Why iOS 8 May Be A Big Annoyance For Some Apps That Want To Track Your Location

If you've upgraded to iOS 8, you may notice a new message pop up once in a while when you exit certain apps.

With its newest iPhone and iPad software, Apple now sends prompts that ask you whether or not you'll allow an app to use your location data when it's running in the background.

This change is making it harder for some big apps like RunKeeper to provide their services, according to a new report from The Information. Now that you can tell apps not to use your location when they're running in the background, fitness apps may have a harder time delivering certain features.

For example, if an app wants to send a push notification to your phone when a friend is nearby, it won't be able to do that if it can't use your location while running in the background.

"It sounds like a confusing and almost nefarious thing," Max Freiert, director of product for Runkeeper, told The Information in reference to the new notification.

Some users are certainly confused. For example, The Information says Facebook had to clarify that the alert did not mean the app was collecting more data about users' locations.

Apple has also added new privacy options with iOS 8. Previously, your iPhone would present two options when it came to location services: on, or off.

But with iOS 8, you can now choose between "always" (effectively the same as "on"), "while using" (only track my location when the app is open), and "never" (or, "off").

The new privacy settings are a good thing for consumers - it allows people to have more specific and flexible control over when apps can and cannot user their location. But the developers building those apps now face a new challenge in delivering their services, since users can choose to limit their access.