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Please.

I have an aunt with several medical conditions. We have her iPhone and Apple Watch set up to give her medication reminders, to allow her family to track her location along with specific restrictions so she can't accidentally change any settings. The amount of work it took to get this ready and make it foolproof was substantial compared to flipping a switch on a setting for location.

You're going to have to try a lot harder to find any scenario where this is somehow an inconvenience for users.


Edited: How can you make the claim that most Apps don't track users for nefarious purposes? Further, do you know if only the App gets the information or if they're making it available to third parties for analysis? Or worse yet, maybe they use someone else's SDK for location and have no idea where the information is going to (besides themselves)?

Why is your sick aunt on a beta?!

I hate Apple. their business practices are predatory and this is just one more example. Their greed and arrogance know no bounds and they don't even innovate anymore.

Curious why you’re here? I can’t imagine participating in a forum of something I didn’t like... what your point?
 
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Why is your sick aunt on a beta?!

She’s not and I never said she was. I said it took a lot of effort to configure her devices to make them foolproof (childproof, if you will) for her use.

Having to do an extra single step of turning on a privacy switch is trivial compared to setting up her phone/Apps.
 
Apple doesn't play by it's rules here. Find My doesn't require location permission like the other apps. Don't believe me? Try to refuse the location authorization to Find My. You'll see that you still can locate your phone. Here is how it works:
During the onboarding of the iPhone, you enable localization. At this moment you accept your location to be used for:
-FindMy (not the app, the service)
-Location based Ads (yes, apple does this)
-Tons of others services

When you open FindMy, it's asking for the In-app location authorization to be able to display your localization on the map view, that's it.

Go to Settings > Privacy > Locations Services > Scroll bottom to System Services. Yep, it's well hidden.

Edit: And btw, by default, apple services (FindMy etc) doesn't show the arrow in the status bar
 
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There are incidents where having full access to background tracking is essential and can even save lives. Not acknowledging this shows that Apple lives in a bubble.
 
Developers whining about Apple making it more difficult to allow background tracking?

Sounds like Apple is doing something right here.

Kinda, but I can also see how this would increase tech support calls for very legit apps. For example, I use a biking app that tracks my location for stats and such, but I'd have to force that setting or it wouldn't work properly. If I weren't a tech-savvy user paying attention so such things, that would be a support call for them potentially.

Of course, they could build the right dialog boxes in and such, but sometimes those things even get tricky for savvy users, as you have to leave the app, go to the right place, flip the right settings, come back... it's certainly not a good UX.

It would be better, from a UX perspective, if an app asking for such permission had to pop up some Apple-controlled/designed box, explaining the permission being given.

What is a big problem on iOS, in general, are various dialogs and even password entry boxes popping up asking for things, or even Apple ID and such, but you can't be 100% sure it's Apple or the app asking.

If Apple had done a good job of that in the first place, it wouldn't be an issue. But, now users are trained that every 10 minutes (exaggeration, but sometimes true), some box will probably pop asking for their Apple ID password, and they just have to enter it for things to work properly. If they had forced people back to some specific place (no, not 3 or 4 places!) where such data is legitimately entered in the first place, they wouldn't be in this mess. UI/UX matters! And, Apple seemed to forget that for a decade or so.
 
UNSURPRISING that the same Apple apologists who routinely defend Apple's unpopular policies in its pursuit of profit, are offended that other businesses (apps) have similarly inconsiderate conditions.

To those hypocrites: do what you've preached. Don't like Google's conditions for using their Internet tools? Then find an alternative or build your own search engine. That includes replacing most Apple services that rely on Google's infrastructure to deliver. Including Siri, which relies on Google's search capabilities for its Internet searches.
 
Which device? Could you possibly check on any device in the 7-8 series? It isn’t there for me in 8.
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Which app? I’m trying on many apps and it isn’t there, but I only want in Weather and it isn’t there for me. This is fresh install.

