7 ms·

Android recording all your moments on Google Map

41 points by techaddict009 13y ago

AndrewDucker 13y ago
Yes, this is a service they provide. I get regular emails telling me what I opt into, and how to opt out of it.
namtrac 13y ago
You can disable it, see https://maps.google.com/locationhistory/b/1/settings https://maps.google.com/locationhistory/b/1/settings
- Shooti 13y ago
  Alternatively, from an Android device: Google Settings app -> Location -> Uncheck "Location Reporting"
nl 13y ago
I've always found this one of the most fantastic services on the internet. It's a pity more people don't know about it. The only problem I've found is that the labelling gets confused by the fact I work from home, but do a school-drop-off commute in the morning.
andybak 13y ago
And fiendishly hiding it via a public URL, email reminders and blog posts!
andybak 13y ago
Found a bug! I travelled a few miles away from home yesterday and it's recorded as superfast visits between home and various parts of the journey in a star shape. The Android tablet that I left at home is confusing Google into recording some weird split journey where I am both at home and travelling...
- RoadRunner_23 13y ago
  huh.. now I understand why my travel pattern is star shaped too... position is reported from both from phone and tablet...
- eliben 13y ago
  Yes, I had that problem too :-) You really should disable tracking on stationary devices like tablets that are mostly at home. Your phone probably represents your location faithfully.
  - andybak 13y ago
    Except it's not always stationary and I don't want to think about settings such as that. Better to fix the algorithm, methinks.
- sdoering 13y ago
  No, no you got it all wrong ;-) It surely must have something to do with the Uncertainty Principle [1], where the big G can only know your speed or your location. ;-) [ironyoff] [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncertainty_principle https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncertainty_principle
middus 13y ago
My life as a consultant confuses the heck out of Google Location History/ Now/ Maps. Hotels are identified as my home address, client sites as work... come to think of it, maybe Google's right in the end and my perception of having a flat that's my home is off. ;)
sjonkedispe 13y ago
What should I make of my most recently visited place, in the sea outside the Gulf of Guinea? Everywhere I've ever been is _really_ far away from there.
- jackp 13y ago
  That sounds like a lat-lon of 0-0
tsbardella 13y ago
Its not that accurate, it is that spooky I click accept way to much. It really is like .. Google take the Wheeeeel!
ChrisClark 13y ago
Of course it is, because I opted in when it asked if I wanted to be tracked. Google also sends me an email once a month to remind me I chose to be tracked.
- kamjam 13y ago
  How do they think Google Now and all those other lovely services work? New news? I think not, move along.
  - melange 13y ago
    Yeah - imagine apple did this - there would be a scandal. But this is Google, so 'move along'.
    - kamjam 13y ago
      While I agree with the sentiments of what you are saying but the 'move along' has nothing to do with it being Google. This has been known by everybody for a long time and discussed here on HN. All the 'article' shows is that there are some tools to see that info has been collected. There is no point in flogging a dead horse. So yeah, move along.
      - melange 13y ago
        Fair enough.
    - dannyr 13y ago
      Where have you been? Pretty much every week people posts their outrage on Google here. So a user explicitly AUTHORIZED Google to track his/her location and we should be outraged at Google?
      - melange 13y ago
        It's only explicit if the user understands what they are agreeing to.
jug5 13y ago
Or you know... Disable location history?
andrewaylett 13y ago
I'd assumed that location history had been turned off when Latitude went away. Glad to see it's still there :).
- nl 13y ago
  They have (finally) updated the Google+ app, and the "Locations" functionality is much more like the old Latitude. Also, it works on rooted phones now (previously the map tiles wouldn't load).
kyriakos 13y ago
for some people like me this is a feature and not an issue. You get to choose if you want to be tracked or not so its up to you.
- eliben 13y ago
  For 99.9% of people it's a great feature and not an issue. For the remaining 0.01% it's a karma-harvesting device because everything Google/privacy related is sure to draw clicks. Hence the infinitude of tabloid-ish articles in all the tech websites and blogs in the past months.
davidy123 13y ago
I really like this service, since they have this data anyway it's great it's offered reciprocally. In fact I enable location history which takes it to the next step, though it seems to be a battery killer.
dingaling 13y ago
Doesn't this constant use of GPS drain the battery? On every Android-based smartphone I've had ( two! ) I've only enabled GPS and network-derived location when I need to navigate, otherwise the phone shuts-off in a few hours.
- mdpye 13y ago
  Network derived location does not represent a meaningful extra power draw. GPS involves a separate radio system (rx only, admittedly) and is only active when something actually requests your location...
  - dingaling 13y ago
    Interesting re: the GPS usage, thank you. I would have thought that the process of repeatedly acquiring the satellites and establishing the fix on demand would have been quite an overhead, though. /me goes to read more Network location does require wifi to be permanently active, which for some reason seems to be a magnitude more power-hungry than 3G. So most folk I know turn-off wifi when not interactively using it.
- _mulder_ 13y ago
  I believe it keeps GPS positioning to a minimum, relying primarily on network-derived location data. At least judging by the granularity (or lack of) the route data, which causes my commute to work to look most confusing. Secondly, and this in my opinion is a bug in their algorithm, when I'm at home it frequently switches to my home location and a location about 10 miles away. The only reason I can see for it to do this is it's predicting my location based on my cell site location (phones know which tower they're connected to, Google must know where all these towers are). And my normal cell tower is 5 miles away (right in the middle of my two "locations"), so clearly the algorithm has determined I'm 5 miles away from a cell tower, but can't make up it's mind in which direction. It needs tweaking to remove data points when I suddenly cover 10 miles in a second, over and over.
  - chrisrhoden 13y ago
darren_ 13y ago
This is so much fun to look at after you've just gotten back from a trip overseas, thanks for the link.
MindTwister 13y ago
I can now conclude that I didn't loose my phone last Saturday... it was stolen. Last seen speeding towards a part of the city with a bad reputation.
andyking 13y ago
Looking at the accuracy of the results it has for me (apparently I only spent three hours at work last week), I'm not worried.
- GotAnyMegadeth 13y ago
  Mine says 0...
Digit-Al 13y ago
I wonder if your location data could be used as part of your alibi if you were falsely accused of a crime.
- hfsktr 13y ago
  Probably not directly but you could use it to remember where you were and try to find someone who saw you. I can see it being used to help the prosecution with no trouble. I am just guessing though.
chrisrhoden 13y ago
"Google Location History is not yet enabled for your Google Account. Please enable Location History and check back in a few days to allow for enough location history to be collected."
yock 13y ago
My dashboard claims I went here[0]. Must have blocked that whole stint I served as a Liberian pirate out of my mind. 0: http://bit.ly/19ExLIT http://bit.ly/19ExLIT
jsnell 13y ago
Put me down for "cool" rather than "creepy" on this. I'm mostly annoyed that it's missing a good 6 months in the middle for me. Missing 4 countries and some cool locations due to that :-( The airplane trips section seems particularly bad, it pretty much only gets my home airport right.
dannyr 13y ago
I've had this for years. I explicitly authorized Google to track my history.
laacz 13y ago
What gave me creeps wasn't service or collected data. It was the fact that I am using iPhone for several weeks now. I dont use phone (apps) while commuting since I'm at the wheel. Only app I am using, is Waze, but I believe that their data is not being shared with Google yet. But somehow Google still knows where I've been with gread detail and accuracy.

