Useful?: Hidden iPhone Privacy Settings

[MacSumo]

Have the hidden privacy settings helped your iphone/ios8 experience (like maps, cellular strength, reminders, etc?)

source:
http://www.clear-coat.com/blog/iphone-privacy-settings/

Cell Network Search:This tracks cell tower usage and congestion, and sends the data back to Apple for analysis as to what towers are being used the most, how you move between cell towers, and which ones are overused. It does not help your phone locate a cell tower. Turning this off will not affect your phone’s performance, according to Apple.

Compass Calibration:This gives the Compass App the data it needs to function – pretty simple. If you turn this off, your compass stops working.

Diagnostics & Usage:Tracks your behavior, as well as errors, bugs, etc – basic bug fix and product improvement diagnostics. It all gets sent to Apple. Turning this off will not affect your phone’s performance.

Location-Based iAds:Your iPhone will send your location to Apple in order to provide you with geographically relevant ads. Turning this off will mean that you won’t get ads relevant to where you are, or the totally sweet offers that come with it.

Popular Near Me:Locational data about the Apps you use and have purchased will be sent to Apple in order to promote Apps to others in your area. Basically, it’s geotagging Apps for advertisement – turning it off will not affect your phone’s performance.

Setting Time Zone:Your time zone will be instantly adjusted according to your geographic location. Ever notice how as soon as you turn on your phone after a long flight, it displays the local time perfectly, even before getting cell signal? It’s this setting. If you turn it off, you’ll lose that functionality.

Traffic:Monitors your geographic movement and interaction with cell towers in order to understand traffic patterns for the Maps program. This seems to only be used for Apple’s Maps program. However, turning it off will not affect your phone’s performance.

Wi-Fi Networking:This particular setting is interesting, and requires some explanation. As you move around a city, your iPhone is constantly picking up WiFi signals. It geotags that data (“XYZ WiFi is at this GPS location”), encrypts it so that it is anonymous and unique (otherwise the data would look like all hotspots are named “linksys”), and stores it as what Apple calls “crowdsourced Wi-Fi Hotspot locations”. Next time someone walks by that exact hotspot, their iPhone will know where they are without using GPS – because you basically already “marked” the area. Shutting this setting off will stop that info from being sent to Apple. It will not affect your phone’s performance.

Frequent Locations:Stores the frequency with which you visit certain locations, and the time spent in each place. If you go into this menu, you’ll either think it’s really cool, or really creepy: it has a list of your most frequently visited places, and how many times you’ve been there. Turning this off will affect your phone’s features! The iPhone uses this to figure out where you live and work. When you visit your “Today” tab, and it says “With current traffic, it will take you 20 minutes to get to work” – it’s doing this using your frequent locations. Turning this feature off will also disable these functionalities.

 

[Intell]

The Compass Calibration from that article is not accurate. That setting can still be off and the device will still be able to tell which way is north. Easy test: Turn it off and open Compass. It'll point north.

 

[cynics]

Yes. And your list (I didnt click the link) doesn't include "Location Based Alerts".

Location Based Alerts has to be on for geo tracking so apps like reminders can actually remind you when you arrive or leave a location. I use location based reminders quite often and I couldn't get them to work in iOS 8. It was driving me nuts then I found that setting off and turning it on fixed it.

Also the compass calibration I found certain apps that use augmented reality require compass location services to be on.

I used to micro manage location services with iOS 6 and even iOS 7 a bit but now with iOS 8 I just leave everything on in system services. And most apps unless there is absolutely no need for them to know my location.

 

[MacSumo]

Yes. And your list (I didnt click the link) doesn't include "Location Based Alerts".

Location Based Alerts has to be on for geo tracking so apps like reminders can actually remind you when you arrive or leave a location. I use location based reminders quite often and I couldn't get them to work in iOS 8. It was driving me nuts then I found that setting off and turning it on fixed it.

Also the compass calibration I found certain apps that use augmented reality require compass location services to be on.

I used to micro manage location services with iOS 6 and even iOS 7 a bit but now with iOS 8 I just leave everything on in system services. And most apps unless there is absolutely no need for them to know my location.

Do you have ALL the location settings turned on? Aside from location based alerts, have the obscure settings like wifi-networking improved your iphone experience?

 

[jlake02]

I have most of those turned off. Battery life and all that.

 

[doboy]

I can use Frequent Locations as my alibi since it keeps track of my work hours