With iOS 13, Apple decided to more intensively notify its users when location is being tracked in the background and the results are already evident, with apps showing a 68% drop in location tracking. In addition, more and more users are becoming aware of these practices.
Apple has always given users of its operating system the ability to control when and what of their information apps can access , but now the company has made two changes in iOS 13.
Initially, whenever an app accesses location information in the background, the operating system displays notifications to the user, saying that it has granted permission to access an app and will provide the option to stop it.
Second, it allows an app to ask for permission every time it wants to access location data.
And Google seems to be following the same tactic in Android 10.
As FastCompany reports , the combination of these two new features has led to a 68% drop in background location tracking and a 24% reduction in foreground tracking (while an app is open).
App developers make money by tracking users' locations, as they can give this information to companies for advertising purposes. They can still do this using your IP address, but that will provide a less reliable indication of users' location.
However, a large number of people choose to use VPN, especially when using public WiFi hotspots. This protects users from man-in-the-middle, with the added benefit of hiding their location.
