Do n’t lose your iPhone in South Korea, because Find My does n’t work there

National Assembly of the Republic of South Korea
Apple’s Find My can track down a lost iPhone, anywhere, except if you are in South Korea or if the phone was manufactured there. Find My is permanently disabled on all iPhones sold in South Korea. Find My will not work in South Korea, nor can it be used by South Korean iPhones taken abroad. The same block applies to iPhone users who visit the country. Find My is available on iPhones manufactured elsewhere, but it is disabled once the iPhones are brought into South Korea. Lost iPhones will probably be lost forever. It’s harder to arrange a meeting with friends, because you can’t share your location data. Apple previously stated that the limitation was due to local laws, according to discussions on Apple support forums. The relevant Find My support page has a slightly different note. It says that “Location Sharing is not supported in South Korea, and may not be available in other regions because of local laws.” Apple’s stance is questioned by the same discussion forums as well as a South Korean AppleInsider and a petition submitted to the National Assembly Petition Website of South Korea. This is partly because Samsung’s Find My app does not have the same restrictions. This makes sense if Samsung doesn’t care as much about privacy. Samsung, Apple, and any other company still have a problem with what the law requires. Apple is quoted in the petition. Apple responded by saying that Find My was disabled not because it violated the Location Information Act but because of internal policies. Apple has added to emphasize that the decision was not based on a “regional need.” If it’s about privacy and policies, the South Korean law could be interpreted as saying that all data must be stored on location for six months. This implies that the government should be able access them. This last part is not certain and not clear. Apple’s view that this is against their privacy policies would explain why. South Korean law should apply to the outlying territories of the country, including Baekryeongdo and Ulleungdo. Find My is said to work normally in these areas. Apple apps like Photos and Fitness, allegedly, record location data while in use. This data is derived from Wi-Fi and network details, even if the iPhone does not have location technology enabled. It’s clear that South Korea thinks Apple is tracking location information. In June 2024 it fined Apple around $150,000 for it. In 2023, Apple requested to take high precision map data outside the country to improve Apple Maps. According to Yonhap News Agency the South Korean government denied permission. A land ministry official told the publication that security concerns were a major factor. “The exportation is allowed of map data at a scale of 1:25,000, but not of maps with higher precision.” The South Korean civilians are also frustrated. They are also angry because Apple’s South Korean online store continues to sell AirTags that can be used with the Find My Network. AppleInsider contacted Apple for comment.