41 points by techaddict009 13y ago

Yes, this is a service they provide. I get regular emails telling me what I opt into, and how to opt out of it.

You can disable it, see https://maps.google.com/locationhistory/b/1/settings https://maps.google.com/locationhistory/b/1/settings

Shooti 13y ago
Alternatively, from an Android device: Google Settings app -> Location -> Uncheck "Location Reporting"

nl 13y ago

I've always found this one of the most fantastic services on the internet. It's a pity more people don't know about it. The only problem I've found is that the labelling gets confused by the fact I work from home, but do a school-drop-off commute in the morning.

andybak 13y ago

And fiendishly hiding it via a public URL, email reminders and blog posts!

andybak 13y ago

Found a bug! I travelled a few miles away from home yesterday and it's recorded as superfast visits between home and various parts of the journey in a star shape. The Android tablet that I left at home is confusing Google into recording some weird split journey where I am both at home and travelling...

RoadRunner_23 13y ago
huh.. now I understand why my travel pattern is star shaped too... position is reported from both from phone and tablet...
eliben 13y ago
Yes, I had that problem too :-) You really should disable tracking on stationary devices like tablets that are mostly at home. Your phone probably represents your location faithfully.
- andybak 13y ago
  Except it's not always stationary and I don't want to think about settings such as that. Better to fix the algorithm, methinks.
sdoering 13y ago
No, no you got it all wrong ;-) It surely must have something to do with the Uncertainty Principle [1], where the big G can only know your speed or your location. ;-) [ironyoff] [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncertainty_principle https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncertainty_principle

middus 13y ago

My life as a consultant confuses the heck out of Google Location History/ Now/ Maps. Hotels are identified as my home address, client sites as work... come to think of it, maybe Google's right in the end and my perception of having a flat that's my home is off. ;)

sjonkedispe 13y ago

What should I make of my most recently visited place, in the sea outside the Gulf of Guinea? Everywhere I've ever been is _really_ far away from there.

jackp 13y ago
That sounds like a lat-lon of 0-0

tsbardella 13y ago

Its not that accurate, it is that spooky I click accept way to much. It really is like .. Google take the Wheeeeel!

