I just got a shiny new iPhone 6+ after having an iPhone 4 for many years. Not only is the screen much bigger and the phone is much faster, but there are also a ton of new settings to know about.
One of these settings is what I am writing about today because it really is a violation of your security and privacy. The problem is this, your activity on your phone can be tracked by advertisers, and your geographic location can be tracked by the apps on your phone, which then relay that info to the company that created the app. The good news is you can turn off all tracking or just choose which apps track you and when they do so.
To see this setting, go to your iPhone’s Settings and choose “Privacy”. Then click on “Location Services” which is turned on by default. Once there, tap the green switch to “off” if you don’t want your phone broadcasting its whereabouts via the apps on your phone.
If you want to have certain apps track you, leave the setting as it is because you may wish to allow apps like Yelp and Foursquare know where you are. On most apps, you can choose the tracking method to either “Never”, “While Using the App” or “Always” track you. I think you will be surprised at how many of these apps default to “Always”. Some apps like Google Maps only give you two choices, “Never” or “While Using the App”.
I strongly suggest that you review every single app on your phone and make the decision yourself whether you want that app to know where you are at any given time. It’s well worth the time to get this additional peace of mind.