Apple Airplane mode keeps GPS on in iOS 8.3 or later? Why?

[logicstudiouser]

On the official Apple support page about airplane mode, it states:
'If you have a device with iOS 8.2 or earlier, Airplane Mode will also turn off GPS.'
Why did they choose to enable GPS in airplane mode in later iOS releases?

 

[Powermax]

That is a question only Apple could answer.
Maybe it's because there are actually good uses for this, for example using the phone for offline navigation in places where there is no cell phone service. Before it would be constantly on searching and therefor draining the battery.

Also, the purpose of airplane mode is to prevent the phone from sending radio signals. Because GPS (not A-GPS!) is not actively sending signals anyway it makes no sense to turn it off in airplane mode.

 

[C DM]

On the official Apple support page about airplane mode, it states:
'If you have a device with iOS 8.2 or earlier, Airplane Mode will also turn off GPS.'
Why did they choose to enable GPS in airplane mode in later iOS releases?

Realistically because it should have been that way from the beginning most likely and they just didn't implement it that way until iOS 8.3.