Can you be tracked even when you turn off your iPhone?

We are now long passed the days when a switched off device is really off.

Since 2008, most of Intel’s chipsets include a tiny computer inside a computer called the Intel Management Engine (IME) that is always on even when the computer is switched off. There are complaints that the IME is a cybersecurity hazard.

In the same way, if you have an iPhone 11 (and above), there is an ‘Always-On-Processor’ (AOP) that will still run even when your turn it ‘off’. In other words, when you turn ‘off’ your iPhone, it is not really off.

So, what is the purpose of this AOP? Is it to spy on you?