A security researcher has revealed that the Facebook application for iOS is draining the iPhone battery as it is tracking users' location.
Jonathan Zdziarski, a security researcher, examined the code of the Facebook app and uncovered that the app is transmitting the location of the device to Facebook in the background.
“If you move around a lot,” said Zdziarski, “you're likely to use more battery but the combination of GPS and networking going on in the background is likely the majority cause of battery drain.”
On Oct. 11, a report has surfaced over the Internet saying the Facebook app on the user's iPhone was running in the background, even with background app refresh deactivated.
The report said that Facebook seemed to be the culprit of draining the iPhone 6s Plus' battery, being responsible for around 15 percent of all battery usage.
The post added that Facebook should prioritize to deal with this specific issue. It says it is letting down its customers by allowing the issue reside in its app.
This problem, according to Zdziarski, is yet another case of "bad software engineering in the App Store." Moreover, the researcher argued the issue speaks for "Apple's lax approach to reviewing apps" for its big partners.
Working On A Fix
Meanwhile, Facebook has already responded, indicating battery problems which have been plaguing its iOS users. It said it is presently investigating reports of excessive battery drain brought about by its iOS app.
"We have heard reports of some people experiencing battery issues with our iOS app. We’re looking into this and hope to have a fix in place soon," said a Facebook's spokesperson.
Facebook also reiterated that it is not tracking background locations on iOS if the location setting is turned off on their devices or if users deactivated Location History within the application.
How To Disable Location Tracking On Facebook
If you wish to disable Location Tracking on the platform, below are the steps you need to follow:
1. Head over to the iOS settings.
2. From there, go to General > Restrictions > Privacy > Location. If there is a need to enable restrictions to enter into the Restrictions menu, go ahead.
4. Scroll down to Facebook.
5. Set Allow Location Access to Never.
6. You can now head back to Facebook to check if the Location Tracking is already shut off.
