How Apple is Improving iPhone Privacy with iOS 14

Let’s just get the big reveal out of the way right now: Companies are spying on you through your iPhone. Not a particularly shocking revelation, but one worth mentioning nonetheless. 

Now, before you decide to go all Ron Swanson on your $1,000 cell phone, remember all the great times the two of you have shared over the years.

That wedding your girlfriend dragged you to during the big UFC fight? Your iPhone was there for you, bringing you that clutch stream of glorious violence while surrounded by people celebrating eternal love. 

That time you met Tony Hawk at your local Wal-Mart? Your iPhone was there for you, equipping you with the selfie necessary to prove to your buddies that you actually met the legendary one.  

That time you had a little too much to drink and decided to call your ex at 2 a.m. on a Friday night from the Chili’s parking lot to ask about what went wrong now three years removed from the breakup? OK, maybe your iPhone shouldn’t have been there for you that time.

Either way, I think we can all agree your iPhone has some redeeming qualities… in spite of, you know, how much it lets companies spy on you. 

Enter iOS 14, the latest and greatest mobile operating system for Apple’s favorite child: the iPhone. Announced at the 2020 Worldwide Developers Conference, the next generation of mobile software will take big steps to provide you with a greater sense of privacy. 

Let’s break some of it down for you.  

App Privacy Disclosure

Because few of us have a) law degrees, and/or b) loads of free time, Apple will shine a spotlight on the fine print many of us often ignore. 

Rather than force its users to do too much digging, Apple says it will begin requiring app developers to provide users with clear and brief summaries of what sort of data they collect as part of the user agreement. 

You’ll soon have a much better idea of just how much data your favorite apps are collecting, ranging from financial info, location, contacts, purchases, browsing history, and identifiers, among other categories. Developers will, according to Apple, “need to describe what data the third-party code collects, how the data may be used, and whether the data is used to track users.”

Apple says the disclosures will be clearly visible on each app’s page within the App Store, likely forcing you to think twice before downloading Words With Friends 3

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Tracking Permissions

Mobile app business models may soon be changing thanks to Apple’s decision to provide its users with more control over the sort of data they’re willing to share with apps they download. Similar to the way Safari users are allowed to pick and choose when websites can track cookies, iOS (along with iPadOS and tvOS) users will soon be able to decide whether they want to be tracked on these devices. 

Apple does note that there are some loopholes here, albeit relatively reasonable ones. Apps won’t need to ask for your permission to share data with third-parties if that data is intended for “fraud detection, fraud prevention, or security purposes, and solely on your behalf,” like credit card fraud. 

Whether or not this means you’ll still actually be able to use an app if you deny the developers permission remains to be seen, but at least you’ll have the right to give it a thumbs up if you choose. 

Clipboard Use Alerts

OK, so we understand that certain apps are tracking us.

But prior to iOS 14, Apple’s average user didn’t really have an opportunity to fully grasp just how far these apps were going to understand our behaviors. The next generation of Apple’s mobile operating system looks to address that, offering its users a notification any time an application is extracting information from a user’s clipboard (aka the place where your device stores information you recently copied). 

Users can expect to see a brief banner notification to signal whenever an application is pasting the information within your clipboard. And that’s not just limited to iOS. Because of how cohesive the Apple ecosystem is across its phones, laptops, and tablets, applications on your phone have the ability to take information stored on your laptop’s clipboard as well. 

And if you’re wondering just how often that happens… just take a look at what some users uncovered after using the iOS 14 beta (spoiler: It happens a lot). 

It’ll be interesting to see what sort of impact this has on apps across the board, but TikTok has already vowed to update its practices after some users called the company out over some pretty egregious spying tactics.   

Approximate Location 

Apple will no longer use your precise location for applications that don’t absolutely require it. Instead, Apple will begin using approximate locations that will only give apps a circular area of about 10 square miles.

And don’t worry, you won’t be the central point to that circle. Apple says it will use nearby landmarks like government buildings or major intersections as the focal point.  

You’ll probably still need to utilize precise location for transportation apps like Maps or Uber (because how else is Fred in a Red Toyota Camry supposed to find you?). 

Camera and Microphone Transparency

Many Macbook users have already grown accustomed to seeing a little green light anytime they activate their laptop’s built-in camera (especially in the COVID-19 world). iPhone users will soon know the feeling, with Apple adding orange and green indicators above the phone’s network icon to signal that the phone’s camera or microphone are in use. 

The orange dot will indicate that the microphone is in use, while the green dot will indicate that the camera (front and rear) is in use. Hooray for Apple ecosystem consistency. 

This sounds great… until you wonder why this was necessary in the first place. 

We’ve all probably worried about whether we’re being listened to through our smartphones, with many of our conversations coincidentally manifesting into personalized advertisements on social media. It’s worth debating just how much of that can be attributed to the powerful algorithms that take advantage of our predictability, but at least now we may be able to put our more concerning suspicions to rest. 

Due out to all consumers this fall, an iOS 14 beta is currently available for developers.