Why is Uber tracking passengers’ location after their ride ends and can you opt out?
High-tech taxi firm's latest update sees users movements monitored even after they stop using the app
TAXI app Uber can now track your movements while your phone is in your pocket.
It says the update will follow user's locations from the moment they request a lift until five minutes after the end of their journey.
Before, it would only track a customer until they got out of the car.
But why does it want to follow users even after they have finished using the service, and is there a way to disable it?
Why does Uber want to track passengers after their journey has finished?
The company says it wishes to improve customer service with the change.
It will allow for more reliable pick-ups and improved safety, Uber says, although exactly how remains unclear.
Fraudulent drivers attempting to charge customers more by failing to "end" the journey after the user gets out will also be tackled, it says.
The update has led some users to accuse Uber of snooping on them and raised fears of privacy being intruded.
After Uber announced the update last year the Electronic Privacy Information Centre filed a complaint to America's Federal Trade Commission.
The company says: “We're always thinking about ways we can improve the rider experience, from sharpening our ETA estimates to identifying the best pick up location on any given street.
"Location is at the heart of the Uber experience, and we're asking riders to provide us with more information to achieve these goals.”
Is there a way to disable the new Uber tracking feature?
There is no way to disallow Uber from tracking your location after your journey has ended without disabling its GPS tracker altogether.
Users have only two choices when it comes to granting location tracking permission to Uber: "Always" or "Never".
It means that the only way to stop the new elongated tracking is to deny location permission to Uber and manually type in your pick-up and drop-off locations from now on.
To do this on an iPhone, go to Settings, then Uber, and toggle the location access from Always to Never.
On Android, go to Settings, then Apps, then select Uber and adjust Permissions.
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