{"id":13009,"date":"2017-08-15T15:00:48","date_gmt":"2017-08-15T20:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.psafe.com\/en\/blog\/?p=13009"},"modified":"2018-06-29T17:51:31","modified_gmt":"2018-06-29T21:51:31","slug":"apps-access-to-your-location","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.psafe.com\/en\/blog\/apps-access-to-your-location\/","title":{"rendered":"Do Apps Have Access to Your Location 24\/7?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Granting access to location data for navigation apps or weather apps is often a no-brainer. These applications make life exponentially easier for users all in exchange for access to location data. On the surface, this trade-off doesn\u2019t seem to be a dangerous one. But do you know what happens to these location-based apps once they\u2019re closed? Do they really shut off, or are they still accessing and recording location data in the background? Click here to use memory booster to close background apps that are accessing your location:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"tap-for-a-memory-boost\"<\/a>
\nAccording to security experts, many of these background apps will be used to consistently monitor and collect user location data given the right permissions, often without user knowledge. When turning on location services, regardless of how trusted the individual app is, make sure to enable the advanced protection function within dfndr. This added layer of protection will reinforce the security surrounding private user data. Click here to enable Advanced Protection on your phone:<\/span><\/p>\n

Read More: <\/b>Is it Safe to Download Apps Outside of Google Play<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

Both GPS and Network Provider Location Services can be used by developers to track location in the background. So even when apps with location permissions enabled are closed and cleared, they still might be recording location data without the user\u2019s knowledge. In addition to stealing and sharing sensitive user data, this process also depletes phone battery. GPS tracking, in particular, is battery intensive, and continued background tracking could have serious implications for the battery life of an Android.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the past, two internationally known and widely used apps were exposed for collecting user data consistently in the background. In 2013, TechCrunch exposed Google\u2019s Location History tool, an older tool that logs user location on any date, at any time, for Google’s\u00a0use. Though the tool is optional, Google patrons are simply asked to share location, unaware that their every move was being recorded.<\/span><\/p>\n

Similarly, in 2016, Uber launched an update of its ride-sharing app that requested permission to access location data at all times. This updated permissions setting allowed the company to track riders for five minutes after the ride ended.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Solution
\n<\/b>Luckily, there\u2019s an easy fix for apps collecting location data while running in the background on your Android phone. Android users must turn off both \u201cLocation Reporting\u201d as well as \u201cLocation History\u201d to prevent further location tracking. To do so, open the app drawer and scroll to \u201cSettings.\u201d Tap \u201cLocation\u201d and then tap the specific \u201cLocation Settings\u201d you wish to disable. Make sure to turn the toggle off for both \u201cLocation Reporting\u201d and \u201cLocation History.\u201d For phone users looking to further safeguard their location data, tap \u201cDelete Location History\u201d underneath \u201cLocation History.”<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You might think you have a handle on your Android apps\u2019 permissions settings. But what about those pesky apps using your location in the background?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":83,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[30,747,18,301,303,312,106,53,218,358,545],"class_list":["post-13009","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-security","tag-android","tag-android-apps","tag-app","tag-app2","tag-app3","tag-app8","tag-google","tag-internet","tag-privacy","tag-protection","tag-safety"],"yoast_head":"\nDo Apps Have Access to Your Location 24\/7? - PSafe Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"You might think you have a handle on your Android apps\u2019 permissions settings. 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