Edible Apple

Apple today released iOS 4.3.3, an iOS update that addresses a number of bugs associated with the “location tracking” code that created quite a stir a few weeks ago. If you recall, the consolidated.db file in iOS 4 keeps a running log of cell phone tower and wi-fi hotspot information to expedite the process by which iOS devices determine a user’s location. Some of the bugs admitted to by Apple include the fact that the file kept a running backlog of said information for months on end and that the file continued to accumulate data even if a user unchecked the Location Services preferences. This iOS update addresses those issues.

– Reduces the size of the cache
– No longer backs the cache up to iTunes
– Deletes the cache entirely when Location Services is turned off

One issue not addressed yet by Apple is that the consolidated.db file is unencrypted and accessible to anyone with physical access to an iOS device running iOS 4. Steve Jobs noted in an interview last week that Apple plans to fix this but that it wouldn’t be implemented until the release of iOS 5 which is expected to drop sometime this Fall.

Note that the update for Verizon iPhones is build iOS 4.2.8.

Related:

Apple addresses iOS Tracking Tool

How the iPhone 4 helped track down Bin Laden