Hidden iPhone Map Secretly Records Exact Places You’ve Been

The mapping feature in your phone is capable of identifying your whereabouts, i.e. where you are from or where you go. It is even capable of recording how often you visit a certain location. But unbeknownst to you – and all other Apple users – is that this feature is plotting all information it gets on an actual map.

This map, however, is something you can actually open. But what is perhaps more shocking is the quantity of information your device is collecting from you. And yes, you have no idea – until now – at all. This includes the date and time of your visits, the particular locations, and how long you stayed on each location.

The secret map is capable of determining a user’s whereabouts, particularly the locations he/she has frequently visited.

Interestingly, the secret feature has been there since the release of iOS 7, which was launched June 2013), and was installed on over 89 percent of devices the following year. The map is called Frequent Locations and it appears to be automatically enabled for all iPhone users.

To access the map, you must go to the Settings menu on your phone and scroll through to find the Privacy menu. From there, go straight to Location Services to find System Services. Just scroll down a bit and you should find Frequent Locations.

Call Frequent Locations, the map appears to be automatically enabled for most iPhone users.

You will be presented with a disturbing amount of data that your device has accumulated about your whereabouts. And mind you, your phone did this without your knowledge whatsoever.

Apple has already stated in the past that the map exists only on each device. To put it simply, the data cannot be – in one way or another – accessed by other companies or third-party security services.

But there is a catch. If your phone is internet-enabled, which it is, then it is quite possible for hackers to get hold of that information remotely. This is not to mention the possibility of anybody stealing your phone and getting hold of all those information. With this, anybody can immediately find your home address and the other places you visited.

Frequent Locations presents tons of risks, especially when a user’s phone connects to the internet.

This is the same issue that has been discovered with satellite navigation devices in cars that enable users to save a home address into their database. Fortunately, you have the option to turn Frequent Locations off. Just keep in mind, though, that the secret map tends to be reactivated once a new software update is downloaded and installed.