*What’s different in iOS 13?

How did location permissions work prior to iOS 13?

This document provides information about working with the first versions of iOS 13.

There are several new features in iOS 13, but only one appears relevant to the functionality of Telematics SDK. This new feature involves changing the way apps request location permissions.

Prior Apple iOS versions provided three initial options for apps requesting location services:

• Only While Using the App

• Always Allow

• Don’t Allow

Telematics SDK requires location services be set to Always Allow. This enables apps using Telematics SDK to successfully record trips while running in the background (that is, when the app is not visibly open on the user’s phone screen).

How do we currently handle iOS location permissions?

During the initial setup of our apps on iOS 12 and earlier, the app encourages and guides the user to select the required Always Allow option:

Prior to being prompted by the OS, users see a screen letting them know they should select the “Always” option.

How do location permissions change in iOS 13?

In iOS 13, the OS still provides three options for specifying location permissions when a user install a Telematics SDK app. However, these initial options are different from prior iOS releases and do not include an Always Allow option, which is required for the app to record trips in the background.

The following table shows the location permission options provided in iOS 13

Beta 5 compared to earlier versions.

iOS 12 (and earlier)	iOS 13
Only While Using the App	Allow While Using App
Always Allow	Allow Once
Don’t Allow	Don’t Allow

The user is prompted at a later time, potentially a few days after installation,

about whether to allow “always” permissions for the app.

What’s the impact on current Telematics SDK app users?

Users currently running a Telematics SDK app will retain their prior Always Allow location permissions setting when upgrading to iOS 13. As with earlier iOS versions, the user is occasionally asked to allow the app to use location services while running in the background. However, the iOS 13 Beta 5 confirmation pop-up looks different from past iOS releases in that it displays a map of location data recently collected by the app.