Apple has released a software update of its iOS operating system to fix up a glitch that allowed the iPhone to save location data of the users automatically.
With the update, known as iOS version 4.3.3, now location data will be stored only if the user wishes so. All other users will get rid of their stored location data after installing the new patch.
The issue of location tracking came to light when a couple of developers noticed the iPhones, running on iOS 4, logging information about their location and raised concern about the usage of the data.
Apple has accepted that the data has been collected but said, “It’s for maintaining a database of WiFi hotspots and cell towers around your current location, some of which may be located more than one hundred miles away from your iPhone, to help your iPhone rapidly and accurately calculate its location when requested. Calculating a phone’s location using just GPS satellite data can take up to several minutes.”
After the installation of the patch, the file size of the crowd sourced location data on iphones will be reduced. Whereas, users on whose phones the location tracking service was activated without their consent will stop immediately following the deletion of the cache file that had the location information data related to the users location.