Archived How many of you have turned off location on your Android phones? (AskVoat)
submitted ago by ibepokey
Posted by: ibepokey
Posting time: 4.5 years ago on
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Archived on: 2/12/2017 1:51:00 AM
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62 upvotes, 3 downvotes (95% upvoted it)
Archived How many of you have turned off location on your Android phones? (AskVoat)
submitted ago by ibepokey
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[–] Chronibus 0 points 51 points 51 points (+51|-0) ago (edited ago)
Honestly I find it highly unlikely that they would respect your decision anyways. I think it is far more likely than turning location services off just gives the appearance of security, while your phone's position is constantly being tracked and stored with or without your knowledge or consent.
Yes I do turn it off, but that honestly doesn't make me feel any more secure.
[–] ibepokey [S] 0 points 12 points 12 points (+12|-0) ago
yeah, i'm not that sure that the setting isn't more than a feel-good setting either.
[–] luckyguy 0 points 5 points 5 points (+5|-0) ago (edited ago)
Let's put it this way. In order for your cell phone's wireless technology to function somebody needs to know your exact location and velocity 100% of the time you have connectivity.
Use SIP trunking instead so at least when you have wifi you can completely disable your 4g connection or opt to not be contactable 100% of the day but still have 4g to fall back on for when you must be contactable on the road. This costs like $2 a month to set up.
[–] waylon531 0 points 5 points 5 points (+5|-0) ago
I had it off for a while, eventually I uninstalled google apps from my phone entirely (I run Cyanogenmod). Now I use a location service that's open-source and uses locally stored cell tower data from opencellid (so my phone doesn't phone its location home to anyone).
[–] Voopin__Voopin ago
i have an old droid i would like to root and run this on; whats the easiest way to root one these days?
[–] MRPockets ago
I don't really think Google would do that. They most certainly do have many different options for tracking (making it more difficult to turn everything off) but they would probably get sued big time if they tracked you against your explicit will. There's also the fact that my map app shows GPS satellite locks & always starts at 0 when I turn on the GPS; it's not proof they Google doesn't track with location services turned off, but it does suggest that turning them off is at least partially effective.
[–] TheTrigger 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago (edited ago)
↑this. They'll just keep adding features that depend on location tracking, to make it absolutely appealing to you, so as to make it worthwhile. But they won't turn it on against your will.
I pretty much just turn it on when I'm using the Fit app and going for a run. Otherwise, it's off.
[–] arrggg 0 points 23 points 23 points (+23|-0) ago
That doesn't do much good unless you turn wifi off too. Google got caught mapping all the wifi access points with their street view cars in 2012. They call it wifi location services, and can use that data to determine your location via wifi access points in range.
Here is how to turn it off. http://www.howtogeek.com/195647/googles-location-history-is-still-recording-your-every-move/
[–] youareverysmart 0 points 4 points 4 points (+4|-0) ago
That they were mapping wifi access points was not the issue, this is something they continue to do.
The actual problem is that Google was capturing wifi traffic, including emails, passwords, medical and financial information, etc.
Also, Google probably knows your wifi password, which they can hand over to law enforcement without your knowledge or consent.
[–] ibepokey [S] 0 points 3 points 3 points (+3|-0) ago
nice, thanks for that.
[–] PenguinsTapDancing 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago (edited ago)
And you can still be tracked by the towers you connect to even with location off.
[–] Bindlestiff ago
so basically they're doing what skyhook wireless already did.
[–] SaneGoatiSwear 0 points 15 points 15 points (+15|-0) ago
if you were at all paranoid, you'd not use any google products.
google's a trap. run.
[–] Lemongarb 0 points 6 points 6 points (+6|-0) ago
It's not just Google...
[–] SaneGoatiSwear 0 points 3 points 3 points (+3|-0) ago
pardon my brevity, op,
lemon's on the money. it's a whoooooole lot more.
[–] [deleted] 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago
[–] Lemongarb 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago
Linux
http://www.pcworld.com/article/2953812/operating-systems/kde-unveils-plasma-mobile-a-free-and-open-linux-os-for-phones.html
Or Firefox
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firefox_OS
[–] SaneGoatiSwear ago
0
don't use them.
[–] TremorAcePV 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago
So, in terms of phones, we got Android (Google), iOS (Apple), Windows (Microsoft).
What else is there? Is there a smart phone that isn't made by someone who wants your data bad enough to metaphorically bend you over a barrel to get it?
[–] SaneGoatiSwear 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago
nokia brick?
[–] Redditsdead 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago
If they every actually release it, the Turing phone.
https://www.turingphone.com/
[–] ibepokey [S] 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago
yeah, i've been as anti-google as i could be since it's inception. I've always known they are the first-gen data miners.
[–] 4rfv7ujm 0 points 8 points 8 points (+8|-0) ago
Not only that, it potentially saves battery life, too. Make sure you aren't using any other Google products. You can also be easily tracked if you have wi-fi on.(assuming that information is being recorded)
[–] grlldcheese 0 points 2 points 2 points (+2|-0) ago
Thank god. The idiots on the top comment were hurting my head.
The only sensible thing is to turn off location, which is constantly being supplemented by wifi, and the wifi just so you're not constantly pinging the neighborhood you're in and killing battery.
And they might be tracking you anyway.
[–] Lemongarb ago
That's what I do. It's really easy and not inconvenient.
[–] DRSE 0 points 6 points 6 points (+6|-0) ago
I never turn it on. I can read maps without needing a constant gps update of my position.
[–] REALJOHNCENA69 ago
I just can't read them off my phone.
[–] tanukihat 1 point 3 points 4 points (+4|-1) ago
This is like committing Voat suicide among certain groups (hi /v/conspiracy!) but I really don't give a shit if Google tracks me. In fact, it makes my life significantly better if Google tracks me - I get on-the-fly traffic reports based on my GPS location, nearby restaurant recommendations based on my search history, and all my data and contacts are backed up on the Google cloud service.
And what are the cons? Google might, what, sell my fingerprint to the Skynet AI when the machines take over? Sorry I left my tinfoil hat at home.
[–] [deleted] 2 points 3 points 5 points (+5|-2) ago
[–] Lemongarb 0 points 8 points 8 points (+8|-0) ago
Triangulation
[–] MRPockets 0 points 3 points 3 points (+3|-0) ago
A problem(?) inherent in the way cell phones work. It has nothing to do with your phone & everything to do with your phone service. If it worries you (speaking generally, not to you OP), your only real choice is to ditch your cell phone (satellite phone might be an option, but even then they will know where you are when you have it on).
[–] ibepokey [S] 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago
i have, and that is a part of the software that cannot be disabled as far as i know. It was kind of helpful in finding the right authorities to report to. Found a DUI driver at 5:30 in the morning, and it took several transfers to get to the right department, since the driver was driving across different jurisdictions.
[–] puppy528 0 points 3 points 3 points (+3|-0) ago
Don't you just love how you have to touch "disagree" each and every single time?
[–] ibepokey [S] 0 points 2 points 2 points (+2|-0) ago
yeah, twice even.