Uber Faces Negative Reactions After Update Introduces Background GPS Tracking

[nsayer]

Sure they do. Again, this is not up to you. There is value to them in knowing your location from the time you make a request, to the time the ride completes. There is also value in them knowing it for a few minutes after.

Just because YOU don't care about that, does not mean they do not, and does not mean the value doesn't exist.

See, that's the thing about capitalism. Uber is clearly trying to maximize their value proposition (on their side), which is fine. But where it gets ugly is when they do it by monetizing your privacy with nothing in return.

But that's the other beauty about capitalism - Uber has competition. If enough people go back to taking cabs, busses or Lyft, then Uber will either reverse this decision or go out of business.

Frankly, I'm not happy with Uber, Lyft, AirBnb... all of them are effectively trying to take over an industry while ignoring all of it's "inconvenient" costs and claiming that magically the rules don't apply to them.

 

[AlanDD]

As an uber driver, I appreciate a way to prove that I 1) left the rider in the right spot and 2) can't be held liable for anything that happened after I leave as Uber knows where I am as well with the Driver app.

As an Uber user, I COMPLETELY agree with this. I can always shut off location to the Uber app or my phone as a whole, if I am 'uber'-paranoid, but I think 5 minutes is a reasonable duration for them to 'know' I got to my location safely.

 

[autrefois]

Because its not up to you. You are the user, and quite frankly, you don't have a clue what is best for the App or the service. User's like you will ignore all of the factual detail and will just fauxrage over some talking point, about which you know absolutely nothing.

This is very dangerous thinking. No one should incorporate every suggestion or complaint by random people. But if a developer truly thinks they know better than their users just because they're only users, then it means that developer is closed to new ideas and actually improving their product. Bad for the product, bad for profits and reviews, bad for the users, sad for the developer who is missing out on opportunities by not realizing no one person can know what's best for everyone. I sincerely hope you rethink this attitude for yourself and, if you're a developer, for the good of your app.

 

[Rigby]

In a few months they'll probably discover "value" in tracking people 24/7, and silently add it with another "We always try to improve our app" update. Brave new world.
[doublepost=1481043287][/doublepost]

As an Uber user, I COMPLETELY agree with this. I can always shut off location to the Uber app or my phone as a whole, if I am 'uber'-paranoid, but I think 5 minutes is a reasonable duration for them to 'know' I got to my location safely.

The problem is that once you allow them to always track you, you lose control. Even if you were OK with the 5 minutes, who says they won't make another change in the future to expand the tracking further? I don't allow any app to track me 24/7 in the background. If the Uber app no longer works well without giving them unlimited access to my location, it's good bye Uber for me.

 

[iansilv]

So why can't Apple make it a requirement that any app that uses location have the three options of off always, on always and on only when using the app? Bam. Problem solved.

 

[cmwade77]

This is bad for Uber, because people don't want to be tracked after they leave and there is no legitimate reason for them to be.

This isn't a case of Uber not getting anything from the consumer, they get paid, so bottom line is that is all they need. This a case where Androids controls makes things better, you can easily turn location on and off for each app and turn off background location data for every app.
[doublepost=1481043403][/doublepost]

So why can't Apple make it a requirement that any app that uses location have the three options of off always, on always and on only when using the app? Bam. Problem solved.

Because that would match Android's setup and they don't want that.

 

[moonjelly]

And no one noticed because every update just says "we are always trying to improve our app". This should be an option!

iOS gave notification of the settings change.

 

[now i see it]

There's an easy enough workaround to turn off uber's 5 minutes of spying after the ride.

Just quit the uber app, then turn off Location Services for uber to Never.

Simple enough.

People are outraged because they are too damn lazy to tap a setting on their phone.
Life is tough!

 

[moonjelly]

As an uber driver, I appreciate a way to prove that I 1) left the rider in the right spot and 2) can't be held liable for anything that happened after I leave as Uber knows where I am as well with the Driver app.

And if you use any Google service on your iPhone, a lot worse tracking is probably happening than this. Not to mention Apple's own Location-Based alerts and ads setting.

Did you like being able to see where your passenger was waiting? Because I chose to disable location services for uber when iOS gave me the warning during update.

 

[rhett7660]

See but all I hear when I read a post like this is, "I demand to be able to use your service, but you're not getting anything from me in return."

It just reeks of uninformed crybaby nonsense.

Well to be fair, uber is not free, so they are getting something out of me, my money. There services does not entail tracking me after I have PAID FOR THEIR SERVICE to take me from point "A" to "B".

 

[Naimfan]

Easy. Don't use Uber, and encourage people to not use it.

And: Delete the app. Make them feel it in their top line and they'll change it.

 

[aforty]

Isn't another workaround to force-quit the app as soon as you get out of the car?

Nope, not a work-around in this case.

 

[moonjelly]

Because its not up to you. You are the user, and quite frankly, you don't have a clue what is best for the App or the service. User's like you will ignore all of the factual detail and will just fauxrage over some talking point, about which you know absolutely nothing.

Wow so much wrong in one post. It is completely up to the user. It is completely transparent that this is data collection for marketing purposes. "Where do University students go after we drop them off?" The driver app tells them the destination and exactly where the car is when the trip ends.

But you can go ahead and let businesses decide what is best for themselves and then just accept it.<= [irony]

It would be great for uber if you would just wear their radio collar like a sheep.
[doublepost=1481046861][/doublepost]

I agree, and Uber is not the only app that does this. Apple should make it mandatory to publish proper release notes with every update. It should be one of the app guidelines they review when approving updates.

