App Developers Claim Apple's iOS 13 Location Tracking Changes Are Anti-Competitive

[noraa]

While I normally applaud Apple for their privacy stances, these App developers do have a point.

I am self employed, and thus can deduct my mileage for work purposes. As such, I use a mileage tracking app. The app tracks my mileage automatically, so I don’t need to manually start it when I get in my car and stop it when I’m at my destination. To do so, the app needs to know my location at all times, to be able to tell when I start and stop driving. Without that ability, the app would be useless.

While it is still possible in iOS 13, as the above developers stated, to enable always-on location tracking, being forced to sift through the Settings app to do so is being a minor inconvenience.

What I think would make more sense is to utilize a system that is already in place: Allow apps to request always-on location tracking, but every so often, inform the user that said app is accessing your location in the background, and give you the option to disable it.

Something like this is already in place. When an app accesses your location an unusual amount of time while in the background, a notice will pop up informing you as such, and giving you the option to disable the location tracking.

Such a system could easily be adjusted to remind users every so often of this background tracking.

 

[Bearxor]

I literally do not give a crap about these developers problems with this.

This is the correct choice to make for Apple customers.

 

[Dario69]

While it is still possible in iOS 13, as the above developers stated, to enable always-on location tracking, being forced to sift through the Settings app to do so is being a minor inconvenience.

But it is a one time thing going this route, right? Yes, a one time minor inconvenience, but one time nevertheless. Or am I missing something?

Also, no offense, but they are developers, code a splash screen that instructs them how to address this new change. They are showing their real concerns here, loss of tracking data they can monetize.

Running a business is all about inconvenience, they need to get over it, or go elsewhere.

 

[Imdougurnot]

Im sorry, but **** your surreptitious perpetual tracking via the always allow button. I applaud this change

I was going to say **** every one of them but you covered it. Appreciated.

 

[ctdonath]

Android's Tasker is a perfect example.

Indeed.
There's a reason many of us don't use an OS from a company whose core purpose is "know everything".

 

[OneMike]

I like this change by Apple. If they removed the feature completely maybe I’d agree but I’m good with them relocating it

 

[Kaibelf]

Poor babies have to remind people that they are constantly trying to sell their info even if their app hasn’t been opened for a while. I got one am GLAD their users will be fully aware of what they are doing. If they are that upset that they can’t convince their base to buy in, then they know their app is mainly data harvesting and provides no compelling value.

 

[MacClueless]

Totally with Apple on this, way too many apps monitor location when its nit required for app functionality. Thanks Apple!

 

[ersan191]

Stories like these tell you that Apple is doing something right.

 

[Gasu E.]

it's not anti competitive if users can switch to a comparable platform

That’s just not so. Anything that limits competitive capabilities in a domain that Apple controls is “anti-competitive”. It sounds as if you may be mixing that concept up with “monopolistic” behavior, which has a high legal bar.

apple having it easier on their own apps is just one of the benefits of spending billions of dollars on building out the platform.

it's no different than google including chrome browser out of the box in the pixel device but mozilla has to ask users to click through several times to install firefox

Yes, you are right, these are no different. And both are anti-competitive, but not monopolistic. Do you see any of these app developers complaining to the FTC? No, they are complaining directly to Apple.

 

[Appleman3546]

“Users trust Apple” says Apple...but Apple doesn’t trust other developers so they have to abide by different rules than Apples own apps. Good thing there is no other way to distribute apps on iOS or Apple would have no App Store developers on their App Store

 

[v3rlon]

Im sorry, but f*** your surreptitious perpetual tracking via the always allow button. I applaud this change

Agree 100% with this sentiment. If these 7 app developers are prepared to FULLY guarantee that every last app on the App Store only uses their powers for good, and they agree to pay me whatever I feel my privacy is worth should any app on the store regardless of developer, be caught misusing or selling location data, THEN we could discuss their proposal.

Having them pinky swear they won’t do anything bad this time is not enough if they want Apple to leave the door open for them.

 

[StyxMaker]

You presume that the apps track users [only] for nefarious purposes. Most of them don't. Would you say that people with, say, Alzheimers disease, installing the app that tracks their location so that relatives could watch after them, should not be able to easily enable tracking?

You’re assuming the person with Alzheimer’s remembers to take their phone with them when they wander off.

 

[Gasu E.]

Im sorry, but **** your surreptitious perpetual tracking via the always allow button. I applaud this change

I agree with this. But why does this apply to third party developers, but Not Apple itself? Their complaint is that the change is anti-competitive, because Apple has decided they themselves are trusted, but not other developers. I don’t believe that is a sentiment that all consumers would share.

With this change, if an app functions better with always-on tracking, third party apps need to go through a more obscure and clumsy user interaction than a comparable Apple app would, by design. That puts the third party developers at a big disadvantage, making their app seem kludgy and more difficult to configure; all based on some assumptions made by Apple that seems self-serving. And frankly, it’s a poor design choice by Apple specify one set of user behaviors for their own apps and an inconsistent user path for other apps. Apple has historically been all about user consistency, but they seem to have lost their way here.

