When uploading a photo via a file input on iOS 16.4, the GPS location data is being stripped from the Exif data. Before iOS 16.4, this was preserved as long as the photo had been taken with the camera format set to Most Compatible. Since iOS 16.4, the GPS location data is removed regardless of whether the camera format is set to Most Compatible or High Efficiency. I have also tested this on iOS 16.5, which shows the same behaviour as 16.4 There was a similar bug report earlier about Exif data being stripped more generally (https://bugs.webkit.org/show_bug.cgi?id=207088). However, the other Exif data is now kept intact - it is just the GPS location data that is now being removed. Our use case is that we need to preserve this GPS location data in photos uploaded as part of evidence capture for UK Part L building regulations, but there would be other scenarios in which a user would want this data to remain intact. If it has been removed for privacy reasons, perhaps it could check the existing per-website setting to allow access to location services and not strip the GPS location data if that has been allowed by the user.
I agree that there are legitimate use cases for sharing location within photos, and it would be nice to support. Personally, I don't think that a website having access to location is a sufficient signal that I'm also OK with sharing location info within my photos. That can easily be a different location, and also a different audience would get access to the data (I may trust the website, but not each and every one of its users, for example).
<rdar://problem/110390374>
I can share that as of iOS 17, the photo picker contains a new "options" menu that gives the user control of whether or not location is shared. See the following WWDC session for an example of the UI: https://developer.apple.com/videos/play/wwdc2023/10107/?time=688