How 27 Restaurant iPhone Apps Manage Location Data

The disclosure early this month that Burger King was offering a promotion to potential customers who ordered via its smartphone app while in or near a McDonald's was treated as a fun novelty that helped promote usage of its app. It was also a reminder of what information and access restaurant apps request or demand of Android and iPhone users. Traditionally iPhones place more restrictions on app creators, forcing them to disclose what they ask users to allow their apps to tell them about location or behavior, both in the apps and when they are using other apps. Beginning with iOS 11 in September 2017, Apple's App Store has not permitted apps to access location information while not using the app without an affirmative opt-in, so restaurant apps re