https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2020/02/google-cracks-down-on-location-tracking-android-apps/ > Alongside the launch of the Android 11 Developer Preview, Google announced a plan to crack down on Android apps that request the user's location in the background. Just as we saw with Google's pushback against apps that use the accessibility APIs for things that aren't accessibility related, Google will be flexing the power it has over the Play Store and manually reviewing apps that request location data in the background. > Writing about the new policy, Google says, "As we took a closer look at background location usage, we found that many of the apps that requested background location didn’t actually need it. In fact, many of these apps could provide the same user experience by only accessing location when the app is visible to the user." The company says that apps on the Play Store will soon be evaluated by humans to see if the apps actually need the background location permissions they are requesting. Google lays out the following criteria for requesting background location: