Developers say Apple's limitations on location tracking are anti-competitive

2»

Comments

  • Reply 21 of 26
    croprcropr Posts: 1,122member
    sflocal said:
    Fortunately, Android has a far, far larger market share so these developers can simply go and mooch whatever personal data they want from Android users.  

    Owning an app developer company for both Android and iOS, I can say that is a wrong for a number of reasons.   
    • Collecting personal data is sometimes necessary for the normal functioning of an app.  Explicit user consent (like imposed by the GDPR in the EU) is the way to go ; Apple crippling the functionality is counter productive.
    • Only one out of 5 apps my company is developing, are eventually profitable.  The profitable ones are profitable because they are available on both platforms.  Business wise it makes much more sense to port an almost profitable app to the other platform than to come up with a new idea that might be failing
    • Some apps only make sense if they are available on both platforms.  I've made a electronic voting app for the general assembly of large organizations. This app  only make sense if all members of the organization can vote.   And in order to make it resistant to spoofing, it is collecting personal data during the registration phase.
    • The App Store is only existing distribution channel for iOS apps, where both Apple apps and non-Apple apps are competing. Because Apple is judge and involved party in the App Store, Apple should refrain from using technology in its own apps while forbidding it in competitive apps.  The complaint of Spotify against Apple Music is exactly about the fact that Apple gives Apple Music an unfair advantage

    IreneWmuthuk_vanalingamFileMakerFeller
  • Reply 22 of 26
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,176member
    ANY and I mean ANY app that insists on tracking me will be gone from my phone.
    I have location services turned off for 90% of the time. I even switch off BT when I'm not using it.

    These people need to understand that we can exist without their slurping (I was going to be more direct but if I use my real thoughts it would get delete) of our every move.

    You play ball with us and we will with you.
    You mess us around and you are dead to us.

    Got it? It isn't that hard.

    If the Tiles app is for the same production I’l thinking of... it’s actually useful.  It’s used to find things, like your phone, keys etc.  

    It’s about the size of a quarter (but square) you stick to anything you want to find.  Might want to track down that missing TV remote for example.

    In general you don’t want apps to be able to track you, but there are legitimate uses...
    I’m familiar with Tile but have not used it. Is there a reason they need persistent tracking? Would it not work properly if I chose “Only While Using”?
    One way Tile works is by leveraging other users devices when your tagged "thing" is really missing, far away out of Bluetooth range. There's also a "find your phone" feature. Both of those would require location tracking to stay on rather than "while using". 

    This video helps explain it.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3&v=WG7BdW7iFzo
    edited August 2019 pscooter63muthuk_vanalingamFileMakerFeller
  • Reply 23 of 26
    daven said:
    The only app I can think of that I would want to share my location with when I'm not using it is find my iPhone. Can anyone tell me of an app they want to share their location data with even when they aren't using it?
    Mapping apps (location based suggestions). Reminder Apps (location based reminders). Tracking apps (Find My Friends types). Weather apps (severe weather alerts). I am sure there are others.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 24 of 26
    I support Apple in its protection of use privacy as long as the user is ultimately in control and the same rules are applied to all products including Apple's. For example if a user wants to scan for local WiFi using a third party app they should be able to. Apple should not be able to scan for WiFi in the background without user permission using private SDKs not available to third party developers in order to support its own location based products.
  • Reply 25 of 26
    mike1mike1 Posts: 3,275member
    Other than Find my iPhone, I can't think of a single app that needs to know where I am when I am not actively using the app.
    Even fitness tracking doesn't need to know where I am to know how much I walked, right?
    edited August 2019 watto_cobra
  • Reply 26 of 26
    arlor said:
    daven said:
    The only app I can think of that I would want to share my location with when I'm not using it is find my iPhone. Can anyone tell me of an app they want to share their location data with even when they aren't using it?
    Two fairly innocuous cases: maps and fitness tracking apps. 
    I don't see either of these categories needing location data while not being used. Maps app - default to last reference point, ask me if I want to re-orient to my current location or search for a particular location. Fitness tracking app - I'll launch it when I'm ready to begin a session and it can track location data while I'm exercising, but when I hit "End Session" then I don't need my location tracked.

    It's bad enough that the phone companies track the device location; at least they're regulated and it's easier to force them to stop selling the data.
Sign In or Register to comment.