Facebook for Android Brings New Background Location Privacy Controls

Facebook for Android is going to update its privacy settings in order to make it easier for users to prevent the social network from accessing their location when the app is not open. The company has acknowledged that Android users have shown concern over the app’s ability to continuously log location data in the background.

Facebook for Android Brings New Background Location Privacy Controls

The company said that it didn’t use the ability to check in on Android users’ background location in the past unless they also opted-in to a setting called location history. However,  due to Android’s all-or-nothing system of location permissions relative to iOS, the Facebook app was able to collect location data whether a user is active in the app or not.

Previously, those Android users who allowed Facebook access to their location data will retain those settings, though they will still get an alert about the new location controls. Those users who kept the location settings disabled, those permissions will remain toggled off but only Android users will be able to apply these changes. The company has also confirmed that it will send an alert to the users of iOS in order to remind them to reevaluate their location history settings.