless of this opinion on the author's understanding, don't you agree it's a little shifty that Apple is the only entity that can obtain the user's location after providing a user experience that gives the user the impression that they've disabled all location services...?
- cptskippy 7y ago
  > don't you agree it's a little shifty No, shifty isn't the right word. Without knowing what App/Service is above consent and what that App/Service does, I'm reluctant to label their actions because the Notification is correctly showing something accessing Location Services and Apple admitted it's happening. It could be something innocuous and dumb like the Location Services service periodically caches GPS Ephemeris data, and since it's accessing itself to pull that data, a notification pops up. It could also be something like the GovernmentMandatedTracking Service periodically querying your location. The first example isn't shifty, it's just kinda dumb. The second example could be seen as either kind of like a Warrant Canary or incompetent if unintentional. Given the fact that Apple acknowledge it, I would lean towards Warrant Canary.
- justincredible 7y ago
  You can disable all location services. The incorrect impression is that a user has complete granular control over the use of location services.

AKrumbach 7y ago

>> Apple : "The icon appears for system services that do not have a switch in Settings" > ... If Location Service is enable, these services will have access to them ... > The Author seems to miss the fact that the unknown service causing the icon to appear isn't in the list of individual settings. OK, so how do we know what this mystery service does? The obvious candidates (E911/SOS, FindMyPhone, Location-based ads, etc) all appear in the list. I think this definitely raises questions about what remaining service is asking for location, and especially what that is being used for. Given that this article is coming from a security blog, there is a definite implication of questioning the intentionality / consent of a broad setting like "location services on/off" has unknown, unlisted users [and especially when most users of such a setting have individual toggles].

cptskippy 7y ago
> OK, so how do we know what this mystery service does? We don't, Apple didn't say. > I think this definitely raises questions about what remaining service is asking for location, and especially what that is being used for. Yes absolutely. > Given that this article is coming from a security blog, there is a definite implication of questioning ... What I'm saying is that the blog missed the point entirely. They're saying it's a bug and that something isn't respecting an individual setting. Apple is saying that for the particular service there IS NO INDIVIDUAL SETTING. It definitely raises questions as you stated AND it demonstrates that even when Apple considers something above user choice, they still do not hide it. They created a means for an App/Service to access Location Services, when enabled, without user's consent BUT they didn't create a way to hide it. If Location Services are accessed, you receive a notification.

DaveSchmindel 7y ago

Regardless of this opinion on the author's understanding, don't you agree it's a little shifty that Apple is the only entity that can obtain the user's location after providing a user experience that gives the user the impression that they've disabled all location services...?

cptskippy 7y ago
> don't you agree it's a little shifty No, shifty isn't the right word. Without knowing what App/Service is above consent and what that App/Service does, I'm reluctant to label their actions because the Notification is correctly showing something accessing Location Services and Apple admitted it's happening. It could be something innocuous and dumb like the Location Services service periodically caches GPS Ephemeris data, and since it's accessing itself to pull that data, a notification pops up. It could also be something like the GovernmentMandatedTracking Service periodically querying your location. The first example isn't shifty, it's just kinda dumb. The second example could be seen as either kind of like a Warrant Canary or incompetent if unintentional. Given the fact that Apple acknowledge it, I would lean towards Warrant Canary.
justincredible 7y ago
You can disable all location services. The incorrect impression is that a user has complete granular control over the use of location services.