Apple recently implemented a significant privacy feature within iOS version 26.3, specifically targeting the high-precision location data transmitted from devices to cellular networks. This update restricts mobile carriers from accessing data derived from GNSS systems, which includes GPS, GLONASS, and Galileo, according to reporting by an.dywa.ng on January 31, 2026.
Cellular networks traditionally determine location via triangulation based on connected cell towers, offering accuracy in the tens to hundreds of meters, especially in older networks. However, the underlying cellular standards contain built-in protocols—Radio Resources LCS Protocol (RRLP) for 2G/3G and LTE Positioning Protocol (LPP) for 4G/5G—that compel devices to silently transmit their calculated, meter-accurate GNSS coordinates to the carrier.
These positioning protocols operate within the control plane of the cellular network, remaining largely invisible to the end-user, as noted by the source. While GNSS location calculation is passive on the device side—akin to reading a street sign—the resulting coordinates are explicitly requested and transmitted when these protocols are engaged by the network.
This inherent capability for high-precision tracking has seen use in specialized contexts for years, such as when the US DEA procured GPS coordinates via carrier requests in 2006, or by Israeli security services for broad surveillance and contact tracing, as detailed in the original analysis.
The precision afforded by transmitting GNSS data is demonstrably superior to cell tower triangulation alone, which is why its routine collection has raised privacy concerns. The source highlights that this functionality was never intended for routine disclosure outside the device, yet it has largely evaded public scrutiny until now.
Crucially, this new privacy measure is currently limited to hardware featuring Apple’s in-house modem, a component first integrated into devices released in 2025. This hardware dependency means the protection is not universally applied across all active Apple devices running the new iOS version.
Analysts suggest that Apple’s control over the modem silicon and firmware provided the necessary access to sever this surveillance vector. Moving forward, the company faces pressure to extend this protection, potentially by adding user-facing toggles to disable GNSS location responses to carriers entirely and provide clear notifications of such requests.
