iPhone users now receive notifications that provide richer information on how often an app is tracking the device, although some app developers are less than happy with Apple's upgraded privacy feature. The issue of how much and how often a device tracks users has become a major talking point recently thanks to the sheer amount of apps that are now always listening or always monitoring a user’s actions. The feature from Apple is designed to reassure iPhone owners that they are actually in control of their smartphone experience.
As devices become smarter, they also become better at listening and monitoring. In many cases, this is on purpose as apps need up-to-the-minute information to be able to respond in the way a user wants them to. However, the rise in listening and monitoring has repeatedly raised privacy concerns by critics. Even more so since the ability to track now not only includes smartphones, but also smart speakers, smart TVs, and just about any device that has a smart label attached to it. Apple introduced an improved notification feature with the iOS 13 update. The feature sends routine notifications to a device advising the user of how many times a certain app has used location services over the past few days to track them. Most importantly, it provides insight into how often the app was active when not being used.
In a new WSJ report, some app developers are raising the issue of how the new notifications are proving problematic. With some apps needing to run in the background to function as intended, there’s the concern these notifications are scaring too many users into disabling the app's permissions. According to the report, it is not just app developers who are finding fault with the new feature, but also users. One of the added control elements of the new feature is the ability for a user to set an app’s permissions status to “always allow.” This not only allows the app to function as it needs to, but also stops the user from receiving too many notifications. However, some users have explained that in spite of granting the always allow permission, the iPhone feature continues to notify them regardless.
Toeing The Fine Line Between Privacy And Usability
This is not only an issue that affects iOS as Google has also been attempting to improve the level of app control and information to Android device owners as well. Both have taken an active approach to user privacy due to concerns surrounding what apps are doing in the background. However, an increase in privacy control like this nearly always comes at the expense of features with Apple and Google finding it increasingly hard to strike a balance between offering a suitable level of privacy without impeding features. It's a dilemma that seems unlikely to change anytime soon considering always-on features tend to require the app to be always on. Google Maps, weather, and fitness tracking apps are just some of the examples of apps that benefit from constant location feedback.
There also remains the much wider issue of privacy and technology in general, which may in fact make many of these user-focused features more of a red herring than an actual solution. For example, if one app or an entire Apple iPhone is prohibited from continuously tracking a user, it matters less if there’s another app or device tracking them anyway.
Source: WSJ