Sure. Right after Apple lists every change and no longer makes statements like; minor bug fixes, improvements to stability and security.

Apple is already a relatively controlled environment. Its mostly benevolent and beneficial to the user. Take it too far and the detriments will outweigh the benefits.

We choose this software. We have to take at least some responsibility to weed out the sloppy or unscrupulous developers.

 

[69Mustang]

As an Uber user, I COMPLETELY agree with this. I can always shut off location to the Uber app or my phone as a whole, if I am 'uber'-paranoid, but I think 5 minutes is a reasonable duration for them to 'know' I got to my location safely.

How in the world would they know you got to your location safely? No snark. Seriously, how would they know and how would the 5 minutes of tracking contribute to that knowledge? This literally makes no sense. They know you were picked up at point A and dropped off at point B. Driver leaves. Uber still tracking your location. Now, get me to the "safely" portion of your comment. They would know absolutely nothing of what transpired during that 5 minutes.

 

[MysteriousStain]

I love it when uber agents/employees jump into the discussion to tell paying customers why they are a bunch of crybabies.

 

[macTW]

This is purely for security, but some people want privacy over safety. This should be an opt-in, because if something did happen on the uber ride, uber would know where and when it did. Even five minutes after, a driver could drop off and circle the block then come back for them. Safety through tracking, but should be by choice.

 

[Strutten]

This is purely for security, but some people want privacy over safety. This should be an opt-in, because if something did happen on the uber ride, uber would know where and when it did. Even five minutes after, a driver could drop off and circle the block then come back for them. Safety through tracking, but should be by choice.

Right! They'll know thanks to the constant video surveillance of each customer they'll introduce in the next update?

 

[canadianreader]

I did not like it so what I did is disable location access after each ride until they give us the option to use location while using the app

 

[69Mustang]

This is purely for security, but some people want privacy over safety. This should be an opt-in, because if something did happen on the uber ride, uber would know where and when it did. Even five minutes after, a driver could drop off and circle the block then come back for them. Safety through tracking, but should be by choice.

Security how? Tracking a customer doesn't improve their customer's security.

 

[mr_vinjah]

Sure they do. Again, this is not up to you. There is value to them in knowing your location from the time you make a request, to the time the ride completes. There is also value in them knowing it for a few minutes after.

Just because YOU don't care about that, does not mean they do not, and does not mean the value doesn't exist.

On our first point, I agree. I have engaged a service from a company and expect that they can track that engagement for the duration that the service is provided. My location is yours to record.

On your second point, you're right-- value exists in what I do after a ride And for the rest of the day. And how much tossing and turning I do in bed that night. And what flavor Cheerios I have for breakfast. However, my engagement with Uber ends when I close the door to the car.

If they want to know which direction I walk away from the car, put a 360 deg camera on the roof and hope that you're not violating privacy laws because you are on private property. Or, PAY ME for that information (reduce the fare, give me credits). Nothing's free: my location data is mine once I leave the vehicle.

The safety argument is laughable. Seriously, give a scenario where it makes an iota of sense.

Don't be so quick so point out that paying customers are sheep and developer gods know what's best. It's a rather ugly face to expose.

 

[thisisnotmyname]

Most people are clueless to what has been updated in a bug fix. The vast majority leave their phone in the default state which installs updates automatically so they never even see the notes.

As a developer it's a pain to keep those notes for the public and it often leads to more issues. With most not reading them and the majority of those that do not understanding them anyways, there's little reason to include them. Sorry.

I read every one of them and typically understand it all. I'm sure I'm in the minority but I like to keep apprised of what's going on with the apps I use.

As to this Uber tracking situation: since this happened my device no longer automatically identifies where I am by GPS, I have to enter my address manually. I'll keep it that way until and unless they stop this policy.

 

[darkpaw]

The one time I used an Uber car was in San Francisco a few weeks ago. I've never used it before, and I never will again.

The driver turned up in a dirty car, full of trash in the back footwells, it stank, and he was playing loud 'music' involving a bunch of swear words (the MF one was in there A LOT).

Never ever again, and this update just reinforces my belief that Uber is a POS company with a POS service.

 

[makr]

Lot of miscommunication here.

Allowing the App to track you when not using the App can mean a lot of different things depending on how the service and App are designed. It does not have to track, or keep tracking, for any length of time. So, introducing the "While Using" option is not a solution, and is not efficient for this particular App.

The 5 minutes is an intentional choice made by Uber. The App knows when the ride completes, and tracks for 5 more minutes because Uber wants that data.

I don't abide the "fauxrage" crowd that demands to use the service but not be subject to its terms. Uber can garner a lot of valuable information from that tracking detail and can use that to better protect its users and improve customer service and safety.

People ought to not be so quick to enact that tunnel vision fauxrage and actually give an example of why they think this is bad or puts them at risk.

Doesn't matter. I want a minicab to take me from A to B and I pay. Besides payment I have no obligation to provide a damn to uber.

 

[szw-mapple fan]

I can understand that a solo developer shop might not have the wherewithall to do this, but a huge company like Uber has no excuse.

Ironically, the individual developers are usually much more detailed in the descriptions than the larger tech companies.

 

[mkeeley]

Ironically, the individual developers are usually much more detailed in the descriptions than the larger tech companies.

True, whilst some are quite good many just say bug fixes and improvements.