Can Hexnode force Location Services on iOS and stop users from turning it off?Solved

Apple does not allow MDM solutions to forcibly enable global Location Services on iOS or iPadOS devices. This is restricted by Apple for user privacy, so Hexnode cannot remotely turn on the main Location Services toggle if it is disabled. However, if Location Services is already enabled on the device, you can prevent users from changing it by using Screen Time privacy restrictions during device staging. On the iPhone or iPad:

1. Open Settings > Screen Time and turn on Screen Time.
2. Go to Content & Privacy Restrictions and enable it.
3. Under Privacy, open Location Services.
4. Make sure Location Services is turned on.
5. Set the Hexnode UEM app’s location permission to Always.
6. At the top of the Location Services page, select Don’t Allow Changes.
7. Return to the main Screen Time page and set a Screen Time passcode known only to IT.

This prevents users from changing Location Services settings after they are configured. In Hexnode, you can also apply the Modify Screen Time restriction from the Advanced Restrictions section of a policy. This helps prevent users from modifying Screen Time settings on managed devices. To configure how often Hexnode retrieves location updates, go to Policies > General Settings > Location Tracking and set the required tracking frequency.

So just to confirm, Hexnode can keep location tracking active only if Location Services was already enabled manually first? It can’t silently switch it on later through a policy?

That’s correct. On iOS, the global Location Services setting cannot be silently enabled through MDM. The practical approach is to enable Location Services while staging the devices, set Hexnode UEM to Always for location access, and then use Screen Time restrictions with Don’t Allow Changes so the user cannot disable it afterward. Hexnode policies can help protect the Screen Time configuration, but they cannot override Apple’s restriction and force-enable the global Location Services toggle remotely.