Redefining Location Privacy: New Tools and Improvements for Android 17

Android Developers Blog

Redefining Location Privacy: New Tools and Improvements for Android 17

News and insights on the Android platform, developer tools, and events.

So Android 17 will introduce a built-in location button for apps to use. That doesn’t sound exciting. But the nice thing is how it streamlines acesss. Before, you had 3 options:

• Give app always-on background access (rare and restricted nowadays)
• Give apps access when the app is opened
• Force the app to request the location manually (Approve once)

The issue is that the UX for the last option wasn’t great. You had to

• Click a location button
• Select an option in a prompt
• (In some cases, apps even redirected you to settings to nudge you to give permanent access)

Now, if apps integrate this button, you just click the button. The first time you have to consent to location sharing (when button is clicked.) But the next times you click the button, it will give the app access right away .Since the button is system-provided, your intent is clearly determined.

Button look: