Menu bar shows that macOS Sierra very frequently uses location services to check the time zone even though Setting Time Zone is disabled

geolocationmenu bar

Ever since upgrading to macOS Sierra, I have been able to keep track of when programs use my location because the menu bar displays an icon whenever an app requests this information. I have noticed that about once per hour, the location services icon appears for a few seconds, and when I click on it it says "Apps requesting location: Setting Time Zone"

I've tried disabling automatic time zone detection in System Preferences (Under the Privacy > Location Services options), and this does not prevent this from happening. Here is what this setting looks like on my computer, note that the "Time Zone" box is already unchecked:

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I looked at the list of other programs that have recently requested my location, and nothing unusual appears:

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What is causing this, and is there any way to disable it? If this cannot be turned off, then is there a way to prevent it from appearing in the menu bar?

Best Answer

I had the same issue on macOS 10.12.6. Give this a try:

  1. Under System Preferences > Date & Time > Time Zone: Uncheck "Set time zone automatically using current location"
  2. Disable location services completely
  3. Delete the file "/Library/Caches/com.apple.AutoTimeZone.plist"
  4. Reenable location services again
  5. Restart your computer

Does it solve your issue? Source

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