Uber now asks users to agree to share their location with the app all the time, rather than only when in use, although it argued it only accesses this data for five minutes after a journey is completed.

According to a report by The Verge, Apple’s iOS has three location-based settings: “never”, “while using the app”, and “always”. However, developers can choose to omit the second option – which Uber has now done.

Given Uber needs a user’s location to carry out its basic function, choosing “never” is not an obvious option.

Uber claims the move allows it to “improve the rider experience from sharpening our ETA estimates to identifying the best pick up location on any given street,” particularly in regions where reverse geocoding is inaccurate.

“Location is at the heart of the Uber experience, and we’re asking riders to provide us with more information to achieve these goals,” a spokesperson said.

Apple users are still better off than their Android counterparts.

If iOS users choose to “never” share location data, addresses can still be entered manually. Android users don’t have that option, and instead are prompted to enable location services.

Uber first mentioned it would be collecting data even when running in the background when it updated its privacy policy last summer, following which the Electronic Privacy Information Center complained to the US Federal Trade Commission and said the move was “unlawful and deceptive.”