Apple on Wednesday released iOS 4.3.3, which solves what Apple called a "bug" with its location-based services.
"This update contains changes to the iOS crowd-sourced location database cache," according to the update. Specifically, it reduces the size of the cache, no longer backs up the cache to iTunes, and deletes the cache entirely when location services is turned off.
At issue is the location-based data collected by devices running iOS 4. Last month, researchers said that that information was stored in an insecure manner and accessible to anyone who stumbled upon your iPhone, iPad, or the computer with which you synced your iOS device. That prompted concerns that Apple, and anyone who looked at that data, could track your whereabouts.
In an April 27 Q&A posted on its Web site, Apple denied tracking its users. "Apple is not tracking the location of your iPhone. Apple has never done so and has no plans to ever do so," the company said.
The researchers, however, said that since the release of iOS 4, all location data has been stored on a file known as "consolidated.db," which is backed up to your computer whenever you sync your iPhone. In that Q&A, Apple said "the reason the iPhone stores so much data is a bug we uncovered and plan to fix shortly." That fix is the iOS 4.3.3 update. Going forward, the iPhone will not store more than seven days of this data, according to Apple, and it will not sync with iTunes.
There was also concern that location services still collected data even when that option was turned off. "It shouldn't. This is a bug, which we plan to fix shortly," Apple said last month. According to iOS 4.3.3, this problem should no longer be an issue.
The issue over iPhone tracking has prompted a class-action lawsuit as well as inquiries from Congress. Apple is scheduled to appear at a hearing on May 10 before the Senate Judiciary Committee to further discuss the issue. Google will also be in attendance, and PCMag will be covering.