https://support.apple.com/en-us/126101
Apple will be rolling out a new privacy enhancement called “Limit Precise Location” with iOS 26.3, allowing users of select iPhone and iPad models to restrict the precision of location data shared with cellular networks. The feature works by limiting information that mobile carriers use to determine device locations through cell tower connections, enabling networks to identify only approximate locations such as neighborhoods rather than exact street addresses. The privacy setting currently functions only on iPhone Air, iPhone 16, and iPad Pro (M5) Wi-Fi + Cellular models running iOS 26.3 or later, with availability dependent on carrier support.
Supported mobile networks at launch include Telekom in Germany, EE and BT in the United Kingdom, Boost Mobile in the United States, and AIS and True in Thailand. Apple has clarified that the feature does not affect location data shared with apps through Location Services or the precision of information provided to emergency responders during emergency calls, nor does it impact signal quality or user experience. The introduction comes as law enforcement agencies increasingly request location data from carriers for real-time tracking purposes, though Apple has not officially commented on the specific motivation behind the feature.
While the feature represents a meaningful step for privacy-conscious users wary of carrier-level tracking, it does not eliminate cellular network tracking entirely but rather minimises the precision of data collection that was previously unavoidable.