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Apple’s latest iPhone software update, iOS 17.2, enables a setting with the frankly alarming name “Detectable by Others” by default. This creepy setting has led users of top-of-the-line iPhones to wonder if their names and locations are being exposed without their consent. Even if you don’t, you might want to turn it off anyway, reports the Wall Street Journal.
As part of its iOS 17.2 rollout in December, Apple debuted its long-awaited Journal app, which it demoed at WWDC 2023. You can think of it as an evolution of the Notes app. It includes a document component for jotting down your thoughts, but what’s unique is that you can supplement these entries by including photos, videos, places you’ve visited, songs you’ve listened to, workouts, and more. All to make looking back on these entries more dynamic. This works similar to how iPhones already organize photos and videos and create memories in the Photos app. Best of all, with the help of on-device machine learning, the Journal app provides personalized feedback on topics to write about, along with daily reflection prompts to increase gratitude and support mental health. automatically provide suggestions.
These prompts are called journaling suggestions, and you can turn them on and off. And things take a strange turn from there. The first time you open the Journal app, you’ll be prompted to enable this feature. however,[設定]>[プライバシーとセキュリティ]>[ジャーナリングの提案]Even if you’ve never turned on journaling suggestions, go to[他の人が検出可能]You can see that the option is enabled by default. The settings description says, “Let others detect when you’re nearby so they can prioritize your suggestions.”
Upon discovering this, many users took to social media to express concerns that Apple was sharing their full name and location data with other users without their knowledge or consent. Several posts have gone viral warning users to turn off this feature for their safety.
Apple explains what ‘discovered by others’ actually means
When asked about this, an Apple spokesperson told WSJ that these concerns are unfounded. Rather, the “can be discovered by others” feature works like this: Your iPhone can use her Bluetooth to discover how many devices around you are already in your contacts. Your phone doesn’t store information about whether a particular contact was around, but if journaling suggestions are enabled, it can use this context to improve and prioritize the prompts you receive. I can.
For example, if you host a dinner party, your phone will recognize the fact that this isn’t your average night at home and use that information to inform you of your diary prompts. However, it is not revealed who she was with or how long they were together. The Journal app has another setting called “Prioritize other suggestions.” When enabled, the app will prioritize these types of prompts. As for why “Discovery by Others” is enabled by default, an Apple spokesperson said it’s essentially to give early adopters of the Journal app the benefit of this feature.
If you don’t want your device to be included in Apple’s nearby contacts tally,[設定]>[プライバシーとセキュリティ]>[ジャーナリングの提案]You can turn off your device by going to . However, if you leave “Discoverable by Others” turned on, know that your personal information is safe. The Journaling Suggestions and Privacy landing page on Apple’s legal website warns users with two-factor authentication and a passcode that “all journal entries are end-to-end encrypted when stored in iCloud. “Even Apple can’t read it.” . ” Given the outcry and confusion, perhaps Apple will reconsider the name of this feature. Just to give users peace of mind.
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