Users say the macOS Ventura 13.5 update, released on July 24, breaks location services for apps. Users complain that since they have installed the update they were unable to access and control location permissions for first and third-party apps.
When users look at System Settings -> Privacy and Security -> Location Services, macOS Ventura 13.5 they see no apps listed. Users cannot toggle location services on or off for apps, and they also cannot see which apps currently have access to their location information.
If, as required under macOS, a newly installed app requests access to location services, there is no option to enable it for that app. This can severely affect the functionality of some apps. The location permissions bug first showed after macOS Ventura 13.5 was released. However, the issue has flown under the radar, likely because only a few Mac apps request location access.
While users have attempted workarounds, nothing has fixed the issue. Apple will likely fix the issue in a future macOS update that will hopefully restore the location services privacy settings to their original state.
The issue does not appear to be present in macOS 14 Sonoma.
