LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION
Maps, ride-hailing and many other apps need
your location data to work. But does your drug
store or coffee shop really need to know where
you are and where you’ve been?
Previously, Apple gave you just a few choices
on the matter. You could share your location
continuously with an app, provide it only when
you were using the app, or deny the app access
to any location information. (The last choice
breaks many apps, and it can be a challenge to
turn location back on if you change your mind.)
Now Apple will let you grant location permission
temporarily. If you close the app or restart the
phone, you’ll have to grant permission again. You
can keep doing that until you’re more comfortable
with the app and its use of location, at which time
you can make permission permanent.
But permanent doesn’t mean sharing while the
app is in the background. After you’ve used an
app for a while, the phone will prompt you with
details on where and how many times it has
tapped your location. Only then can you grant
“always allow” access. You can also take it back
if you’ve given it before. The idea is to arm you
with more information before deciding.
Unfortunately, there’s no “reject once” option
to see how well an app works without location.
Once you reject it, you’ll have to go into settings
to turn location back on.