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LESLIELOVINLIFE

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 4, 2018
8
1
Hello, Just a basic iPhone question...... How long are frequent/significant locations stored in my history? Do Frequent locations show up in my history even when my phone is turned off?
 
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LESLIELOVINLIFE

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 4, 2018
8
1
Stored as long as you use your device basically locations you frequently visit so the device learn these significant places to provide you location-based info.

I would have this turned off.
SO, the Significant locations in my history do not dissappear after a month or so?
 

LESLIELOVINLIFE

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 4, 2018
8
1
Nope, stays as long as you use it. It only clears if you restore the device. It is encrypted on the device and it's never sent to iCloud or Apple.
Hey thank you for your responses! I have one final question if you don't mind..... Will Significant locations be logged in the history if my phone is powered down??? Many thanks!
 

Banglazed

macrumors 603
Apr 17, 2017
5,014
9,514
Cupertino, CA
Hey thank you for your responses! I have one final question if you don't mind..... Will Significant locations be logged in the history if my phone is powered down??? Many thanks!

Nothing can be saved if device is off o_O If you have Location Services off, nothing will be saved either. You can think of this as a personal diary of all location you often visit. If privacy is your issue, you can turn it off.

Here an article on it. https://www.cultofmac.com/522515/how-to-see-iphone-significant-locations-map/
 
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LESLIELOVINLIFE

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 4, 2018
8
1
Heh. I thought the same thing. Perhaps Leslie is loving more than life? :D (I jest.)

Actually, I have a couple of sneaky children. They seem to turn off their phones OR their location services at random times and am wanting to understand what I might be missing. Nice assumption though....good to see what is on the forefront of your mind! Large blocks of their history in 'Significant History' is just not being logged. So, again my curiosity leads me to believe they are turning off their phones when wanting some anonimity?!?
 
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willmtaylor

macrumors G4
Oct 31, 2009
10,314
8,198
Here(-ish)
Actually, I have a couple of sneaky children. They seem to turn off their phones OR their location services at random times and am wanting to understand what I might be missing. Nice assumption though....good to see what is on the forefront of your mind! Large blocks of their history in 'Significant History' is just not being logged. So, again my curiosity leads me to believe they are turning off their phones when wanting some anonimity?!?
Having a daughter that is six, I fear that I will be in your position in what seems like only a few weeks. Try the app Life360 instead.
 
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Armen

macrumors 604
Apr 30, 2013
7,408
2,274
Los Angeles
Actually, I have a couple of sneaky children. They seem to turn off their phones OR their location services at random times and am wanting to understand what I might be missing. Nice assumption though....good to see what is on the forefront of your mind! Large blocks of their history in 'Significant History' is just not being logged. So, again my curiosity leads me to believe they are turning off their phones when wanting some anonimity?!?

Ok, now that we know what problem it is you are trying to solve let me provide some feedback:

Frequent locations seems to record your location randomly. My history shows "Home" and "work" multiple times (for obvious reasons) but doesn't show Target (the store) that I visit frequently but shows a Home Depot I visited 1 time.

What I suggest you do is this:

  1. Add your children to the FindFriends app (Apple makes the app so you don't need to worry about privacy) so you can see where they are in real-time.
  2. Explain to them that this isn't for spying on them but so you don't worry about them and try to call them over and over again when they don't reply.

If #2 is not an option take their phones secretly, download the app, send them an invite and confirm the findfriends request and hide the app in a folder so they won't notice.
 

LESLIELOVINLIFE

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 4, 2018
8
1
Ok, now that we know what problem it is you are trying to solve let me provide some feedback:

Frequent locations seems to record your location randomly. My history shows "Home" and "work" multiple times (for obvious reasons) but doesn't show Target (the store) that I visit frequently but shows a Home Depot I visited 1 time.

What I suggest you do is this:

  1. Add your children to the FindFriends app (Apple makes the app so you don't need to worry about privacy) so you can see where they are in real-time.
  2. Explain to them that this isn't for spying on them but so you don't worry about them and try to call them over and over again when they don't reply.

If #2 is not an option take their phones secretly, download the app, send them an invite and confirm the findfriends request and hide the app in a folder so they won't notice.

This is of great assistance. I will weigh these options! If I can ask one more question regarding significant location data? If I decide to switch our service provider, would the significant location history remain on my my devices? Or is there a way to save this information? Thanks again for your help!
 

Armen

macrumors 604
Apr 30, 2013
7,408
2,274
Los Angeles
This is of great assistance. I will weigh these options! If I can ask one more question regarding significant location data? If I decide to switch our service provider, would the significant location history remain on my my devices? Or is there a way to save this information? Thanks again for your help!

the locations are stored on the phone itself. It is not tied into your service provider. Honestly, I don't think you should rely on that frequent locations feature. A user can go in there and delete the locations if they want to.
 
