Is iPhone 11 Pro mining location data of users without their permission?

While Apple's latest flagship, the iPhone 11 Pro is said to be triggering trypophobia for some, it is also having many bigger problems now.

A security company has recently revealed that the smartphone mines location data from people, even when it is not explicitly allowed. This means that iPhone 11 Pro collects location data even when the location settings for apps, including Maps, and system services have been specifically disabled.

The outlet shared a video that showed turning the phone to flight mode and back led to location data collection (it displayed location icon), despite all the settings being disabled.

Theoretically, when the location for every app/system service has been disabled, the iPhone shouldn't send location anywhere. However, the fact that it is still sending that information is because of a loophole Apple built for itself.

The company's policies say it could receive encrypted data about nearby Wi-Fi/cellular towers from iPhone 11 Pro for its own database, which looks like the case here.

Users are unaware about this problem. Apple's policies add that users can control the extent of encrypted location data being transferred by disabling settings for apps and services.

Apple acknowledged the issue but said it does "not see any security implications" from the case of location data being transferred without user control/permission.

The company further added that the location icon that led to this revelation can appear for services that cannot be disabled using the location toggle of iPhone settings.