# Why's the Trainerroad Android app requesting my location in the background? **URL:** \ **Category:** TrainerRoad Software\ **Tags:** android-app\ **Created:** [September 7, 2019, 10:52pm UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/whys-the-trainerroad-android-app-requesting-my-location-in-the-background/20676 "2019-09-07T22:52:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![samthompson](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/samthompson/32/14732_2.png) [@samthompson](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/samthompson)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2019, 10:52pm UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/whys-the-trainerroad-android-app-requesting-my-location-in-the-background/20676/1 "2019-09-07T22:52:48Z")
Android 10 added a feature that notifies the user that an app is requesting the location in the background. I was surprised to get one today about TrainerRoad: ![Screenshot_20190907-103312](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/original/3X/0/a/0ae5976cefd5668f0b66d772b9a47c2fa5ba590f.png) What’s TrainerRoad doing with my location? ---
**Author:** ![bclarkson](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/bclarkson/32/19461_2.png) [@bclarkson](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/bclarkson)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2019, 12:18am UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/whys-the-trainerroad-android-app-requesting-my-location-in-the-background/20676/2 "2019-09-08T00:18:22Z")
It’s because TR has access to your Bluetooth connection. It is possible for an application to figure out your location just by having access to Bluetooth, so Android devs decided to require apps get location permission for access to Bluetooth. > [@Location permission?](https://www.trainerroad.com/forumt/location-permission/6101): > > I just opened the TR Android app after using my Macbook recently, and when I opened the device menu I was asked for a location permission. Anyone have any idea what this is used for? ---
**Author:** ![anon67840561](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/919ad9/32.png) [@anon67840561](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/anon67840561)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2019, 12:38am UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/whys-the-trainerroad-android-app-requesting-my-location-in-the-background/20676/3 "2019-09-08T00:38:37Z")
Ummm. What in the world makes trainerroad think it is ok to digitally track our movements? Thats about enough for me to quit trainerroad and find another avenue for training if this is actually happening. ---
**Author:** ![mwglow15](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/mwglow15/32/28576_2.png) [@mwglow15](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/mwglow15)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2019, 1:48am UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/whys-the-trainerroad-android-app-requesting-my-location-in-the-background/20676/4 "2019-09-08T01:48:59Z")
They’re not…it has to do with the Bluetooth connectivity as stated above and in the linked thread ---
**Author:** ![bclarkson](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/bclarkson/32/19461_2.png) [@bclarkson](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/bclarkson)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2019, 2:09am UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/whys-the-trainerroad-android-app-requesting-my-location-in-the-background/20676/5 "2019-09-08T02:09:58Z")
> [@anon67840561](#): > > Ummm. What in the world makes trainerroad think it is ok to digitally track our movements? > > Thats about enough for me to quit trainerroad and find another avenue for training if this is actually happening. Jeez. So much for giving the TR team the benefit of the doubt, not to mention failing to read the thread before flying off the handle. 🤨 ---
**Author:** ![iamuwere](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/iamuwere/32/3748_2.png) [@iamuwere](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/iamuwere)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2019, 2:22am UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/whys-the-trainerroad-android-app-requesting-my-location-in-the-background/20676/6 "2019-09-08T02:22:35Z")
You’re worried about being tracked and yet using the internet? ---
**Author:** ![samthompson](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/samthompson/32/14732_2.png) [@samthompson](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/samthompson)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2019, 3:29am UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/whys-the-trainerroad-android-app-requesting-my-location-in-the-background/20676/7 "2019-09-08T03:29:43Z")
Yeah, I uninstalled and reinstalled to see what happens and got this: ![Screenshot_20190907-202608](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/original/3X/a/a/aa1bf672ae976d7213a6beb87154538472b49f2a.png) (Ignore the image in the bottom corner lol, that’s unrelated) ---
**Author:** ![samthompson](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/samthompson/32/14732_2.png) [@samthompson](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/samthompson)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2019, 3:34am UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/whys-the-trainerroad-android-app-requesting-my-location-in-the-background/20676/8 "2019-09-08T03:34:54Z")
I guess it’s a bit weird since the app wasn’t open at the time, although I think this was right after I closed the app so maybe they hadn’t shut down the BLE connection yet. > **[Bluetooth Low Energy  |  Android Developers](https://developer.android.com/guide/topics/connectivity/bluetooth-le#permissions)** ---
**Author:** ![bclarkson](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/bclarkson/32/19461_2.png) [@bclarkson](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/bclarkson)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2019, 5:47am UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/whys-the-trainerroad-android-app-requesting-my-location-in-the-background/20676/9 "2019-09-08T05:47:32Z")
> [@samthompson](#): > > I guess it’s a bit weird since the app wasn’t open at the time Not weird at all because the only way you can be sure that an app is terminated (and not just backgrounded) is via the app manager “force close”. Swiping in the recent apps view is not guaranteed to close down an application. ---
**Author:** ![anon67840561](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/919ad9/32.png) [@anon67840561](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/anon67840561)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2019, 1:43pm UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/whys-the-trainerroad-android-app-requesting-my-location-in-the-background/20676/10 "2019-09-08T13:43:35Z")
Hah, thats probably fair. Still…companies snooping on consumers location and internet activity seems to be a pretty common exercise these days. Nothing against trainerroad…but its gotten to the point in this era its probably prudent to just assume the worst when it comes to privacy. Probably not fair to TR (or countless other companies…) but such is the world we live in now. ---
