41–50 of 126 posts
Frankly I think personal data is every bit as much of an addiction as heroin.
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That was never true. It was annoyingly aggresive, had some annoying UI limitations (e.g. it wouldn't remember past trips) but it was never fully unable to function.
You couldn't even save locations (such as a "home" or "work" location) without allowing google to track your location history.
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Except this is a lie. It’s not being done to ‘improve device experience’.
Using devices with GPS + WiFi to identify and catalog the relative geographic location of SSIDs is beneficial to other devices with WiFi capability that can benefit from Geographic location but lack GPS. The same is true of Bluetooth beacons.
And are you implying that Google is cataloging my SSID even though I have it "hidden?"
The article says turning off Location History "cripples" certain features of Android and Google. That's a stretch. I have had Location History disabled for years and have yet to notice what crippled experience I suffered from, but I did learn today that my location is not being sent to Google when Bluetooth is turned off. Disabling Location History seems like it has significant upside to me. Think about it this way.…
In the bluetooth settings it literally states: "To improve device experience, apps and services can still scan for nearby devices at any time, even when Bluetooth is off." This can be completely turned off in scanning settings. The article title is kind of clickbaity.
Shocked! I wouldn't really care if they were upfront about it, but when they try to hide it, it makes it adversarial and since I consider myself technical, I must do as my cat does and make it stop.
They are upfront about it, it’s right there in the settings. When you first set up a Google phone, it will Warm you that WiFi does scanning for location services, and the Bluetooth setting is in the same page.
In the bluetooth settings it literally states: "To improve device experience, apps and services can still scan for nearby devices at any time, even when Bluetooth is off." This can be completely turned off in scanning settings. The article title is kind of clickbaity.
Another point to make is that iOS also made it a bit harder for the user to completely turn off bluetooth and wifi from the control center since iOS 11, possibly allowing scanners and beacons to pick up these devices from passers by. Unless you directly get into the setting screen and switch it off. Sure Apple keeps Bluetooth/Wifi on for 'Find My' services but I'm pretty sure it will also be used for the contact trac…
(Not for nefarious/tracking reasons.)
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I wonder, what apps and services it helps improve? Why would you want to turn bluetooth off but not really turn it off?
Any unboxing experience. I mean, naively this means that the doodad you just bought (like the IoT Sous-vide heater I got for Christmas) requires you to fumble with your settings to turn BT back on before you can pair it. Now, sure, I'm sure the response of the people here is "But I turned it off because I want to have to use settings to turn it back on." And that's fine. But that's not the use case for most users, I…
Both the title and Google are misleading: Bluetooth is not off; it is not participating in Bluetooth transactions but it is still listening.