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Apple's slowness in sharing user location during emergencies affects recent murder case

Published: 10 Oct. 2025, 12:37

iPhone 17 Pro models are displayed during Apple's event at the Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino, California on Sept. 9. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

Apple iPhones take significantly longer than Android devices to share users’ locations with emergency responders, according to new data — a delay that may hinder rescue efforts in life-or-death situations.

In a recent murder case at a pizza restaurant in Gwanak District, southern Seoul, police struggled to reach the scene quickly because the caller used an iPhone.

The assailant allegedly attacked three people with a kitchen knife on Sept. 3 at the franchise pizza restaurant he ran in Gwanak District, southern Seoul. The victims included a 49-year-old employee from the company’s headquarters and two interior contractors, a 60-year-old father and his 32-year-old daughter.

According to data obtained by People Power Party Rep. Kim Jang-kyom from the Korea Communications Commission, Apple provides user location information only during emergency calls or for up to five minutes after a call ends. Unlike Android phones, which transmit user location information via cell towers, GPS and Wi-Fi signals separately, Apple uses a proprietary system called HELO to share this data.

In a test conducted earlier this year to evaluate emergency location-sharing systems, Android devices on Korea’s three major telecom networks had average response times of 1.3 seconds via cell towers, 1.7 seconds via GPS and 2.4 seconds via Wi-Fi. In contrast, iPhones took an average of 20 seconds.

A person holds an Apple iPhone Air during Apple's event at the Steve Jobs Theater on the Apple Park campus in Cupertino, California on Sept. 9. [AFP/YONHAP]

Apple said it takes about 20 seconds because its system performs additional calculations to ensure the accuracy of the data. However, critics say even brief delays can cost lives — especially when callers are on the move.

The Korea Communications Commission has urged Apple to improve the system to better serve emergency responders, but the company has not made any changes, citing its policy consistency and concerns over user privacy.

Police typically use a signal-tracking device to pinpoint a caller's location in dense urban areas by tracing Wi-Fi signals. However, because Apple does not allow access to Wi-Fi signal data, the device cannot detect iPhones.

In the Gwanak District murder case, police attempted to use the tracker but received no signal from the caller's iPhone. Officers arrived on the scene within three minutes but reportedly spent more than 15 minutes circling the area to locate the exact address.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KIM CHUL-WOONG [[email protected]]