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LESLIELOVINLIFE

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 4, 2018
8
1
the locations are stored on the phone itself. It is not tied into your service provider. Honestly, I don't think you should rely on that frequent locations feature. A user can go in there and delete the locations if they want to.

Totally get that I shouldnt rely on this feature. I am just trying to figure out if I should log past locations before switching providers..... Updating our phones also was wiping away the significant locations (at least this is what I think was wiping the history, but not sure)....
 

Armen

macrumors 604
Apr 30, 2013
7,408
2,274
Los Angeles
Totally get that I shouldnt rely on this feature. I am just trying to figure out if I should log past locations before switching providers..... Updating our phones also was wiping away the significant locations (at least this is what I think was wiping the history, but not sure)....

If you are taking your phone with you to another provider you do not need to wipe it. A simple sim card swap and a reset network settings is all you should need to do.
 

LESLIELOVINLIFE

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 4, 2018
8
1
If you are taking your phone with you to another provider you do not need to wipe it. A simple sim card swap and a reset network settings is all you should need to do.


Oh yes..... But, I was referring to updating our phones. Whenever a new update from Apple comes along, we update our phones, but it seems to wipe out the Significant Location history?!?
 

NoBoMac

Moderator
Staff member
Jul 1, 2014
6,303
5,023
Along what Armen wrote in post #12, you can also enable restrictions on the phone, and then, turn on Location Services and prevent that from being turned off.

Most kids, and many adults, these days "can't live" without their noses in their phones most waking hours. Gotta be messaging, tweeting, reading tweets, and so on. So guessing they will not be turning off the phones.

But as mentioned earlier, frequent locations information is not particularly accurate (lots of missing info): my location list is missing several regular locales.
 
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LESLIELOVINLIFE

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 4, 2018
8
1
so, still looking for one more answer before my curiosity is satisfied.... After I update my children's phones, their Significant Locations History seems to be gone. Is it gone because of updating the phones or do you think it might be due to something my children are doing to make this happen?!? Thanks in advance for your responses!
 

I7guy

macrumors Nehalem
Nov 30, 2013
35,165
25,333
Gotta be in it to win it
so, still looking for one more answer before my curiosity is satisfied.... After I update my children's phones, their Significant Locations History seems to be gone. Is it gone because of updating the phones or do you think it might be due to something my children are doing to make this happen?!? Thanks in advance for your responses!
On iOS 11.4b1 significant locations can be cleared and the setting can’t be locked down and can be turned off. Nothing to do with updating the phone. I’m sure it was like this on earlier releases.

Set them up for find my friends and then enable restrictions. Set do not allow changes on location services, share my location and accounts. This will pretty much lock the phone down.

If your kids turn off the phone, you will know it because you won’t find them on FMF.
 

Banglazed

macrumors 603
Apr 17, 2017
5,014
9,514
Cupertino, CA
By chance do you have T-Mobile as your family's carrier?

https://support.t-mobile.com/docs/DOC-4258

This can also be option other than Find My iPhone, Find My Friends, Contact/Message "Share My Location" with Restriction.

T-Mobile FamilyWhere feature can track all your kids by using cellular location triangulation by towers. There is a 30 days trial if you want to test it.
 

Louie1966

macrumors newbie
Apr 5, 2018
2
1
California
Nope, stays as long as you use it. It only clears if you restore the device. It is encrypted on the device and it's never sent to iCloud or Apple.


I was so glad to find this post because I was hoping to ask a few questions myself. I am in the same position of wanting to understand information on my childrens phones.

My question is: why do some of the locations in significant locations say "no visits" instead of having a date and time?

Thank you
 

BugeyeSTI

macrumors 604
Aug 19, 2017
7,244
9,089
Arizona/Illinois
I was so glad to find this post because I was hoping to ask a few questions myself. I am in the same position of wanting to understand information on my childrens phones.

My question is: why do some of the locations in significant locations say "no visits" instead of having a date and time?

Thank you
I find this happens when you been somewhere and then haven’t been back for awhile. It will record the initial visit, then just shows you haven’t been back to that location
 
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Louie1966

macrumors newbie
Apr 5, 2018
2
1
California
Ok Thank you, that is good news. I have one more question, if you would be so kind.
It seems as if there are locations recorded in significant locations that are very far off from the actual location of the phone at the given time, perhaps even 100 miles. Is there an answer for why this may occur?
Thank you!
 

simonsi

Contributor
Jan 3, 2014
4,851
735
Auckland
Or just have a discussion with your kids, not about spying but about the value of the phone, theft and loss as well as personal safety.
 
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