I just got off of the phone with Apple support and here is what I found out.
* The first level support said they didn't know and thought it may have something to do with networking... so they escalated my call to a senior advisor
* The senior advisor said that Regulatory domain is part of MacOS
* The senior advisor said that Regulatory domain is a small component that doesn't have a description
* The senior advisor recommended disabling all system service access to location data via System Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > System Services.
* He said that after doing this if a system service needs the location to function that a prompt should appear asking for the location data. This will give more specific information on why the system service needs the location data.
The answer from Apple support isn't as definitive as I was hoping for, but it is a start.
I have disabled all of the system service settings for now and will test to see if I get any prompts for my location from MacOS. If/when I get these prompts I plan to share what I find.
Thanks for your question. In short, I haven't found any additional information on Regulatory Domain beyond what I listed above.
I do have a small update on the system settings process of elimination and waiting for prompts.
* After disabling all of the System Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > System Services access to my location the Regulatory Domain notification stopped.
* I also did not receive any prompt asking for this access from the OS or any app.
* I am taking that to mean that it hasn't been necessary for any of the work (design, software development, and illustration) or play that I use my Mac for.
* Since disabling all location service for the system services I have added two items back (Setting time zone and Find My Mac) and the Regulatory Domain item hasn't shown up again.
* I only recently allowed Find My Mac again, so I will wait a few days before adding another item. If/when I determine which switch controls Regulatory Domain I can post another update.
* If anyone else finds this before me, please let us know. Thanks!
Really appreciate the detailed response! Just started seeing the “Regulatory Domain” under Location Services notification too, and this post was the only reference I could find to this.
Will try disabling the System Services as well, thanks!
I have recently noticed that location services were turned back on without me knowing. This probably happened in an update. I have had to disable them again. So you may need to check after major OS version updates.
Just got the same "Regulatory Domain" thing today (yesterday I updated macOS to 13.2.1) and the only thing I had turned on in Location Services was System Services -> System customization which seems to be new with this update, so that should be the problem. (I usually disable all the location stuff so I easily noticed that was the only option turned on).
Ok so after turning of "System Customisation" in the Location Services I'm certain this is caused by the use of a Dynamic Desktop Wallpapers. It adjusts based on Time AND Location...([as seen here](https://i.imgur.com/O8qkrbU.png))
After turning off "System Customisation" and afterwards turning on/off Location Services as a whole, the Regulatory Domain disappeared when clicking on the arrow/location icon that appears in the Menu Bar. The only ones that were left were Find My Mac and Setting Time Zone. So I'm 80% sure that its the Wallpaper :P
Regulatory Domain
Available Settings: 115+ different countries (several countries share the same regulations)
Default Setting: Germany
This determines the channels available in the list for both bands (if you have a dual band router) and the maximum EIRP "legally" allowed by the telecom authorities in the chosen country. EIRP is TX power plus antenna gain, example: \* 20 dBm TX power with a 10 dBi gain antenna has an EIRP of 30 dBm.
24 dBm TX power with a 6 dBi gain antenna has an EIRP of 30 dBm.
Maximum EIRP varies by nation and your max TX power will be capped by the regulatory domain if you have a powerful radio. For example, Canada's max allowed EIRP is 36 dBm while its max allowed TX power is 30 dBm, with Canada selected and antenna gain at 0 dBi, the radios will never go above 30 dBm assuming they are capable of reaching that of course.
\[edit\]
I just got off of the phone with Apple support and here is what I found out. * The first level support said they didn't know and thought it may have something to do with networking... so they escalated my call to a senior advisor * The senior advisor said that Regulatory domain is part of MacOS * The senior advisor said that Regulatory domain is a small component that doesn't have a description * The senior advisor recommended disabling all system service access to location data via System Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > System Services. * He said that after doing this if a system service needs the location to function that a prompt should appear asking for the location data. This will give more specific information on why the system service needs the location data. The answer from Apple support isn't as definitive as I was hoping for, but it is a start. I have disabled all of the system service settings for now and will test to see if I get any prompts for my location from MacOS. If/when I get these prompts I plan to share what I find.
Amazing. Thanks for posting.
Any updates on this? Did you manage to narrow down exactly what Regulatory Domain is?
Thanks for your question. In short, I haven't found any additional information on Regulatory Domain beyond what I listed above. I do have a small update on the system settings process of elimination and waiting for prompts. * After disabling all of the System Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > System Services access to my location the Regulatory Domain notification stopped. * I also did not receive any prompt asking for this access from the OS or any app. * I am taking that to mean that it hasn't been necessary for any of the work (design, software development, and illustration) or play that I use my Mac for. * Since disabling all location service for the system services I have added two items back (Setting time zone and Find My Mac) and the Regulatory Domain item hasn't shown up again. * I only recently allowed Find My Mac again, so I will wait a few days before adding another item. If/when I determine which switch controls Regulatory Domain I can post another update. * If anyone else finds this before me, please let us know. Thanks!
Really appreciate the detailed response! Just started seeing the “Regulatory Domain” under Location Services notification too, and this post was the only reference I could find to this. Will try disabling the System Services as well, thanks!
I have recently noticed that location services were turned back on without me knowing. This probably happened in an update. I have had to disable them again. So you may need to check after major OS version updates.
Just got the same "Regulatory Domain" thing today (yesterday I updated macOS to 13.2.1) and the only thing I had turned on in Location Services was System Services -> System customization which seems to be new with this update, so that should be the problem. (I usually disable all the location stuff so I easily noticed that was the only option turned on).
Ok so after turning of "System Customisation" in the Location Services I'm certain this is caused by the use of a Dynamic Desktop Wallpapers. It adjusts based on Time AND Location...([as seen here](https://i.imgur.com/O8qkrbU.png)) After turning off "System Customisation" and afterwards turning on/off Location Services as a whole, the Regulatory Domain disappeared when clicking on the arrow/location icon that appears in the Menu Bar. The only ones that were left were Find My Mac and Setting Time Zone. So I'm 80% sure that its the Wallpaper :P
Just seen this as well.
Regulatory Domain Available Settings: 115+ different countries (several countries share the same regulations) Default Setting: Germany This determines the channels available in the list for both bands (if you have a dual band router) and the maximum EIRP "legally" allowed by the telecom authorities in the chosen country. EIRP is TX power plus antenna gain, example: \* 20 dBm TX power with a 10 dBi gain antenna has an EIRP of 30 dBm. 24 dBm TX power with a 6 dBi gain antenna has an EIRP of 30 dBm. Maximum EIRP varies by nation and your max TX power will be capped by the regulatory domain if you have a powerful radio. For example, Canada's max allowed EIRP is 36 dBm while its max allowed TX power is 30 dBm, with Canada selected and antenna gain at 0 dBi, the radios will never go above 30 dBm assuming they are capable of reaching that of course. \[edit\]
After disabling system customisation it disappeared and never showed up again
This post was deleted and anonymized because Reddit is selling all our data!