Elaine Hardt saw this from the UK. Frequent locations is believed to have been featured on iPhones since 2013. It tracks where each user goes, how often they go there, and for how long. The feature is automatically turned on, and users are never told it is running. Button to turn it off is buried at the bottom of five different menu screens By CHRIS PLEASANCE FOR DAILYMAIL.COM PUBLISHED: 13:36 EST, 14 November 2015 | UPDATED: 21:38 EST, 14 November 2015

John Carter commented on this warning.

The Frequent Location feature was turned on in my iPhone. Here’s what I see when I go to Settings -> Privacy -> Location Services -> System Services -> Frequent Locations: “Allow your iPhone to learn places you frequently visit in order to provide useful location-related information.” And then there are a few locations listed that I have visited within the past week, such as in the vicinity of Cupper’s and TJ’s (it doesn’t give an exact location), and shows the time period that I was there (12:30 to 2:00). It is possible to clear the Frequent Location list, but then it populates again as you use the iPhone unless you turn off that feature. How is this useful? It doesn’t help us personally. It only helps advertisers. However, even if you turn off this feature, and even if you turn off Location Services, your iPhone will still track where you are all the time when the iPhone is turned on - and this is for 911 and similar services to be able to track you in an emergency. Well, that includes the NSA and other similar government agencies that might want to keep track of your whereabouts. The iPhone is therefore your personal ankle bracelet. If you don’t like that idea, then don’t ever use a cell phone that has GPS built in. Consider this feature like a Cookie in a browser: harmless to anyone who isn’t breaking the law or cheating on their partner. It doesn’t seem to track where you have been if you are there for only a few minutes - like at a stoplight. All this said, I can think of several instances where Frequent Location would be quite useful to have on all the time - like for the mother of a child or the child of a senile parent. But even then, only for emergencies, and only by emergency services. However, I don’t know if 911 can access an iPhone if it is not being used to call 911. I’m okay for it to be there.