Looking at the below content from the Apple doc, you clearly have 2 alternatives against using significant location changes to wake a app from the background. I have marked in bold the services you can use to relaunch the app if it has been terminated.
Using Location Services in the Background Most location services are
meant to be used while your app is in the foreground but some can also
run in the background. In some cases, location events can even cause
your app to be relaunched to process an event. To run most location
services in the background, you need to enable the location updates
background mode in the Capabilities tab of your Xcode project. For
services that launch your app, you need to request (and be granted)
“Always” authorization from the user.
The standard location service delivers events normally while an app is
running in the foreground. When your app is in the background, this
service delivers events only when the location-updates background mode
is enabled for the app. This service does not relaunch iOS apps that
have been terminated.
The significant location change service delivers events normally
while an app is running in the foreground or background. For a
terminated iOS app, this service relaunches the app to deliver
events. Use of this service requires “Always” authorization from the
user.
The region monitoring service delivers events normally while an
app is running in the foreground or background. (You can use this
service for both geographic and beacon regions.) For a terminated
iOS app, this service relaunches the app to deliver events. Use of
this service requires “Always” authorization from the user.
Beacon ranging delivers events normally while an app is running in the
foreground. When your app is in the background, this service delivers
events only when the location-updates background mode is enabled for
the app and the standard location service is running. (If the beacon
region’s notifyEntryStateOnDisplay property is YES, waking the device
causes the app to range for beacons for a few seconds in the
background.) This service does not relaunch iOS apps that have been
terminated; however, you can be relaunched by monitoring beacon
regions using the region monitoring service.
The heading service delivers events normally while an iOS app is
running in the foreground. When your app is in the background, this
service delivers events only when the location-updates background mode
is enabled for the app and the standard location service is running.
This service does not relaunch iOS apps that have been terminated.
The visit service delivers events normally while an iOS app is
running in the foreground. When your app is in the background, this
service delivers events only when the location-updates background mode
is enabled for the app and the standard location service is running.
For a terminated iOS app, this service relaunches the app to deliver events. Use of this service requires “Always” authorization from the
user.
Enabling the location-updates background mode ensures that an app
continues to receive location events while in the background. When the
app moves to the background, the system adds the location-services
indicator to the status bar to let the user know that an app is using
location services. The system may still terminate the app at any time
to reclaim its memory or other resources.
Also from the doc,
Getting the Visited Locations
In iOS, the visits service provides an alternative to the significant location change service for apps that need location
information about interesting places that the user visited. For
example, if the user is in one location for an extended period of
time, the service might generate an event when the user arrives at
that location and another when the user leaves that location. The
service is intended for apps that might already be using the
significant location change service and want an even lower power way
to do so. You would not use this service to create navigation apps or
apps that rely on regular location updates.
Document Link:
https://developer.apple.com/library/ios/documentation/CoreLocation/Reference/CLLocationManager_Class/index.html#//apple_ref/doc/uid/TP40007125-CH3-SW73
