Your iPhone has a secret log of where you’ve been – how to erase it in seconds

YOUR iPhone has a clever location tracking feature that you’ve probably missed – hidden deep in your device settings.

It roughly records your movements over the past few months to keep important app functions working.

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What Are Important iPhone Locations?

Your iPhone has a feature called Location Services that uses your location to enhance various features on the device.

This includes key locations, a running log of your movements in the real world, which is then used to offer other services.

For example, if your iPhone knows about your daily commute, it can provide tailored time information for your commute.

“Let your iPhone learn the places important to you to provide useful location-based information in Maps, Calendar, Photos and more,” Apple says.

Are iPhone Significant Locations Safe?

You might panic that Apple is logging your every move, but that’s not the case.

“Significant Locations are encrypted and cannot be read by Apple,” Apple said.

This means that location information is stored and encrypted on your iPhone and disconnected from you when they need to leave the device.

No outsider can see your important locations, nor are they accessible via iCloud.

And even if a buddy is using your iPhone, they can’t get to important places without first defeating a Face ID or Touch ID lock.

However, if you’re really concerned that a spouse could sneak onto your iPhone and catch you at the bar when you’re supposed to be at work, it might be worth disabling the system — or at least clearing your history. We explain how to do this below.

It’s also worth noting that Significant Locations is opt-in, although you probably didn’t know that.

It’s activated when you turn on location services during iPhone setup, but it’s buried under several layers of settings so most people have no idea it exists.

The location data is traced back a few months.

How to find your iPhone location map

First, launch the “Settings” app on your iPhone and then tap on the “Privacy” section.

Then click on Location Services and scroll all the way to the bottom of the page where you need to tap on System Services.

Go to the Important Places tab. There you will be asked to sign in with Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode.

You can’t see the full list of places, but you can preview some recently visited places.

It can even highlight your “home” and “work,” which should be your most-visited destinations.

How to Delete Important iPhone Locations

There are a few ways to clean up your important locations on iPhone.

The first is to simply turn off Significant Locations when you are in the correct menu.

You can also click the Clear History button within Significant Locations, which will delete your previously collected locations.

Alternatively, you can turn off location services entirely, although this means you lose some really useful map features.

We asked Apple how often the tracker updates with your location and how it works out where your home and work addresses are.

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