How Uber Ran Afoul Of Apple's Privacy Rules

No, Uber can’t track your iPhone after you delete the app.

- Caitlin Mcgarry

In 2015, Uber almost got itself kicked out of the iOS App Store. 

Apple CEO Tim Cook brought Uber CEO Travis Kalanick into the company’s Cupertino offices and laid down the law,the New York Times reported (go.macworld.com/nytuber).

So what exactly did Uber do to land itself in hot water with Apple? The original NYT report initially said the company was tracking iPhones, but it has since been clarified to describe Uber’s actions as “identifying and tagging iPhones even after its app has been deleted and the devices erased.” The reason Uber did that, the company said, was to prevent phone thieves in China from creating Uber accounts and requesting rides before wiping the devices and doing so again and again.