Managed Device app appearing in Location Services on unmanaged iPads

What you see - and where in iPad settings - is not entirely clear. Perhaps you refer to this Location Services setting?

Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > System Services > Device Management

This setting is present in iOS/iPadOS 26/27 and earlier major versions - at least as far back as 2023.

Appearance of this setting is entirely consistent across devices; presence of this setting does not imply that a remote management profile or App is (or ever has been) installed on your device. The Device Management toggle controls whether Mobile Device Management (MDM) profiles, if they are installed, can access your device's location during remote configurations or updates.

Insofar as I can establish, for unmanaged devices, you can safely disable this setting should you wish to do so.

I have this exact same issue on my iPhone, I attached a screenshot below. Resetting my location settings erased it, but I’m still wondering what caused it in the first place. I’m concerned…

[Edited by Moderator]

Thank you for replying. It’s listed under settings > privacy & security > location services. The app icon looks like when an app has been recently deleted. This setting was previously shown in system settings but now appears in location settings.

Device management still shows in system services. Managed devices had previously shown there also but has moved.

It would be helpful if you could post a screenshot of precisely what you see:

Take a screenshot on iPad - Apple Support

You can upload your screenshot (suitably redacted if necessary, using markup tools, to obscure any personal or sensitive information) using the image button found at the bottom of the message editing window: