iOS 4.3.3 now available with fixed location tracking

Vlad Bobleanta  By on 04 May 11

Last month, Apple was at the center of a location tracking issue, when it was discovered that iPhones and iPads kept an unencrypted database of where you’ve been – and copied it to your computer(s) as part of the iTunes sync. Naturally, people got upset, because no one had an idea why this was happening.

More than a week after the news of the above situation broke, Apple finally bothered to issue an official reply, in the form of a Q&A. As you probably know by now, Apple claimed that most of the issues people have seen were happening because of iOS bugs. It also said it would release a new version of the operating system that would fix those bugs.

And that it did. Today, iOS 4.3.3 has become available for iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPad, iPad 2, and iPod touch 3rd and 4th generation, as well as iOS 4.2.8 for Verizon’s iPhone 4 (why this is still on a different software trunk is beyond me).

The update changes the ‘crowd-sourced location database cache’ in a few ways. First, the cache size has been reduced. The cache is no longer backed up (read:synced) to iTunes, and the cache (the famous consolidated.db file) will now be permanently deleted once you turn location services off.

No matter how you feel about Apple’s explanations regarding the location tracking that iPhones and iPads have employed, you probably should update your iDevice as soon as possible.

Via TUAW

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