A new security feature for Apple’s iPhone and iPad limits the ability of cellular networks to collect precise location data

A new security feature rolling out to select models of the latest iPhone and iPad this week will make it more difficult for law enforcement, spies and malicious hackers to obtain a person’s precise location data from their phone provider.

According to Apple, the new feature, when enabled, limits the accuracy of location data that cellular-enabled iPhones and iPads share with a customer’s cellular carrier. The company claims that sharing a less precise location, such as a general neighborhood rather than a street address, will help protect the privacy of the device owner.

Apple said turning the feature on does not affect the accuracy of location data shared with apps, or shared with first responders during an emergency call.

Precise Location is supported on iPhone Air, iPhone 16e, and iPad Pro (M5) Wi-Fi + Cellular, running iOS 26.3, and is available on a few global carriers including Telekom in Germany, AIS and True Thailand, EE and BT in the UK, and Boost Mobile in the US.

The company did not give a reason for introducing the new feature, and an Apple spokesperson did not comment on the record when reached via email.

The new feature comes at a time when law enforcement agencies are increasingly exploiting cellular carriers to access individuals’ location data to track them in real time, or examine where they have traveled over a period of time.

Hackers also often target cellular carriers for the sensitive data they collect about their customers. Over the past year, several giant US phone companies, including AT&T and Verizon, have confirmed ongoing intrusions by Chinese-backed hackers, dubbed Salt Typhoon, searching for phone call logs and messages from senior US officials.

Recent threats aside, long-known vulnerabilities in global cellular networks have allowed surveillance service providers to snoop on the location data of individuals anywhere in the world.

While telecom operators can determine the approximate location of a person’s phone, the person’s device itself plays a role in providing precise location data to the carrier, said Gary Miller, a mobile security expert who works as a researcher at Citizen Lab and senior director of network intelligence at iVerify.

“Most people don’t realize that devices can send location data outside of just apps,” Miller said. “while [the devices] They could limit GPS detection at the application level, but they were unable to provide accurate location detection on the network.

“Apple’s feature, although limited to a very small number of operator networks, is a step in the right direction to provide users with greater privacy controls,” he said.