Apple’s “Find My” feature, which helps users find lost iPhones, doesn’t work in South Korea. This problem affects all iPhones, whether they were bought in South Korea or brought in from other countries.
As a result, people in South Korea cannot use “Find My” to find their lost devices or share their location. This makes it harder to do simple things like meeting up with friends.
Apple says this issue is due to local laws in South Korea. Their support page mentions, “Location sharing isn’t supported in South Korea and might be unavailable in other regions due to local laws.”
However, some people question this reason. They point out that Samsung’s location-tracking service doesn’t have this issue in South Korea, suggesting that the problem might not be due to the law but Apple’s own policy.
Apple’s response to questions has been that “Find My” isn’t disabled because of legal reasons but due to their internal policy. They claim it’s not a requirement specific to South Korea.
One reason for the issue might be South Korean laws that require location data to be stored for six months, possibly for government access. This could clash with Apple’s strong privacy policies. Yet, “Find My” still works in South Korea’s remote areas, adding to the confusion.
Interestingly, Apple’s other apps, like Photos and Fitness, can still track location using network and Wi-Fi data even when “Find My” is turned off. This has led South Korea to believe Apple is still tracking locations, resulting in a $150,000 fine for the company in June 2024.
There has been controversy over location data before. In 2023, South Korea refused to let Apple export detailed map data to improve Apple Maps, citing security concerns.
South Koreans are frustrated because Apple’s online store in the country still sells AirTags, which are designed to work with the “Find My” network. This contradiction highlights ongoing issues between what users expect, what companies do, and government regulations about digital privacy and security.
