According to media reports, Apple has blocked the geolocation function in its Compass app in China for owners of iPhone smartphones and Apple Watch smartwatches.

The proprietary application "Compass" allows you to determine the cardinal points, latitude and longitude, as well as altitude above sea level in the place where the user is.

After recent updates to the mobile app, users from mainland China in the Compass app no ​​longer see their coordinates and altitude.

Apple did not explain why certain features were limited in its app. The media recalled that in China, all foreign companies must obtain and timely renew a license to conduct any geodetic and cartographic operations within the country. In China, access to many popular instant messengers, services and social networks is limited, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, WhatsApp, Telegram, as well as the Google search service and maps of this company.

In early December, the media reported that Apple, as part of a five-year deal with the Chinese authorities for $ 275 billion, not only invested in the country's economy, but also locally changed the data in its Maps service. For Chinese users, the display on Apple maps of an archipelago in the East China Sea 170 km northeast of Taiwan called the Diaoyu Islands (in Japan, this place is called the Senkaku Islands) has been adjusted. Apple has made these disputed territories slightly out of scale for Chinese users and appear larger than they are shown in other geoservices. Also, when trying to change the scale of the map to a smaller one, the size of the islands remained slightly larger than the real one. It is noteworthy that the standard Maps application on all Apple devices in China uses data from the AutoNavi service, which is owned by Alibaba.

Earlier, the media reported that Tim Cook, as a result of trips to China in 2015-2016, signed a secret agreement with the Chinese authorities for $ 275 billion for 5 years so that Apple would not have difficulties in the country. In addition to direct investment by Apple in manufacturing, according to the agreement, the company was supposed to make a significant contribution to the development of the economy and technological achievements of China, conclude business deals that are beneficial for the country, modernize factories with the most advanced production technologies, use more components from Chinese manufacturers in its products and provide training. employees.

bbabo.Net