This must be programmed into the app itself in order to request “Always Allow”. So only if the developer wants the option to be available, you can select "Always Allow".

This is the same as you can not grant an app location access, (or anything else under privacy for that matter) if it does not want or need it as the app will not show in the list until the app requests access from iOS.
 
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Im sorry, but **** your surreptitious perpetual tracking via the always allow button. I applaud this change

I applaud that Apple wants users to be more aware of potential risks to their privacy but perhaps the answer isn't to remove the function or make it a cog to turn on but rather to require that it be better explained. so folks understand what ALWAYS means. if one hits 'always allow' then require a confirmation screen that explains more fully what that means including that tracking doesn't require the app to be on the screen or even (if it is the case) for the app to be in 'open' in background memory. and even point out that such location usage could drain the battery etc. a middle ground so that Apple doesn't look like a bunch of gits trying to **** on the developers that have to hand over 30%. sure it's a PR move but those can be valuable.

and maybe Apple should actually run and analyze apps to see if they actually need 'always allow' to function and refuse to allow those that can't justify that choice. same as checking for proper use of other private info. rather than approving and removing when someone else finds a big issue. yes it means that approvals would take longer but developers that have a track record for not trying **** might get a pass after so many passed inspections. because those apps with issues cause negative PR for Apple
 
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?
Define "easy"?

Going to the application in settings to PROACTIVELY enable it, sounds a lot better than facebook, gmail, youtube, etc... literally tracking every single step you take.
 
No app should REQUIRE tracking, at least very few that is their main purpose. Apps like McDonalds app require tracking be on or don't function. There's no real reason why this app REQUIRES your location or won't to launch. Apple should block such apps form the store.
 
No app should REQUIRE tracking, at least very few that is their main purpose. Apps like McDonalds app require tracking be on or don't function. There's no real reason why this app REQUIRES your location or won't to launch. Apple should block such apps form the store.

The list on there first post is a good list that requires access at all times to function as design.

Tile for example relays on knowing your rough location to mark last known location of your things. The other half is it relays on current location for its network to help you find items as your phone will give locations of other tiles and update ethe last known location for others.

arity for example needs to access location so the driving feature works on the apps. All state's drivewise requires it so it can track your driving. It does not even request access until you guess wht turn on drivewise the feature that requires it full time. The other ones will access for the while using app but drivewise needs full time access to even work.
 
I agree with what has been said here. But I also understand apps are made to make things easier. You enable location tracking on the McDonalds app for relevant ads (promos are diff based on region) and to conveinently tell you where the closest McDonald is. I get it.

There for the choice is yours to what you enable location tracking. That's pretty much it?..
 
You can still use it like that.


Nobody prevents you from doing that.

I don't get why so many people think it's a bad move. It's good! If you have an app that's so important for you that it should have the ability to track you permanently, it's sure worth the 20 seconds of your time to enable it in Settings.
What is wrong with the current process where the user gets to opt in or out upfront?
 
“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

It's clear from this discussion thread that very few of the iOS users would get apps anywhere other than the app store. I know I wouldn't. I tend to doubt your claim.
 
settings -> privacy -> app -> always allow. done. yep, pretty easy to me.
Easier.

There is functionality in the dev kit that lets you click on a button in the app that will bring you directly to settings->privacy area.

All the developer has to do is make that link with an explanation pop up everywhere in the app where functionality is limited by the lack of always on.

To claim this is a hardship is disingenuous.
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As a parent who uses Life360 this is one of main attributes. No trickery. Apples changes make this far more inconvenient.
Please. Turn it on manually and stop overreacting.
 
I agree with what has been said here. But I also understand apps are made to make things easier. You enable location tracking on the McDonalds app for relevant ads (promos are diff based on region) and to conveinently tell you where the closest McDonald is. I get it.
I really don't think it's necessary for the McDonald's app to permanently track your every move, just to show you the next restaurant. Getting the current location on application start (or, better yet, only when using the restaurant finder part of it) should suffice.
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What is wrong with the current process where the user gets to opt in or out upfront?
The same thing what's wrong with (previous?) Windows' constant warning and confirmation dialogues, I'd think. People just click them away without reading, let alone thinking about what they just allowed.
 
