Why do so many smartphone apps want permission to use my location — even apps that have nothing to do with maps or navigation?
Some apps may request your current location so they can display information relevant to the area. Weather apps, restaurant finders, city guides and social-media programs are among those that usually request permission to see your location. Apps that work with your phone’s photos may also ask to use location data because some of the pictures may have embedded geotags (information about where they were taken).
While some apps have legitimate reasons for peeking at your whereabouts, some are simply nosy and overreaching — and can run your battery down if left unattended. Free apps that serve up advertising may also request your coordinates so they can display ads for local businesses and services.
Although you can often deny or work around the location request by just manually entering a ZIP code in an app’s settings to get generalized area information, turning on your phone’s location services feature temporarily can be useful. For example, if you have a weather app that can pinpoint your position and you are driving in bad weather, you can flip on location services at the rest stop to see the radar map for the exact area — and get a better idea of up-to-the-minute travel conditions.
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