How to get your users to opt in to sharing their location

In an era of data breaches and leaks, consumers are demanding control of how and when their data is used now more than ever. Location data is one category of data that users are extremely cautious with — it can tell someone where you live, where you work, and even your favorite coffee shop. So, how do you get users to opt in to share location to enable features that require it?

Imagine this.

Let’s say you’ve built a sucessful dating app. When signing up, your users had to manually enter in their location which added to the lengthy onboarding process causing a high drop off rate. You decide you want to access user’s location not only to shorten this step, but to add in a new feature that matches users with people who frequent the same places thus adding to the experience of your application.

But once you launch it, none of your users allow you to access their location.

Isn’t that frustrating?

Many times, new functions in your application require your users to share data. Not only should your users be able to understand why they’re sharing data, but due to recent data breaches and new laws being passed, being completely transparent with your users is an absolute necessity. You may have the greatest new feature planned for your app users, but if they don’t understand why you need their location, they won’t turn it on for your app, and you’re SOL.

So, how can I get my users to share their location?

We’ve spent time analyzing the different ways successful apps ask for and leverage location data to put together some best practices and examples that increase location sharing opt-in rates.

Only ask for a user’s location if you use it to create value for the user.

Some users may hit “Yes” just to clear the dialog, but don’t count on it. Here’s why this example doesn’t work well:

• Asking for a user’s location without any clear use can cause the user to lose trust in the application and uninstall
• While user’s understand that free apps need to be monetized via other methods, a blatant privacy-infringing cash grab can result in poor App Store reviews
• A user needs to understand why an application needs location. the truth is, not all apps need to use location. For example, a flashlight app dosn’t need to know where a user is.
• Be straightforward in your explanation of how the app uses your location. Bad examples: “Enable it “ or “App needs location to work”

Be straight-forward with what the user gains by enabling location

Example: Chick-fil-A

Chick-fil-A’s on-boarding process is short, sweet, and to the point.

Here’s why it is so great:

Benefits are clearly outlined (We will send you free food when we know what restaurants you’re by) eet mor chikn

• There’s a polite ask to use location services (May we use your location when you use the app?)
• There’s never more than one sentence, so it’s super digestible
• After you say Yes, sounds good to allowing location, then they prompt you to allow access to your location. Chick-fil-a is using a “warm sell” to getting users to turn on location

Ask for a user’s location once they do something that needs it

Example: Airbnb

Airbnb doesn’t ask you for your location as soon as you download the app but rather when it makes sense to ask users for their location (in this case when they’re searching for places nearby). It fits into the process of what the app user is looking for at that time.

The user is much more likely to opt in to allowing access to their location at this point, as they have already made it clear that they want to use one of the location-using features. If they do not allow permission, they will be unable to do the action they were trying to do in the first place.

Provide users with digestable descriptions that can be understood by non tech-savvy people

Example: iOS devices

Here’s Apple’s description of how they use location.

“With your permission, Location Services allows apps and websites (including Maps, Camera, Weather, and other apps) to use information from cellular1, Wi-Fi2, Global Positioning System (GPS)3 networks, and Bluetooth4 to determine your approximate location5.

Apps that can show your location on the screen, including Maps, show your current (approximate) location using a blue marker. If your location can’t be determined precisely, you’ll see a blue circle around the marker. The size of the circle shows how precisely your location can be determined — the smaller the circle, the greater the precision.

When Location Services is active, a black or white arrow icon appears in the status bar.

Maps, directions, and location-based apps depend on data services. These data services are subject to change and might not be available in all geographic areas, resulting in maps, directions, or location-based information that might be unavailable, inaccurate, or incomplete. Compare the information provided on the device to your surroundings and defer to posted signs to resolve any discrepancies.”

Short and easy to understand description of how location works in your iOS devices

Apple is doing a great job with data transparency and telling you how they use data such as location.

Seeing as there’s millions of apple devices floating around the world. They have to be good with data transparency. But what’s impressive is that they’ve started moving away from the 100 page terms of use agreement and turned to a more digestable way of breaking up all of their information and show their users relevant information only when the device user needs to see it.

Lastly, make sure users are experiencing what you’ve created.

You want your app to be used in the way that it was intended. When users don’t turn on location for your application, they won’t be getting the full experience and you will have wasted a lot of time building out that new feature. At SpotSense, we believe transparency is key in making a great app that leverages location. Use these best practices when developing, and you’ll be on your way to making a killer product.

Want to responsibly and easily leverage a user’s location to create and manage proximity experiences for your app? Check out SpotSense and create a proximity experience with just a few lines of code.