5 ms·

Are you sharing your location? Maybe nothing is stored, but your current location is used for searches you make.

by Buge 8y ago

lovich 8y ago
I've had the same results when I've explicitly not shared location. I will also use Google maps to find the route to some restaurant, turn off the GPS because I don't like being tracked and it's no too far, then head to the restaurant within 10-60 minutes of when I checked the GPS. If I have wifi on I will invariably get asked to rate the restaurant within 5 minutes of arriving there, regardless of how much time has passed since I checked the route. I currently use a Pixel phone, but based on the experiences I've had, I will be switching to an iPhone in the hope that I get tracked less. After switching to Firefox and ddg as my daily drivers, I just need to get off of Gmail and I will be google free
- computerfriend 8y ago
  I would recommend Lineage for a Google-free Android experience.
- imhoguy 8y ago
  Don't forget replacing all G logins with custom ones to various places. https://myaccount.google.com/permissions https://myaccount.google.com/permissions
- Buge 8y ago
  Are you turning off GPS or all location? Because location can still be enabled when GPS is off. There's location via wifi and via bluetooth.
  - lovich 8y ago
    The location option in the android quick menu. I was unaware there was any other way to even turn off the GPS. I assumed it was wifi since it seems to not happen when the wifi is turned off. It would have at least been corporate speak to have an option called GPS that people assumed was location tracking and was not. Having an option called "Location" that does not stop your phone from tracking your location when turned off has crossed the line into fraudulent behavior for me
    - Buge 8y ago
      Hmm, that seems to completely turn off all location. So I don't know why google would seemingly still know your location.
      - lovich 8y ago
        All they need to do is see what wifi connections I can reach on my phone. In any urban area you can easily reach 50+ wifi connections standing in one spot. If google knows X wifi connection corresponds to Y range of a physical location because of someone else left their location and wifi on, then they can tell that if I can reach 4 or 5 different wifi connections at once then I must be at a certain address. It's like browser fingerprinting. It doesn't take very many bits of entropy before you are identifiable
        Buge 8y ago
        Yeah, I know about using wifi for location. But I think turning the android location setting off disables that (in addition to disabling gps and bluetooth location). These pages indicate that: https://support.google.com/android/answer/3467281 https://support.google.com/android/answer/3467281 https://support.google.com/android/answer/6179507 https://support.google.com/android/answer/6179507
avh02 8y ago
I'd have given you that as a fair point if it hadn't said "x minute drive - home" next to the pin while I was checking a store's location on my work laptop at work (while signed in to my personal account)
- Buge 8y ago
  Are you saying google's looking at your current location? That sounds to me like it's saying the store is an x minute drive from your home. It says nothing about your current location (work).

Are you sharing your location? Maybe nothing is stored, but your current location is used for searches you make.

by Buge 8y ago

Are you sharing your location? Maybe nothing is stored, but your current location is used for searches you make.

I've had the same results when I've explicitly not shared location. I will also use Google maps to find the route to some restaurant, turn off the GPS because I don't like being tracked and it's no too far, then head to the restaurant within 10-60 minutes of when I checked the GPS. If I have wifi on I will invariably get asked to rate the restaurant within 5 minutes of arriving there, regardless of how much time has passed since I checked the route. I currently use a Pixel phone, but based on the experiences I've had, I will be switching to an iPhone in the hope that I get tracked less. After switching to Firefox and ddg as my daily drivers, I just need to get off of Gmail and I will be google free

computerfriend 8y ago
I would recommend Lineage for a Google-free Android experience.
imhoguy 8y ago
Don't forget replacing all G logins with custom ones to various places. https://myaccount.google.com/permissions https://myaccount.google.com/permissions
Buge 8y ago
Are you turning off GPS or all location? Because location can still be enabled when GPS is off. There's location via wifi and via bluetooth.
- lovich 8y ago
  The location option in the android quick menu. I was unaware there was any other way to even turn off the GPS. I assumed it was wifi since it seems to not happen when the wifi is turned off. It would have at least been corporate speak to have an option called GPS that people assumed was location tracking and was not. Having an option called "Location" that does not stop your phone from tracking your location when turned off has crossed the line into fraudulent behavior for me
  - Buge 8y ago
    Hmm, that seems to completely turn off all location. So I don't know why google would seemingly still know your location.
    - lovich 8y ago
      All they need to do is see what wifi connections I can reach on my phone. In any urban area you can easily reach 50+ wifi connections standing in one spot. If google knows X wifi connection corresponds to Y range of a physical location because of someone else left their location and wifi on, then they can tell that if I can reach 4 or 5 different wifi connections at once then I must be at a certain address. It's like browser fingerprinting. It doesn't take very many bits of entropy before you are identifiable
      - Buge 8y ago
        Yeah, I know about using wifi for location. But I think turning the android location setting off disables that (in addition to disabling gps and bluetooth location). These pages indicate that: https://support.google.com/android/answer/3467281 https://support.google.com/android/answer/3467281 https://support.google.com/android/answer/6179507 https://support.google.com/android/answer/6179507

avh02 8y ago

I'd have given you that as a fair point if it hadn't said "x minute drive - home" next to the pin while I was checking a store's location on my work laptop at work (while signed in to my personal account)

Buge 8y ago
Are you saying google's looking at your current location? That sounds to me like it's saying the store is an x minute drive from your home. It says nothing about your current location (work).