iOS 7 will include a “Frequent Locations” feature that tracks your GPS coordinates to “learn places you frequently visit in order to provide useful location-related information.” The feature was first uncovered in iOS 7 Beta 5 by a Hacker News commenter, and Apple later confirmed the news to BuzzFeed.
The ability for companies to store GPS locations has already incited a good amount of panic online, but it looks like the new setting can be turned off pretty easily (Settings > Privacy > Location Services > System Services > Frequent Locations). Apple doesn’t actually appear to be tracking iPhone users anymore with iOS 7 than it did with earlier operating systems. The only difference is that the stored data can now be used to your own benefit, and will also be visualized to give users a sense of what Apple is tracking.
Apple first hinted at the “Frequent Locations” back when it first announced iOS 7 earlier this summer. The added service was initially billed as part of the new Today tab in the Notification Center, an apparent response to Google Now. However, with the latest beta it appears that Apple has isolated “Frequent Locations” as its own feature, making it easier for users to access the service and turn it off if they want to.
