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By tracking, do you mean the phone keeping track of its own location, or it sending location data back to Google? Google maintains a database of wifi networks

By tracking, do you mean the phone keeping track of its own location, or it sending location data back to Google? Google maintains a database of wifi networks and their locations (I don't know the ways this data is acquired) to help triangulate the position: https://www.quora.com/How-does-android-use-WiFi-to-get-your-current-location-so-accurately https://www.quora.com/How-does-android-use-WiFi-to-get-your-...

kop316 9y ago
By tracking, I mean MicroG/Google Play Services controls location services, not Android OS.
- lallysingh 9y ago
  .. but does the location leave the device?
  - kop316 9y ago
    That's a great question. I cannot conclusively say that Google Play Services does that, but I cannot think of another reason for why Android would be set up that way. I welcome any alternative conclusions though.
    - lallysingh 9y ago
      Quite possibly for sensor fusion. E.g., combine with WiFi triangulation, accelerometer deltas from last fix, etc. Play Services has a lot of stuff in it because it's easy for Google to upgrade it without going through phone vendors or carriers. It was a way to counteract the effects of many phones being on old versions of Android.
tibyat 9y ago
Google Street View comes with many advantages: https://www.wired.com/2012/05/google-wifi-fcc-investigation/ https://www.wired.com/2012/05/google-wifi-fcc-investigation/ but they probably might just get it from somebody else's database. this one is pretty broad: https://www.wigle.net https://www.wigle.net
lucideer 9y ago
> I don't know the ways this data is acquired It's been acquired from a range of sources. Most notably, Google Streetview cars collected a very large initial data set. Once you have that, it's quite easy to maintain an up-to-date dataset by verifying new routers picked up against nearby known routers (as well as verifying against GPS sensor data obviously). This tech is not only in Android phones, but also every Chrome browser, so that's a lot of incoming data. The API used to be used by iOS and Safari (before Apple Maps) and Mozilla Firefox (before they launched their own WiFi and cell network database; theirs is released under CC0 though so I'm sure Google use their data too). There are also other competitors to Google, Apple, Mozilla here with their own databases, like Skyhook, Navizon, AlterGeo.

kop316 9y ago

By tracking, I mean MicroG/Google Play Services controls location services, not Android OS.

lallysingh 9y ago
.. but does the location leave the device?
- kop316 9y ago
  That's a great question. I cannot conclusively say that Google Play Services does that, but I cannot think of another reason for why Android would be set up that way. I welcome any alternative conclusions though.
  - lallysingh 9y ago
    Quite possibly for sensor fusion. E.g., combine with WiFi triangulation, accelerometer deltas from last fix, etc. Play Services has a lot of stuff in it because it's easy for Google to upgrade it without going through phone vendors or carriers. It was a way to counteract the effects of many phones being on old versions of Android.

tibyat 9y ago

Google Street View comes with many advantages: https://www.wired.com/2012/05/google-wifi-fcc-investigation/ https://www.wired.com/2012/05/google-wifi-fcc-investigation/ but they probably might just get it from somebody else's database. this one is pretty broad: https://www.wigle.net https://www.wigle.net

lucideer 9y ago

> I don't know the ways this data is acquired It's been acquired from a range of sources. Most notably, Google Streetview cars collected a very large initial data set. Once you have that, it's quite easy to maintain an up-to-date dataset by verifying new routers picked up against nearby known routers (as well as verifying against GPS sensor data obviously). This tech is not only in Android phones, but also every Chrome browser, so that's a lot of incoming data. The API used to be used by iOS and Safari (before Apple Maps) and Mozilla Firefox (before they launched their own WiFi and cell network database; theirs is released under CC0 though so I'm sure Google use their data too). There are also other competitors to Google, Apple, Mozilla here with their own databases, like Skyhook, Navizon, AlterGeo.