Apple will introduce a new privacy feature in iOS 26.3 exclusive to iPhones with its C1x or C1 modems. The feature will prevent cellular carriers from seeing iPhone owners’ precise location data.
“With the limit precise location setting, you can limit some information that cellular networks may use to determine your location,” says Apple in its support document.
Apple tightens carrier location access in iOS 26.3
iOS allows you to control how your iPhone apps access your location data. You can share either an approximate or precise location and choose whether to grant access once or on an ongoing basis.
Cellular carriers have not been a part of this permission system, though. This allows them to determine your location based on the cell towers your iPhone connects to.
With the Limit Precise Location option in iOS 26.3 and iPadOS 26.3, Apple aims to prevent sharing your iPhone’s or iPad’s exact location with carriers. According to the company, the feature limits the information cellular networks receive. Instead of seeing your precise street address, carriers will only see the general neighborhood where your device is located.
However, the feature will only work on iPhones and iPads that contain an Apple modem (currently the iPhone 16e, the M5 iPad Pro and the iPhone Air).
Carrier support will also be limited at launch, with only a handful of networks around the world supporting the feature:
- United States: Boost Mobile
- Germany: Telekom
- United Kingdom: EE, BT
- Thailand: AIS, True
Once iOS 26.3 rolls out in coming months, you can enable the Limit Precise Location toggle from Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data Options.
Apple says this new iOS 26.3 priacy feature will not impact precise location data sharing with emergency services during an emergency call. Nor will it impact location data shared through apps and Apple’s Find My network, which helps users locate AirTags and lost Apple devices.
Rajesh has been writing about consumer technology for over a decade, with a strong focus on iPhones, Macs and Apple’s ecosystem. He enjoys digging into Apple software updates, hardware changes, and discovering new Mac apps that make work faster and more enjoyable.
