Complaint about machine learning Apple killing background location

I would like to register a complaint here about background location functionality (or rather lack thereof) on Apple.

My app has a very attractive user case, and we are looking to design in a sustainable way which gives the user a clear choice between a degree of battery usage and the benefits of background location tracking in performing one of the key benefits that the app is designed for. We can provide a very good product with what we believe is a very sustainable level of battery use given the benefits of the function (maybe 0.5 - 1 pct per hour when moving), but in any case we clearly present the cost benefit to the user. IT SHOULD BE THEIR CHOICE.

It does not appear that Apple allow such solutions to exist.

My complaints are as follows:

a) Apple's machine learning has a mind of its own and will suddenly render null and void a background task which was running perfectly prior to that. Nowhere do Apple document the rules of the game... this can lead to literally hundreds of thousands and years of wasted development time trying to guess what works. Should Apple not clearly lay this out in documentation? For year developers have been trying to second guess how the system works.

b) Apple's assumption is that apps used infrequently have no value. That is simply not the case. Our app is about High Quality/Low Quantity... and the high quality delivered by our background services arguably is of much higher value than the low quality pulp encouraged by the most popular regular use social media apps.

c) If GPS is a battery intensive resource, why is there not one pooled resource on a phone which then shares with apps which have the permission the relevant information? [Whilst this feature is on android phones] google very accurately tracks on android devices all background movement with sustainable battery usage. The level of detail here is higher than we require for our purposes. Clearly therefore there are solutions that work. However Apple and Google for whatever reason have not made this available to Apps. This comes at a massive cost to the consumer who misses out on a whole family of Applications which could be of high value to them. Our App, I know I am biased, has life changing potential.

If anybody can tell me of any way that background location can be unbreakable tracked in a battery sustainable way then do please share with me. I am looking for something which reliably gets an accurate location when stationary... we thought that this could be time driven: ie every 5-10 minutes after momvement, or after the user has moved say 200 yds.

Many thanks, Angus

  • Align your perspective with reality and the privacy alignment of APIs Apple is trying to move towards.

  • I am not sure how relevant this comment is. There are no privacy issues raised by our product. Furthermore, Apple in its documentation suggests that all we are seeking to achieve is achievable. Machine learning however creates an unmanageable developer situation.

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