We need to talk about something right now before we get any further: Uber‘s been in some hot water. Over the past week, people have been calling out Uber for tracking their location looooooong after they leave their car. (Like, we’re talking WEEKS here, people.) Now the app — who is no stranger to controversy — is responding to allegations.
Uber said that when it looks like it’s tracking you, it’s actually not. They blamed it on an iOS issue. Once again, Uber repeats, it is not tracking you for weeks after you finish your ride. It’s only showing up for phones who have chosen to use the Apple Maps extension. (Other apps like Yelp and Lyft look like they’re also tracking your location when they’re not, Uber said.)
@daringfireball yeah I haven't taken an uber in almost a week, app isn't even running in the background. Concerning. pic.twitter.com/AQYyPXRtkB
— Chris Harber (@britishchris) December 22, 2016
But how did this whole thing start? Well, a couple weeks ago Uber announced that it was going to start tracking passengers for five minutes after they left their vehicle. This move was meant to prevent drivers from lying about where they ended their rides. But users started responding badly — they did not want to continue to be tracked after they left their cars. After doing some investigative work in their own settings, they often found the Uber icon illuminated in location services, which was no good.
And that’s where Uber’s latest statement comes in. However, Apple has yet to confirm whether or not Uber’s story (that the tracking is an iOS bug issue) is really what’s going on. Stay tuned!
Did you notice any issues with your Uber account? Let us know @BritandCo!
(h/t Tech Crunch; photo via Getty)