iOS 11 can prevent apps from tracking your every move

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Take that, Uber!
Take that, Uber!
Photo: Uber

iOS 11 can prevent apps like Uber and Waze from using your location at all times.

Apple has added a new location option in the update that will rollout to everyone this fall, which only allows certain apps to access location data while they are open and active.

Certain iOS apps want to keep track of your location a lot longer than they need to. Uber, for instance, likes to track you from the moment you get in one of its cars until five minutes after you have arrived at your destination.

“We’re always thinking about ways we can improve the rider experience from sharpening our ETA estimates to identifying the best pick up location on any given street,” reads Uber’s explanation to The Verge back in November.

“Location is at the heart of the Uber experience, and we’re asking riders to provide us with more information to achieve these goals.”

But in iOS 11, you don’t have to feel like your favorite services are tracking you. Apple is giving us more control over our location data by introducing the option to provide access to our location only “while using the app.” “Always” and “never” will also be available.

Apple offered the “while using the app” option before, but in previous versions of iOS, developers could choose whether or not they offered it. In iOS 11, Apple makes it available to all apps as standard, so devs cannot override it.

Not only should this give you peace of mind, but it could also lead to some welcome battery life improvements. The fewer the number of apps quietly using your location and triggering your iPhone’s GPS in the background, the less strain there is on its battery.

iOS 11 is still in its first beta phase for now, so bear in mind Apple could still make changes before its public rollout this fall. We’re hoping this is one feature that will be here to stay.

Here are 11 more awesome features in iOS 11 that Apple didn’t get a chance to tell us about during its big WWDC keynote.

Via: TechCrunch

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