In what appears to be an effort to be more honest with iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users, Apple has implemented a prompt in iOS 8 which appears the first time an app is opened, allowing users to decide whether or not they want the app to be able to use location data while running in the background. This might sound like a progressive step for Apple, but it’s beginning to cause problems for some app developers.
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The Information spoke with Max Freiert, the director of product for the popular fitness app RunKeeper, who explains why some users might be tempted to opt out of location tracking before they fully understand the consequences.
“It sounds like a confusing and almost nefarious thing,” says Freiert. RunKeeper continues to track your location in the background for a variety of features, including its ability to inform you when a friend is working out nearby. Rather than leave it up to chance, RunKeeper decided to change the way the app works, only asking for location data when the app is active.
“We were frustrated that we had to make this change,” Freiert added, but he understands why Apple would be looking to make potential privacy issues more clear on the latest version of iOS.
Overall, this is a positive change for consumers, but app developers are going to have to find innovative ways to work around Apple’s new privacy measures.