ChrisClark 13y ago

Of course it is, because I opted in when it asked if I wanted to be tracked. Google also sends me an email once a month to remind me I chose to be tracked.

kamjam 13y ago
How do they think Google Now and all those other lovely services work? New news? I think not, move along.
- melange 13y ago
  Yeah - imagine apple did this - there would be a scandal. But this is Google, so 'move along'.
  - kamjam 13y ago
    While I agree with the sentiments of what you are saying but the 'move along' has nothing to do with it being Google. This has been known by everybody for a long time and discussed here on HN. All the 'article' shows is that there are some tools to see that info has been collected. There is no point in flogging a dead horse. So yeah, move along.
    - melange 13y ago
      Fair enough.
  - dannyr 13y ago
    Where have you been? Pretty much every week people posts their outrage on Google here. So a user explicitly AUTHORIZED Google to track his/her location and we should be outraged at Google?
    - melange 13y ago
      It's only explicit if the user understands what they are agreeing to.

jug5 13y ago

Or you know... Disable location history?

andrewaylett 13y ago

I'd assumed that location history had been turned off when Latitude went away. Glad to see it's still there :).

nl 13y ago
They have (finally) updated the Google+ app, and the "Locations" functionality is much more like the old Latitude. Also, it works on rooted phones now (previously the map tiles wouldn't load).

kyriakos 13y ago

for some people like me this is a feature and not an issue. You get to choose if you want to be tracked or not so its up to you.

eliben 13y ago
For 99.9% of people it's a great feature and not an issue. For the remaining 0.01% it's a karma-harvesting device because everything Google/privacy related is sure to draw clicks. Hence the infinitude of tabloid-ish articles in all the tech websites and blogs in the past months.

davidy123 13y ago

I really like this service, since they have this data anyway it's great it's offered reciprocally. In fact I enable location history which takes it to the next step, though it seems to be a battery killer.

dingaling 13y ago

Doesn't this constant use of GPS drain the battery? On every Android-based smartphone I've had ( two! ) I've only enabled GPS and network-derived location when I need to navigate, otherwise the phone shuts-off in a few hours.

mdpye 13y ago
Network derived location does not represent a meaningful extra power draw. GPS involves a separate radio system (rx only, admittedly) and is only active when something actually requests your location...
- dingaling 13y ago
  Interesting re: the GPS usage, thank you. I would have thought that the process of repeatedly acquiring the satellites and establishing the fix on demand would have been quite an overhead, though. /me goes to read more Network location does require wifi to be permanently active, which for some reason seems to be a magnitude more power-hungry than 3G. So most folk I know turn-off wifi when not interactively using it.
_mulder_ 13y ago
I believe it keeps GPS positioning to a minimum, relying primarily on network-derived location data. At least judging by the granularity (or lack of) the route data, which causes my commute to work to look most confusing. Secondly, and this in my opinion is a bug in their algorithm, when I'm at home it frequently switches to my home location and a location about 10 miles away. The only reason I can see for it to do this is it's predicting my location based on my cell site location (phones know which tower they're connected to, Google must know where all these towers are). And my normal cell tower is 5 miles away (right in the middle of my two "locations"), so clearly the algorithm has determined I'm 5 miles away from a cell tower, but can't make up it's mind in which direction. It needs tweaking to remove data points when I suddenly cover 10 miles in a second, over and over.
- chrisrhoden 13y ago

darren_ 13y ago

This is so much fun to look at after you've just gotten back from a trip overseas, thanks for the link.

MindTwister 13y ago

I can now conclude that I didn't loose my phone last Saturday... it was stolen. Last seen speeding towards a part of the city with a bad reputation.

andyking 13y ago

Looking at the accuracy of the results it has for me (apparently I only spent three hours at work last week), I'm not worried.

GotAnyMegadeth 13y ago
Mine says 0...

Digit-Al 13y ago

I wonder if your location data could be used as part of your alibi if you were falsely accused of a crime.

hfsktr 13y ago
Probably not directly but you could use it to remember where you were and try to find someone who saw you. I can see it being used to help the prosecution with no trouble. I am just guessing though.

chrisrhoden 13y ago

"Google Location History is not yet enabled for your Google Account. Please enable Location History and check back in a few days to allow for enough location history to be collected."

yock 13y ago

My dashboard claims I went here[0]. Must have blocked that whole stint I served as a Liberian pirate out of my mind. 0: http://bit.ly/19ExLIT http://bit.ly/19ExLIT

jsnell 13y ago

Put me down for "cool" rather than "creepy" on this. I'm mostly annoyed that it's missing a good 6 months in the middle for me. Missing 4 countries and some cool locations due to that :-( The airplane trips section seems particularly bad, it pretty much only gets my home airport right.

dannyr 13y ago

I've had this for years. I explicitly authorized Google to track my history.

laacz 13y ago

What gave me creeps wasn't service or collected data. It was the fact that I am using iPhone for several weeks now. I dont use phone (apps) while commuting since I'm at the wheel. Only app I am using, is Waze, but I believe that their data is not being shared with Google yet. But somehow Google still knows where I've been with gread detail and accuracy.