[rlpb]

The law isn't as fuzzy as you think.

> An app like Yelp could claim that one of their essential features is to show you restaurants physically close to you, so location information is essential.

They could claim that but it would not be relevant in law. The GDPR provides an exception for "strictly necessary" cookies only, as follows:

"This shall not prevent any technical storage or access for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network, or as strictly necessary in order for the provider of an information society service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user to provide the service."

If I didn't explicitly request for Yelp to show me restaurants physically close to me, or to recommend food based on my past searches, then neither of these things are "strictly necessary" as defined by the GDPR and they can't store personal information about me regardless of what they claim.