It is true that the Life360 app can be a bit intrusive when you’ve installed it on your phone.
As soon as you open the app, it will ask for several permissions, and you need to provide it with complete access to benefit from the tracking features.
However, these permissions can sometimes make users paranoid about Life360 spying on their mobile activity.
While there are mixed views about this topic, the company has assured users time and time again that their privacy is always secure.
So, instead of worrying more about the intrusiveness of this app, you need to focus more on how you can use it best to keep your family secure.
Think of it as a basic security tool that will help you stay at peace while keeping track of the circle members.
A recent concern that many Life360 users had was whether or not Life360 could see their apps. If you’re also concerned about Life360 seeing your application, then the following details will clear up some confusion.
Can Life360 See Your Apps?
While the application cannot see everything on your mobile device, it does keep track of the applications you’re currently using on your phone. Many users have linked this feature of the application with the “Distracted Driving” option.
In order for the “Distracted Driving” feature to work, the Life360 app has to keep track of the activity that is currently going on your mobile device.
That way, it can update the “Distracted Driving” status and warn the users regarding the use of other apps during driving.
Even though the Life360 app won’t have a complete idea of what you’re currently doing on another application, it will keep track of the apps that are active.
As long as you’re only using streaming services for music, there won’t be any issues with the distracted driving feature.
On the other hand, if you’re using an app that requires active input from the users, then the distracted driving feature will kick in.
This feature cannot work without keeping track of the applications you’re currently using.
So, yes, Life360 can see your apps, but there is nothing to worry about. This organization maintains a nice reputation, and there have been no issues with privacy breaches.
You don’t have to concern yourself with the Life360 app leaking your data, as this multimillion-dollar company can’t risk its reputation.
Even though it can see your apps, the information is not shared with anyone that is outside your circle.
You can further modify the application configurations and restrict some permissions when you first install the app.
You can also access the mobile settings and head over to the Life360 app permissions to modify the features. That way, you will have a complete idea of when the Life360 app can track other activities on your phone.
This application is meant to give you more control over the situation without taking anything away from your privacy. You will have control over what you want this app to see.
The main things that this application is able to see include the battery levels, location, and driving speed.
It is marketed as a safety application and not a spying application. You will need to provide access to these features if you wish to get optimal responsiveness from the application.
So, be sure not to restrict any permissions if you live in a high-risk region.
Overall, the simple answer is yes, Life360 can see your apps if we are considering the distracted driving feature.
The data regarding the application is not shared with anyone in your circle, and you can further confirm this by accessing a parent device.
This data is only used for the generation of the distracted driving report. So, you don’t have to worry about privacy issues, as Life360 takes privacy terms very seriously.
This organization can’t risk any reputation-related issues, and so far, no complaints have been recorded on Life360 sharing app data.
So, What Can Your Circle See Through Life360?
The majority of the time, your circle members have only access to the current location and the traveling speed. You don’t have to worry about this app leaking your texts or any activity.
All of your data is safe, and the Life360 app does not spy on your mobile device. Even if you browse the community forums for hours, you won’t find any complaints regarding Life360 leaking the app data.
It is just not viable for this organization to risk its reputation, and Life360 takes the privacy of its users very seriously.
For this reason, you should only think of Life360 as a tracking application that informs others about your current location.
Other than that location features, this app is not that intrusive, and you can go through the user agreement to get a complete perspective of the app.
So, just restrict the app permissions if you’re not comfortable with any features of Life360.
That way, you won’t have to worry about Life360 seeing your app or any activity on your mobile device. Hopefully, this will clear up some confusion on the tracking features brought forward by Life360.
Is It A Smart Idea To Restrict App Permissions?
While the idea of limiting the app’s control over the smart indicators might sound great, you’ll be eliminating the whole point of having this application on your phone.
So, if you’re removing all the permissions, you won’t be able to get any information out of your app.
Removing the permissions is the same as deleting the application. You need to keep in mind that this application or the developers behind this project won’t do anything behind your back.
Everything that you wish to share is confidential, and even the customer care team can’t see it.
You can further put your mind at ease by going through the terms and conditions. This security application maintains tight and strict policies when it comes to user data.
It won’t be breached or used for any malicious purpose, and you will be able to keep track of your circle members.
So, No, it is not a smart idea to restrict app permissions. You need the application to access all of the indicators. Otherwise, it can become next to impossible for the users to rely on this application.
There is no point in trying to fake your location or dodging the system just to present a different location to the circle members.
You can simply use a VPN for this purpose, but the mapping history will show that you messed with the mobile location settings.
You’ll have to be very smart about the location faking options. Life360 promises parents optimal accuracy and keeps track of the majority of the workarounds that can be used to dodge the system.
So, if you’re in the same boat, be sure to be thorough with your research.
Otherwise, you might get grounded the next week while trying to project a different location through this smart application. Hopefully, you won’t feel the need to restrict the app permissions after that.
Wrapping Up
In some sense, Life360 can be categorized as intrusive, but you don’t have to only look at one element of the app. You have to understand that this app needs to access your activity to present your circle members with information accuracy.
How can you expect the security application to work when it doesn’t have any access to smart features? So, if you’re in the same boat and don’t know how to manage the smart application, be sure to allow all the relevant permissions.
All of your data is safe and will remain safe throughout the usage. You can use the in-app settings to further limit the things that your circle members can see.
However, directly removing all permissions from the main mobile settings is never a good idea.
For this reason, you should only modify the settings within the circle configurations.