A new setting in iOS 26.3 will make it harder for carriers to track your exact location

With Limit Precise Location enabled, carriers will only see a general area instead of an exact street address.

By Pranob Mehrotra Published January 27, 2026

Rear shell of iPhone 17 Pro. — Nadeem Sarwar / Digital Trends

Apple plans to release a new privacy feature with iOS 26.3 that will allow iPhone and iPad users to hide their precise location from network carriers. Spotted in the latest iOS 26.3 beta build, the feature limits the location data carriers can access, giving users more control over how their whereabouts are shared.

According to a support page detailing the “limit precise location” setting (via MacRumors), carriers can currently pinpoint your location down to a street address based on which cell towers your phone connects to. The new setting reduces “the precision of location data available to cellular networks,” limiting how accurately carriers can determine where your device is located.

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Apple says that with the setting enabled, carriers may only be able to identify the general neighborhood where your device is located, rather than the exact street address. The company adds that the setting has no impact on signal quality or overall user experience, and it does not limit the location data shared with emergency responders during emergency calls. It also has no effect on the location information shared with apps.

Device and carrier limitations

The support page further reveals that the setting will not be available on all iPhone and iPad models. Apple says it only works on the iPhone Air, iPhone 16e, and the cellular version of the M5 iPad Pro, all of which use the company’s in-house C1 or C1X modems. It also requires iOS 26.3 or iPadOS 26.3 and is limited to select network providers.

In the US, Boost Mobile will be the only carrier to support the option at launch. Internationally, Apple says the feature will also be supported by Telekom in Germany, EE and BT in the UK, and AIS and True in Thailand.

Once iOS 26.3 rolls out, users will be able to enable the setting by navigating to the Cellular menu in the Settings app, selecting Cellular Data Options, and turning on Limit Precise Location. Users may be prompted to restart their device for the change to take effect.

Pranob Mehrotra

News Writer

Pranob is a seasoned tech journalist with over eight years of experience covering consumer technology. His work has been…

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