Every once in a while, a hidden feature is found in iOS that is hard to spot and remains mostly out of sight. There’s no doubt that mapping apps in your Phone collect a significant amount of information of the places you visit, but what may come as a surprise to users is that Apple Maps actually records the locations you frequently visit and stores additional information such as the times you’ve arrived and departed.
This is a hidden feature in iOS that has been present since iOS 7 and is enabled by default without asking for user’s permission. Most of us may not be aware about it as it’s located deep down in Settings, out of plain sight.
It is called Frequent Locations. This feature keeps track of the places you visit frequently, the date, time and duration you’ve stayed at a particular location as well as the number of visits to that place. This information is then plotted on an actual map that can be viewed only if you know where to access it.
Apple states that all the collected information are stored on your iPhone only (not on its servers) and is used for personalized services such as traffic routing. Apple uses the Frequent Locations feature to personalize your experience in the Today view on the Lock screen and Notification Center, such as automatically informing you how much time it will take to reach your home to office given the current traffic conditions.
To find out how to view Frequent Locations and turn off this feature if you find it creppy, read the guide below.
How to View Frequent Locations on Your iPhone
Step 1: Launch the Settings app.
Step 2: Go to Privacy and open Location Services.
Step 3: Scroll down and you’ll find System Services. Tap on it to open.
Step 4: Tap on Frequent Locations.
Step 5: This is the place where all the information of your frequently visited locations are stored. Tap on a particular city and you’ll view a map with the places you’ve visited as well as additional details such as the number of visits to a particular place and the date and time.
How to Turn Off Frequent Locations and Clear All the Stored Information
Step 1: Open the Settings app and go to Privacy.
Step 2: Tap on Location Services.
Step 3: Scroll down and you’ll find System Services. Tap on it to open.
Step 4: Tap on Frequent Locations.
Step 5: Turn off the Frequent Locations toggle. Your iPhone will now stop storing information of your frequently visited locations.
Step 6: Next, tap on the Clear History button to delete all the information of your whereabouts stored in your iPhone.
Although this shouldn’t come as a surprise to users considering the amount of information that mapping services collect about you, some people might be spooked that it is enabled automatically without asking for permission in the first place.
Were you aware of this hidden feature? Let us know in the comments below.
