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A group of application developers wrote a letter to Apple's CEO, saying that some changes to Apple's iOS 13 operating system would hurt their business. In a report from The Information, the developers allegedly accused Apple of anti-competitive behavior as to how applications can access users' location data.
With iOS 13, Apple aims to limit the misuse of application tracking apps by apps as part of its broader privacy goal as a business.
Today, many applications require users, when they first launch, to give their application the authorization "Always allow" tracking of the place. Users can confirm this with a single click, inadvertently giving applications much more access to their location data than it really is needed in many cases.
In iOS 13, however, Apple has changed the way applications can request location data.
During launch, a new option will be presented to users, "Allow once", allowing users to explore the application to see if it meets their needs before allowing the developer of this application to Constantly access location data. This option will be presented next to the existing options "Allow when using the application" and "Do not allow".
The "Always" option is always available, but users will have to go to the iOS settings to activate it manually. (A periodic pop-up will also show the "Always" option, but not right now.)
App developers claim that this change may be confusing for less technical users, who will assume the app is not working properly if they do not know how to change their iOS settings to make sure the app has the appropriate permissions.
The developer's argument is a valid assessment of user behavior and how such a change might affect their applications. The extra friction of having to access Settings to be able to switch a switch so that an application can work can cause users to abandon applications. It's also, in part, why applications like Safari ad blockers and iOS replacement keyboards have never really become mainstream, as they require additional steps involving iOS settings.
That said, the changes made by Apple with iOS 13 do not actually destroy these applications, they simply require them to specify their integration instructions to users. Instead of asking for the "Always Allow" permission, they will have to tell users the iOS Settings screen or limit the functionality of apps until the "Always Allow" permission is granted. .
In addition, the developer's letter pointed out that Apple's built-in applications (such as Find My) are not handled in this way, which raises competition concerns.
The letter also stated that Apple in iOS 13 would not allow developers to use PushKit for purposes other than voice calls over the Internet – again, due to the fact that some developers have abused this box tools for collecting data from private users.
"We understand that some developers, especially messaging applications, used it as a backdoor to collect user data," said the e-mail, according to the report. "While we agree that such loopholes should be removed, the current plan of Apple plans to remove [access to the internet voice feature] will have unintended consequences: it will effectively close applications that have a real need for real-time localization. "
The letter was signed by Tile CEO CJ Prober; arity (Allstate) President Gary Hallgren; CEO of Life360, Chris Hullsan; CEO of the Happn Dating App, Didier Rappaport; CEO of Zenly (Snap), Antoine Martin; Zendrive CEO Jonathan Matus; and responsible for the Twenty social network application strategy, Jared Allgood.
Apple responded to The Information stating that any change to the operating system is "at the service of the user" and its privacy. He also noted that all applications distributed from the App Store must adhere to the same procedures.
This is another example of how increased protection of user privacy can lead to complications and friction for end users. One possible solution might be to allow applications to present their own in-app settings screen, in which users could switch directly to the full set of application permissions, including everything from location data to push notifications. through the use of cellular data or Bluetooth sharing.
The news comes at a time when the US Department of Justice is planning to investigate Apple for anti-competitive behavior. Apple told The Information that it was working with some of the concerned developers using PushKit on alternative solutions.
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