**Author:** ![bclarkson](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/bclarkson/32/19461_2.png) [@bclarkson](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/bclarkson)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2019, 2:13pm UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/whys-the-trainerroad-android-app-requesting-my-location-in-the-background/20676/11 "2019-09-08T14:13:22Z")
Oh come on. You just spouted the textbook rationalization for every witch hunt in history. Surely we can do better. ---
**Author:** ![Bryce](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/bryce/32/72_2.png) [@Bryce](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/Bryce)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2019, 12:39am UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/whys-the-trainerroad-android-app-requesting-my-location-in-the-background/20676/12 "2019-09-09T00:39:10Z")
> [@bclarkson](#): > > It’s because TR has access to your Bluetooth connection. It is possible for an application to figure out your location just by having access to Bluetooth, so Android devs decided to require apps get location permission for access to Bluetooth. Sorry to be a bit late to the thread but @bclarkson is absolutely right. This was not a choice that we made, but something that was required by Android to use the internal Bluetooth on your device 😕. Since Bluetooth is an essential part of the app, our hands are pretty much tied, but I can assure you that we have no use for your location data, and we don’t use it in any way. ---
**Author:** ![anon67840561](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/919ad9/32.png) [@anon67840561](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/anon67840561)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2019, 1:20am UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/whys-the-trainerroad-android-app-requesting-my-location-in-the-background/20676/13 "2019-09-09T01:20:26Z")
I’m still not following. I understand the reasononing behind the phone itself requiring location to use bluetooth. But why is TRAINERROAD requiring our location? The screenshot at the top showed trainerroad using the users location. ---
**Author:** ![bmullin](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/bmullin/32/149_2.png) [@bmullin](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/bmullin)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2019, 1:57am UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/whys-the-trainerroad-android-app-requesting-my-location-in-the-background/20676/14 "2019-09-09T01:57:17Z")
@anon67840561 this is an Android operating system “thing”. Android has declared (you can read the extreme developer details in the link @samthompson shared) that in order for an application to use Bluetooth, they must define access permissions for location services as well. As described before, that is because location COULD be determined via use of Bluetooth. Since TrainerRoad needs to access Bluetooth in order to connect to your trainer, power meter, etc, they MUST define access permissions for location services. That does NOT mean that they are using location services. The exact same thing happens in Rouvy when I try to connect to a smart trainer via Bluetooth. ![Screenshot_20190908-205302](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/original/3X/9/6/9604f11f2b28c273e57a4d6c6a4878963d35c741.png) ---
**Author:** ![Bryce](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/bryce/32/72_2.png) [@Bryce](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/Bryce)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2019, 2:34am UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/whys-the-trainerroad-android-app-requesting-my-location-in-the-background/20676/15 "2019-09-09T02:34:34Z")
Couldn’t have said it better myself, thanks @bmullin. ---
**Author:** ![DaveQB](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/daveqb/32/617_2.png) [@DaveQB](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/DaveQB)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2019, 2:43am UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/whys-the-trainerroad-android-app-requesting-my-location-in-the-background/20676/16 "2019-09-09T02:43:22Z")
TrainerRoad app doesn’t NEED Bluetooth access though. As I use ANT+ for all of my devices, I never use Bluetooth on my phone when using TrainerRoad. So can’t this be opt-in? ---
**Author:** ![KentNewman](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/kentnewman/32/7725_2.png) [@KentNewman](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/KentNewman)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2019, 3:26am UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/whys-the-trainerroad-android-app-requesting-my-location-in-the-background/20676/17 "2019-09-09T03:26:01Z")
Couldn’t you just turn off Bluetooth then? ---
**Author:** ![bclarkson](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/bclarkson/32/19461_2.png) [@bclarkson](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/bclarkson)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2019, 3:41am UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/whys-the-trainerroad-android-app-requesting-my-location-in-the-background/20676/18 "2019-09-09T03:41:03Z")
It is already opt-in. In fact, all app permissions are opt-in (see @samthompson’s [post](https://www.trainerroad.com/forumt/whys-the-trainerroad-android-app-requesting-my-location-in-the-background/20676/7) above). If you want to remove permission after the fact, then go into Settings \> App Permissions \> Location Permissions, and disable for TrainerRoad. ![Screenshot_20190909-123949%5B1%5D](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/original/3X/2/5/2558dc7e22f3f3546f462977dbfa770186bce7a8.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![DaveQB](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/daveqb/32/617_2.png) [@DaveQB](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/DaveQB)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2019, 5:19am UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/whys-the-trainerroad-android-app-requesting-my-location-in-the-background/20676/19 "2019-09-09T05:19:34Z")
> [@KentNewman](#): > > Couldn’t you just turn off Bluetooth then? Then your other devices drop out, like Bluetooth speakers to listen to the Trainer Road podcast. > [@bclarkson](#): > > It is already opt-in. In fact, all app permissions are opt-in (see @samthompson’s [post](https://www.trainerroad.com/forumt/whys-the-trainerroad-android-app-requesting-my-location-in-the-background/20676/7) above). If you want to remove permission after the fact, then go into Settings \> App Permissions \> Location Permissions, and disable for TrainerRoad. Sure, but then you get that nagging popup about allowing Bluetooth permissions each time you start a workout. I know #firstworldproblems ---
**Author:** ![Thebigred](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/thebigred/32/18334_2.png) [@Thebigred](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/Thebigred)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2019, 5:24am UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/whys-the-trainerroad-android-app-requesting-my-location-in-the-background/20676/20 "2019-09-09T05:24:25Z")
Trainerroad, You have my HR rates, Power information, weight, height, age, almost all health information. You can also track me. No issues from my end :)) [Next page](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/whys-the-trainerroad-android-app-requesting-my-location-in-the-background/20676.md?page=2)