iOS 8 Prompt Asks Users Whether Apps Can Continue Using Location Data

A MacRumors reader has sent in a screenshot of a prompt in iOS 8 that double checks with users asking if they want to continue giving location info to apps.

ios 8 location data prompt

Since iOS 6, Apple has required apps to get explicit user permission before accessing personal data and device information, with iOS 8 now allowing users to determine whether they want apps to keep using location data.

Apple's original move to require apps to ask for permission came in 2012 after it was discovered that apps such as Path were uploading users' address books without asking for authorization. While Path eventually deleted the information, a pair of U.S. Congressmen sent a letter to Apple asking for information on specific data collection policies, causing Apple to make changes.

Since then, Apple has made a number of moves to better comply with concerns over privacy, which include adding the ability to report apps that do not comply with privacy requirements and asking iOS users if Location Services should be enabled during setup.

Top Rated Comments

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bwillwall

58 months ago

This is good for privacy but I will say they are taking on a bit of a Windows Vista approach.. bugging people about their apps constantly.

Rating: 7 Votes

MikhailT

58 months ago

This is good for privacy but I will say they are taking on a bit of a Windows Vista approach.. bugging people about their apps constantly.

I hope I can turn this off. Will get annoying after awhile.

You'd only have to do it once per app or just turn off location services. I only see like 5 apps that ever uses the location service, so I'd imagine it's not going to be that frequent.

Also, it's not just good for privacy but for battery life.

Rating: 3 Votes

tob!

58 months ago

It checks because there is a new setting available. You can now restrict location usage for an app so that it only has access when it's on screen.
It turns out apps need to explicitly implement this. (Apples apps already have this setting)
If your app has not implementet this you will loose location access all together.

Rating: 3 Votes

bwillwall

58 months ago

Yes but if an app needs to use the gps.. it asks.. if it needs the camera.. it asks.. if it needs photos.. it asks.. if it needs the mic.. the contacts.. calendar.. reminders.. bluetooth.. motion data.. or to keep running gps data in the background, it asks. They just need like a list with everything the app wants so you can toggle them on and off on a single list, because this is getting too intrusive.

Rating: 2 Votes

nagromme

58 months ago

Great changes.

I hope the status bar icon distinguishes between "while running" and "always on" GPS.

I use Dark Sky for rain alerts, which means "always on" (but nicely power-efficient!) GPS. And the icon shows in the status bar. But with that icon always there, I cannot (in iOS 7) tell when any OTHER app is using the GPS.

If the icon were to change for "while running" apps like Yelp etc., that would make it far more useful. (As it is, I may as well turn off the icon, since it's always there and tells me nothing.)

Currently you can see all this by poking through settings, but if you're going yo have a status icon, make it useful!

Rating: 2 Votes

Pakaku

58 months ago

They could probably solve that by moving it to the Notification Center, so it's just one swipe to get there.

They could really use that space for a lot of stuff, actually.

Rating: 1 Votes

ArtOfWarfare

58 months ago

I love this. My GPS is always turning on at random and I can never figure out which app is the culprit. I hope background services are required to get permission, too.

Also, this isn't very Windows-like, I don't think. With Windows, every time you try to start an application, it asks you if you really want to start it. That's a fantastically retarded question. Yes, no crap I want to start it, otherwise I wouldn't have clicked on it. That popup generates so many false positives about malicious software, I suspect that it causes:

1 - People to think Windows has more viruses than it does (and it already has a lot)
2 - People to completely miss the popups when they're actual warnings about actual viruses

This is a legitimate question. This app is going to use your GPS, do you want it to?

I guess maybe they could improve it by merging the GPS popups into one for each app:

"This app wants to use your GPS, even in the background."
"Don't allow"
"Allow only in foreground"
"Allow even in background"
Expressed more concisely and in a manner that most users will get.

Rating: 1 Votes

seppler

58 months ago

Please allow to remove and disable all Facebook snooping. In iOS 7 even you toggle the location services off Facebook App is still tracking the iPhone location. Can any of you testing iOS 8 check how this is working?
Thanks

If you are talking about how Facebook knows your (general) location with Location Services off and when you are posting, I'm guessing it only knows a general location because of the IP you are posting from. That's my experience, anyway.

Rating: 1 Votes

mazz0

58 months ago

I got this with Weather too, I though "why's Weather using my location when it's not open?" So it can have the rights location instantly when next opened?

Rating: 1 Votes

lotzosushi

58 months ago

This just started happening to me yesterday. It's interesting that it kept popping up for a different app every time I unlock my phone. Not all at once, but one app every time I unlock my phone. O_o

Rating: 1 Votes

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