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Washington, DC - Does your app collect users’ locations? Is that happening even when they’re not using the app?  Savvy developers understand the importance of giving consumers a clear picture of what’s going on. The FTC has advice on making your practices more transparent.

Consumers get that an app giving driving directions will have to know their location to offer the best route. But they may not be aware that an app may be collecting that data when they’re not using it. Companies have different reasons for collecting location information when the app isn’t in use. A weather app may track where users are so it can pull up the local forecast in an instant. Or a shopping app may send a push notification when the user is near a store having a sale.

It’s unwise to assume that users understand what’s happening behind the scenes. Consumers using devices that run Apple’s iOS8 operating system will get system-level disclosures with some information about this type of collection after they install your app, but consumers using the current version of the Android operating system won’t.  Here are some tips on ways to explain your practices and offer choices to consumers.

If you access users’ locations when they’re not using your app, it’s a good idea to clearly disclose what you’re doing and provide users with choices.