iOS 14 to Let Users Grant Apps Approximate Location Access Instead of Exact GPS Coordinates: Report

iOS 14 users will be able to choose not to share exact GPS location with apps that don’t require the same.

By Tanishka Sodhi | Updated: 13 August 2020 15:05 IST

iOS 14 to Let Users Grant Apps Approximate Location Access Instead of Exact GPS Coordinates: Report

Photo Credit: 9to5Mac

iOS 14 to allow users more control over apps having location access

Highlights

iOS 14 was unveiled at Apple’s WWDC event in June
iOS 14 users can choose to give apps access to approximate location
iOS 14 will be rolled out globally later this year

iOS 14, Apple's upcoming mobile operating system, will include a feature that will give users the choice to grant applications approximate location access instead of exact GPS location. The Precise Location toggle for Location Services will give users more control over which apps have access to their current location data. Many apps can run efficiently with approximate location but ended up having access to the user's precise location in the previous versions of iOS. The iOS 14 was unveiled at Apple's WWDC event in June and is expected to roll out globally later this year.

The new iOS software will have a new setting that will allow users to share their approximate location rather than precise location with any app that requires the same. In the earlier versions of iOS, users could grant an app access to their location while using the app, or always. Once the location access is allowed, the app always gets an exact coordinates, even though a lot of the apps don't need the precise location information. iOS 14 will offer users the flexibility to decide if they want to give apps their precise information or just approximate location, as per a report by 9to5Mac.

A weather app, for example, does not need to know your exact location to provide current weather in your area. Just the city or state is enough for the app to function efficiently.

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According to the report, iOS 14 includes APIs that will allow apps to declare that they only need ‘reduced accuracy' location that will enable them to collect only the minimum amount of required information.

Users of iPhone 6s, iPhone 7 series, iPhone 8 series, and more will be eligible for the new iOS version. While the public beta is presently available for iOS 14 and iPadOS 14, the stable build is expected to be rolled out globally later this year.

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Other notable features of iOS 14 includes changes in the new home screen, new fonts, full screen effects, upgraded Siri features, new Memoji options, and more. Apple has shared a preview of several features coming with iOS 14.

WWDC 2020 had a lot of exciting announcements from Apple, but which are the best iOS 14 features for India? We discussed this on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.

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