Privacy and security should always be paramount for large companies developing technology products or applications. Unfortunately, the collection of data without the authorization of users, such as location, has practically been standardized. It is for them that companies like Apple have implemented systems so that you are aware of when information about your location is being collected in the background. We tell you all the details about it.
Why applications collect location data
Apple has undoubtedly become a very restrictive company when it comes to allowing applications to collect information on the location of users. Always when you start a newly installed application, the necessary permissions are requested to access your location. In this, some apps take the opportunity to explain what the use of the location is going to be used for. Obviously you should know that location services allow applications to offer different location-based services. For example, an app may require this information when recommending you go to a specific site, or offer you content that is restricted to a specific country.
The problem is that this authorization is requested at the beginning and then you can forget which application is accessing your location. Sometimes you are aware that an app has access to your location because you are seeing it reflected on a map in the case of browsers for example. But there are others that do not clearly state that they are collecting information, although there are systems to know it.
Information with visual cues
One of the most common methods to have information that an app is accessing your location data are visual signals. iOS always ‘cheats’ when an app is accessing the device’s location or camera. For example, if you are in an application that actively and constantly uses the location of the terminal, a box will appear in the upper left. This will surround the device time in blue. If you click on the box, the application that is accessing all your location data will automatically appear. This is very useful especially when a record is being made in the background, such as browsers such as Apple Maps.
Another visual signal that the application you have recently used has accessed your location is in the control center of the iPhone. You have deployed it in the upper right corner a triangular sign appears that can be completely filled or only in outline. If it is filled in, it will mean that the location is being used at that precise moment and if it is only the outline it is that a recently used application has accessed this information.
Check in privacy settings
Undoubtedly one of the most reliable methods to access all the applications that have access to the location is through the iOS settings. In the privacy section there is a site dedicated exclusively to location permissions. But you will not only know which application has the necessary permissions but you will also be able to restrict this authorization or edit it as you wish within the options it offers. To be able to access this list you simply have to follow the following steps:
- In iPhone go to Settings.
- Scroll to the middle of the screen and tap on Privacy.
- Enter ‘Location’.
Here you will have the whole list of applications that have access to your location. If you enter each one, you can choose if you want to prevent them from accessing your location. You can also determine if you want this data to always be collected or only when you are within the application. This fact, in addition to being important for privacy, is also a very important factor to take into account when taking care of the battery. Activated location services can easily sacrifice device autonomy.