There should be one and only one way for a user to provide “always” tracking permission for an app, and that should apply to both Apple and third-parties. And then maybe Apple can then figure out a way to make the use choice more conscious and clear, while also simple.

 

[Sensa2004]

Because of the developers' constant privacy abuses, I've reached a point where I don't trust most of the apps.
With smartphones being so ubiquitous, we're turning into the Borg collective where everyone is connected into the hive.

yep...I have a 16 gb SE that still has 8.2 gb free space on it because I don't trust App developers as far as I can throw them.

 

[Kabeyun]

Since there's no option to turn on "Always Allow," Zenly has to have a clunky secondary display screen that instructs users to open up the Privacy settings on their iPhones to change the location setting. This makes consumers more aware of apps that are tracking them continually, but it is an extra step that app developers must contend with.

Developers’ convenience is not our concern. I’m sure Mr. Cook filed this letter in an appropriate receptacle under his desk.

 

[DeepIn2U]

Too bad. Don't like it? Take your app off the App Store.

Oh, you don't want to? See my first statement.

Agreed!

• Tile - Makes tracking devices for wallets, keys, and other objects.
• Arity - A company owned by Allstate that developers technology for measuring driver risk.
• Life360 - An app for sharing location with family and friends.
• Zenly - A location sharing app owned by Snap.
• Zendrive - A company that makes driver assessment apps.
• Twenty - A social networking app for finding friends nearby.
• Happn - A dating app.

No KEY tracking app needs to know where I am at all times especially if I’ve NOT lost my keys!!! Asinine excuses!

Arity: Driver risk ... simply a SCAM! Like BelAir and other car insurance companies ... they offer you a 10/30% discount IF you install an LTE connected Car port connected fob which tracks your location for known accidents, speeding etc. What you don’t know is they’re tracking you aggressiveness of braking, lane changes / traffic light turns in succession with high accidents zone or timing of green vs yellow light signal timing along with your rate of turn initial and completed turn along with if you indicated or not!!

What you don’t know is their making extra funds by selling driver behaviour to automonous driving companies and data analysis companies for assessing dangers and predictability. (Brilliant actually in this aspect) what they do NOT tell you is all these years of driver experiences and habits will net you a significant increase in insurance ratings than what you had without it the following year! NO! And this is the major reason why car insurance co’s Need to be regulated!!

Snap - screw that! Not using that sh*te

Dating apps lol. No only when using. I don’t need some psycho chick haunting me causing issues wherever I go cause I cut her off. And for woman dating jealous men’s this gets VERY dangerous! FUUNK THAT!

 

[lordofthereef]

I can certainly see this throwing a huge wrench in how Tile works (not familiar with the other products).

I guess I'm more on the side of allowing users the freedom to decide what they want though. Shouldn't it be my choice, as the end user, to decide what I want to allow?

I used to have a tile, no longer do. But I feel like that product will be borderline useless with iOS 13. You may not care... unless you use tile.

Edit: I guess I misunderstood. The feature isn't going away it's just hidden deeper under settings. I guess these app developers will have to add a little tutorial on how to turn "always on" back on going forward.

 

[iFoggy]

Great decision Apple - now I don't need to deal with Executives moaning "my battery does not last all day so I need another phone" when it is simply all the apps they have enabled "always on" in terms of location tracking

 

[fourthtunz]

Allowing other people to use a "always allow" does not force you to do anything, nor does it track you specifically. Stop being paranoid.

Its not being paranoid if it always allows.

 

[macfacts]

If this change pisses location tracking companies off then it makes me happy. Thanks Apple!

Those tracking companies loved it when apple made it impossible to turn off wifi.

 

[Teammm]

You’ve got to take the good with the bad. Yea, the lock-in to Apple’s apps can be kind of frustrating, but at the end of the day, you’re afforded more privacy than any other ecosystem.

Apple’s prices are honest. Sure, it’s a lot of money, but what you pay as a consumer is dollars, that’s it. Competing, “cheaper” options come at the price of privacy and security. If you’re not paying for the product, then you are the product.

Am I annoyed that this now further locks down the iPhone? Sure. But do I think it’s a good move and a net positive? Absolutely. I fully support this decision and it makes me even more excited for the ecosystem. My wallet hurts, but at least there are many more options for acquiring cash than there are acquiring privacy.

Your wallet doesn't hurt. Look at that smile

 

[Jim Lahey]

Anti-competitive? Anti-surveillance more like. Good riddance.

 

[mikethemartian]

Booo hooo cry me an ***** river, they won't be able to track us 24/7, nor dupe their users into said continuous tracking!

F them, and TWO THUMBS UP to Apple for this change!!!

If I wanna give an app this ability, such as for navigation apps, then I am capable going into Settings and doing it myself!

So iPhone users are too stupid to understand what it means to have an app ask for “Always Allow” to continuously track them?

 

[macintoshmac]

I’m not seeing the Always option at all in the Settings > Privacy > Location list of apps. Only app I let use Always for weather and I liked to have it that way.