Download your data

In issue # 329, we looked at how you can control what info Apple

has about you. We explained that you can download all of that information, and ask for it to be deleted if you like, from Apple’s privacy portal (privacy.apple.com).

Because Apple doesn’t keep a historical record of your location data for its own apps, there’s no information for it to delete.

We downloaded our own data from Apple and took a look. The only location data that we could find was related to searches that we performed in Maps – directions to shops, for example, or the location of a friend’s house.

That’s not information Apple is actively tracking about you – it’s not recording every location you visit, beyond your explicit searches and Significant Locations.

Still, Apple’s claims about it not storing your location only apply to its own apps – third-party apps may act differently, so read their privacy policies to clarify.