

Ask HN: why mobile apps using location are low rated ? - haidrali

I have noticed that mobile apps who use users location information are either low rated or considered bad in a sense of user privacy.<p>I am building an which has one feature which uses user location should i include this feature or exclude. Please share your thoughts on apps using user location information lots of times<p>Thanks
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venomsnake
Because the authors of those kinds of apps cannot be trusted. Location data is
incredibly sensitive. And sadly the way apps work - your control over them is
non existent.

Unless phones evolve in a way that allows real anonymization of the end user,
this will stay that way.

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haidrali
Yes i agree with your point of you about trusted the authors as people feel
free to share location on apps like twitter, instagram, google but not on a
unknown vendor

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carbocation
My thoughts on the topic:

1\. Don't ask the end-user for permission to use their location data until the
last possible moment. When someone will benefit by sharing their data, they
will be more likely to do so.

2\. For iOS, ask twice. First, use your own dialog box to ask if you can use
their location data. If they say no, persist that and don't ask them again
unless they perform a similar location-requiring action. If they say yes, then
you can trigger the iOS location permission request (this way, they are much
less likely to say no to the official request).

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r721
Make two versions of app: one with location feature and one without, then
compare number of installations and average rating.

