Given the big security threat Bluetooth provides, this seems pretty bad. If someone wants it off, there is a reason they want it off.
Google can use Bluetooth to track phones even with Bluetooth turned off (2018)
71–80 of 126 posts
Re: Google can use Bluetooth to track phones even with Bluetooth turned off (2018)
#72The 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.…
Having location history means that Maps knows places I visit often, so they're highlighted on the map and in the search box, saving time if I want to navigate there or find out opening times. It speeds up time-to-fix with GPS. It allows Google Pay to have the supermarket loyalty card ready when I get to the checkout. Little things like that.
Last time I checked, Google Pay stores your credit card number in the cloud, which is not necessary. Both Apple Pay and Garmin Pay only store the card in an encrypted form locally.
So giving Google my location history so I can also give them my credit card numbers when they don't need those either is not considered a feature.
I use Google Maps frequently and have been bothered by any behavior changes there. My home address auto-completes easily enough and in some contexts Google clearly does seem to know my "Home" address (which I'd tell them if they just asked if they didn't want my lifetime location history along with it).
Re: Google can use Bluetooth to track phones even with Bluetooth turned off (2018)
#73Earlier quoted context omitted.
It still only shows "home" and "work" addresses in one obscure part of the UI with history off, while the rest of the UI won't let you change or add saved addresses without turning history back on.
This is a false requirement. Google doesn't need to track my real-time location to allow me to tell it the location of my home or work.
It's due to a technical detail. Because of how the software was built, turning on Home/Work would have led to the data being slurped into the servers as a side effect of the overall architecture, so they had to block the Home/Work in no-History feature until they fix the data flow. Up to you to judge why they didn't prioritize fixing that bug earlier.
Re: Google can use Bluetooth to track phones even with Bluetooth turned off (2018)
#74Earlier quoted context omitted.
It seems a bit overblown to suggest that iOS is hiding this, when it openly warns you what it's doing when you use those Control Center buttons (messages shown quoted below) and leaves the buttons highlighted in a non-disabled state (in contrast to the disabled state that Airplane Mode usually displays one centimeter above): > Disconnecting Nearby Wi-Fi Until Tomorrow > Disconnecting Bluetooth Devices Until Tomorrow…
I bet if you stopped 100 people and asked them to turn off Bluetooth or WiFi using the control center, and to pay attention to the messages you quoted, 100 of them would read those messages and see the colors of the buttons go from blue to white and tell you it means those services are completely deactivated. It absolutely does not warn you that it is keeping some of those services going in the background.
The average person will never have any idea how anything works, but will have opinions and contradictory requirements like "give me a richly personalized and streamlined experience without knowing anything about me". That's one of the big challenges of privacy in tech.
Re: Google can use Bluetooth to track phones even with Bluetooth turned off (2018)
#75In 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.
Does improving device experience mean phoning home to Google to you?
When I do something to opt out, that should opt out. It is disingenuous to structure the preferences this way.
Re: Google can use Bluetooth to track phones even with Bluetooth turned off (2018)
#76In 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.
I don't see this setting in Android 10... does it mean that it is now "impossible" to completely turn it off?
Re: Google can use Bluetooth to track phones even with Bluetooth turned off (2018)
#77Earlier quoted context omitted.
Such as? My watch, for example, uses the gps from my phone (if I would let it, that is). And are you implying that Google is cataloging my SSID even though I have it "hidden?"
You're fixated on it being about you specifically and your devices and direct benefits. If your phone's WiFi detects an SSID at a location and 10 other devices confirm your findings, then when I come along and connect to that SSID, with my non GPS enabled Tablet,my experience can be enriched with coarse location contextualized information. The same is true of IP addresses. > SSID even though I have it "hidden?" A hid…
As soon as a client connects to your "hidden" AP then it's SSID is broadcast to everyone and their mother.
Interesting. I've never seen it show up before. EDIT: I probably just wasn't looking for it.
Re: Google can use Bluetooth to track phones even with Bluetooth turned off (2018)
#78In 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.
I wonder, what apps and services it helps improve? Why would you want to turn bluetooth off but not really turn it off?
my Bluetooth headphones don't support pairing with multiple devices. The easiest way to stop them from pairing with my phone when I want them to pair with my PC is to turn Bluetooth off on my phone. functionally, I don't care whether Bluetooth is off or not, I just want my headphones to pair with my PC. this has the added bonus of being easy to undo (turning on Bluetooth pairs with my headphones again)
Re: Google can use Bluetooth to track phones even with Bluetooth turned off (2018)
#79Earlier quoted context omitted.
You're fixated on it being about you specifically and your devices and direct benefits. If your phone's WiFi detects an SSID at a location and 10 other devices confirm your findings, then when I come along and connect to that SSID, with my non GPS enabled Tablet,my experience can be enriched with coarse location contextualized information. The same is true of IP addresses. > SSID even though I have it "hidden?" A hid…
As soon as a client connects to your "hidden" AP then it's SSID is broadcast to everyone and their mother. Interesting. I've never seen it show up before. EDIT: I probably just wasn't looking for it.
Hiding an SSID only removes the name from Beacon frames that are broadcast. The SSID is still broadcasting beacon frames so it is discoverable and the name is still in Probe/Response frames. So a device passively listening can catch a Hidden SSID when it talks to a client.
So basically hiding your SSID is just giving you a false sense of security because it hides it from people who don't know any better but anyone who knows anything about WiFi security can find it.
Re: Google can use Bluetooth to track phones even with Bluetooth turned off (2018)
#80Earlier quoted context omitted.
I wonder, what apps and services it helps improve? Why would you want to turn bluetooth off but not really turn it off?
my Bluetooth headphones don't support pairing with multiple devices. The easiest way to stop them from pairing with my phone when I want them to pair with my PC is to turn Bluetooth off on my phone. functionally, I don't care whether Bluetooth is off or not, I just want my headphones to pair with my PC. this has the added bonus of being easy to undo (turning on Bluetooth pairs with my headphones again)
>> this has the added bonus of being easy to undo (turning on Bluetooth pairs with my headphones again)
I still seem to miss the "added bonus" compared with disabling the bluetooth completely.