I think what some are missing here as that these same rules (according to the developers) don't apply to Apple's own apps. Once again it becomes apple playing the "our platform our apps come first", but spin it as "user privacy".

this is AFAIK untrue. Apple’s apps have to follow the same rules.

Now the Find My app exposes an OS feature (and thus is part of the OS) - the phone reports data containing location to Apple, and FindMy can read it.

Mapping apps don’t necessarily need access to location in the background because they remain active while giving directions.

The “anticompetitive” bit is Tile, because they know Apple is working on a competing product, and they can’t offer an equivalent UX (and let’s face it, couldn’t even if they had this permission)
 
Not sure why you would install a third-party app for that particular purpose when Find My does the same thing and potentially more accurately with the new offline tracking feature.

Congratulations for demonstrating perfectly why this is anticompetitive.

I notice you don't have to grant permission for Apple to track you 24/7.
 
I really don't think it's necessary for the McDonald's app to permanently track your every move, just to show you the next restaurant. Getting the current location on application start (or, better yet, only when using the restaurant finder part of it) should suffice.

Agreed 100% and that is actually what I meant to say. Reading back on my original post I understand why you said that. But ya, I just meant on app launch. when I need to find the nearest Bank I open my bank app and since location is on it tells me closest based on distance. Beyond THAT, correct it does not need to know what I'm doing. And people shouldn't have to force close apps

Congratulations for demonstrating perfectly why this is anticompetitive.

I notice you don't have to grant permission for Apple to track you 24/7.

  • Splash screen when first setting up Apple device?
  • can be turned off in Privacy settings?
 
Easier.

There is functionality in the dev kit that lets you click on a button in the app that will bring you directly to settings->privacy area.

All the developer has to do is make that link with an explanation pop up everywhere in the app where functionality is limited by the lack of always on.

To claim this is a hardship is disingenuous.
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Please. Turn it on manually and stop overreacting.

FYI that functionality is banned from being used for privacy related items. It will get you rejected from the app store. Aka we can not do thst navigation. Just because it is in the dev kit does not mean it is allowed.

It is there for other areas but the privacy one is banned from use.

this is AFAIK untrue. Apple’s apps have to follow the same rules.

Now the Find My app exposes an OS feature (and thus is part of the OS) - the phone reports data containing location to Apple, and FindMy can read it.

Mapping apps don’t necessarily need access to location in the background because they remain active while giving directions.

The “anticompetitive” bit is Tile, because they know Apple is working on a competing product, and they can’t offer an equivalent UX (and let’s face it, couldn’t even if they had this permission)

But apple maps and calandar do.

For example the lovely alert saying your drive time to work is x minutes. Or leave by X time to get so some appointment in time.

Find my friends is clearly updating all the time or at the very least using something I can not turn off easily.

Either way apple is cheating and using things for its apps that everyone else does not have access to.
 
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No app should REQUIRE tracking, at least very few that is their main purpose. Apps like McDonalds app require tracking be on or don't function. There's no real reason why this app REQUIRES your location or won't to launch. Apple should block such apps form the store.

I routinely block network access on the desktop if those requests originate from entities I'm not familar with. Unfortunately, this ability is lacking on Apple's iOS devices where covert background activities are even more present.

I allow background network requests for companies who haven't done anything (to my knowledge) to abuse my trust. The question is: Do you have a reason to distrust McDonald's? If not, what is the harm in allowing them to track your travel habits? Such data could tell them what hours of the day they should anticipate more customers and prepare for that peak. It can also tell them where to locate new franchises that might be more convenient. In exchange for your participation, you get the coupons.
 
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