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Agreed, this seems more like a UX problem than a "people don't value privacy" problem. No reasonable person would ever expect that connecting your phone to a c

Agreed, this seems more like a UX problem than a "people don't value privacy" problem. No reasonable person would ever expect that connecting your phone to a car's wireless audio system would transfer all your contacts -- but that's Bluetooth for you!

calvano915 5y ago
Every phone I've ever had on every car system I've ever paired to via Bluetooth has requested permission for contact sync before it would happen. Windows Phone and Android. Perhaps iOS works differently.
- yardie 5y ago
  It's the same for iOS. But, I'm also guilty, most users configure their bluetooth while leaving the parking lot. If you're reading the request you aren't looking at the road, and vice versa. I've been quick to press OK before fully reading what the car is asking simply because the car and the phone are asking similar questions.
zerkten 5y ago
I agree that it's primarily a UX problem driven by the context. Someone designing the UX might not fully appreciate this, or be told to optimize for the best experience in particular situations. Someone has just rented a car and is likely in unfamiliar surroundings. I guess some renters will renting regularly, but let's assume not. The want to hit the road while getting their seat in the right place, fixing mirror positions, familiarizing themselves with the dash, etc. They also want to listen to some podcasts and in the back of the head they think they need to let someone know of their arrival time when they are closer to the destination. The fumble through the BT connection menu while multi-tasking. They are always going to do what's most expedient unless they are security conscious and know about this issue. Their contacts get picked up. This is the manufacturer optimizing for the car being a single person machine. They often don't support multiple family members sharing a car. It's interesting to see how some sales people handle this situation when giving a test drive. Many are aware of the issue because there was one customer who spent time clearing things up before the test drive. Can this be fixed? Technically, yes. It won't be fixed because manufacturers don't seem to care. The only option is for Apple or Google to make it part of qualification of some kind for CarPlay or the Android equivalent.

calvano915 5y ago

Every phone I've ever had on every car system I've ever paired to via Bluetooth has requested permission for contact sync before it would happen. Windows Phone and Android. Perhaps iOS works differently.

yardie 5y ago
It's the same for iOS. But, I'm also guilty, most users configure their bluetooth while leaving the parking lot. If you're reading the request you aren't looking at the road, and vice versa. I've been quick to press OK before fully reading what the car is asking simply because the car and the phone are asking similar questions.

zerkten 5y ago

I agree that it's primarily a UX problem driven by the context. Someone designing the UX might not fully appreciate this, or be told to optimize for the best experience in particular situations. Someone has just rented a car and is likely in unfamiliar surroundings. I guess some renters will renting regularly, but let's assume not. The want to hit the road while getting their seat in the right place, fixing mirror positions, familiarizing themselves with the dash, etc. They also want to listen to some podcasts and in the back of the head they think they need to let someone know of their arrival time when they are closer to the destination. The fumble through the BT connection menu while multi-tasking. They are always going to do what's most expedient unless they are security conscious and know about this issue. Their contacts get picked up. This is the manufacturer optimizing for the car being a single person machine. They often don't support multiple family members sharing a car. It's interesting to see how some sales people handle this situation when giving a test drive. Many are aware of the issue because there was one customer who spent time clearing things up before the test drive. Can this be fixed? Technically, yes. It won't be fixed because manufacturers don't seem to care. The only option is for Apple or Google to make it part of qualification of some kind for CarPlay or the Android equivalent.