Tech

The Scary Downside Of Enabling Location Services On Your iPhone That No One Tells You About

February 10, 2019 by Justine Schwartz
shefinds | Tech

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Location services allow your iOS devices, with your permission, allow apps and websites to determine your approximate location based off things like cellular, Wi-Fi and GPS networks. The applications are endless–restaurant suggestions that cater to your location, maps, you name it and any app can use your location in some capacity. But are there scary downsides to using it? We spoke to leading tech experts to learn more:

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Not Checking Your Settings

"Having location services enabled on your iPhone is convenient if you want accurate directions or local weather from your phone. However, as you add apps and allow them to access your location, many default to 'always' in the settings," technology analyst Amy Smith of Fit Small Business tells us."

"The worst mistake you can make is never visiting that settings page and switching apps to 'While Using the App' or 'Never'. When an app is allowed constant access to your location, not only can it drain your phone's battery, you might be giving up your location and data to a company that shares it for business purposes to other companies (read that privacy policy thoroughly). You have to decide how much privacy you're willing to trade for convenience."

Dary Merckens, CTO of Gunner Technology, agrees. "The worst mistake you can make when enabling location services for the iPhone is not selecting the option to allow location services when the app is in use," he explains. "A lot of people just constantly allow the app to use location services, which is both unnecessary and a major drain on your phone's battery life." True!

Use It On An Airplane

"The worst mistake you can make when enabling location services on your iPhone is to keep it on when you are on an airplane,"Danielle Radin, trained in digital forensics through the Carnegie Mellon Software Engineering Institute tells us. "It will uselessly drain your battery." Yikes, we don't want that!

Author:

Editorial Director

Justine Schwartz is a veteran women's lifestyle editor; she's written extensively about style & beauty tips, health advice and wedding planning for more than a decade. Her work has appeared in New York Magazine, Huffington Post and New York Weddings. Justine has been with SheFinds since 2010; you can reach her via email at [email protected].

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