Are we all handing to Google the SSID of our home routers?

Andy, Thanks for all your input and advice.

Have you had a chance to test or consider whether a phone itself, with the hotspot turned on, shows up in the Google public location database?

I know the arguments that it we would hope that it shouldn't, but, that doesn't at all mean that it doesn't.

They shouldn't have our passwords either, but they do.

Reply to
Alice J.
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I don't have a single app that pops up "obnoxious" ads. Not one.

I certainly have *downloaded* apps that pop up obnoxious ads, but they lasted on my desktop less than the time it took to watch a single one of those obnoxious ads.

I keep only the *best* freeware on my phone, and that suits me just fine.

In fact, I can't name a single payware app that I would need the functionality of that I can't get in a freeware app.

Can you?

Reply to
Alice J.

As far as I can tell, I don't have a single app that has malware in it. Remember, I can turn *off* any access that I want (so can you).

Here's a short list of permission explorers and managers: Permission Explorer-com.carlocriniti.android.permission_explorer-9- v3.1.apk Permission Friendly Apps-org.androidsoft.app.permission-18-v2.1.0.apk Permission Manager-com.appaholics.applauncher-6-v2.0.apk Permission Manager-com.ovmobile.appopslauncher-5-v3.0.apk Permission Manager FREE (App Ops)-mobi.facelock.permissionmanager-4- v2.2.apk Permission Manager-mobi.infolife.permission-3-v1.2.apk

I am curious why *you* (and Brian Gregory) feel that you can't turn off any permission that you want to turn off?

Do you not even *know* about this capability? If so, you need to learn how to manage your phone better.

But, so that I can learn from your experience, what do *you* use to manage the permission access of each of your payware apps?

Reply to
Alice J.

This is very interesting that every *installation* gives the devloper our Google Play account information!

Is that true? Does anyone here have a developer account?

What information do you get?

PS: Luckily, all mine is made up, but if they get the phone number and the "city" (you wrote "suburb" whatever that means), that can only be attained by geolocation of my device at the time of the download (or by IP address geolocation) since it's not in the normal Google Play account signup.

Reply to
Alice J.

All the products I have installed are "free" and none of them as access to anything I don't want them to have access to (as long as I'm aware of that access).

I use various freeware permission managers, such as Ap Ops Starter.

I'm interested in learning from you.

What do *you* use to manage the permission access of the payware you have installed on your phone?

Reply to
Alice J.

Name a single app that "I" need (yes, you'll have to guess using the apps that *you* need as an example), that I can't get the same functionality of, for free?

I'm curious why I can live perfectly well with free apps, but you can't.

Am I just "smarter" than you? Or more "persistant"? Or, am I actually missing out on functionality?

What app can anyone name here that costs money that you need the functionality of, that I can't get that same (or similar) functionality of, for free?

Name some.

Reply to
Alice J.

Alice J. schrieb am 2016-02-10 um 17:04:

Google then knows that there is a WiFi visible to the public using a specific MAC address. So what?

And how to people know which MAC address is yours?

Didn't you just say "turn *off* everything that can spy on you"? I would assume this also means "turn off any mobile device".

He could also hire a private investigator to find out what his wife does

- and she wouldn't know this as well.

Reply to
Arno Welzel

I do perfectly well with freeware, gaining *all* the functionality *I* need with free apps, and not losing a thing. So, my confusion with what you meant above had nothing to do with the freeeware part above.

My confusion with what you posted is how a cloud is supposed to help me.

As you can imagine, by design, I want *nothing* whatsoever of mine on any Internet cloud. However, you're talking about a cloud at my own home, totally under my own control. Is that correct?

Since I have Linux and Windows, I am aware that there is freeware cloud server software that I can set up at home so that my phone "syncs" with the home cloud (totally within the home private LAN).

However, I'm not sure what the *benefit* is even of having any cloud. Besides the obvious backup in case of disaster (which I'm not worried about in the least), what's the advantage of having a local private cloud?

You said this, which I don't understand the tradeoff of:

How does a lack of a local private cloud (or the lack of any cloud whatsoever, which is what I have now) cause me to 'barely get any advantage from owning a smartphone'?

I'm doing just fine *without* a cloud. If I were to set up a cloud, it would *only* be a private freeware cloud on my linux server (e.g., Folder Sync Lite on Android with SMB/OwnCloud on Linux perhaps?).

So, Andy, you seem to know a *lot* more than I do. I respect your knowledge

I only ask ... Can you un-confuse me?

What would I do with (any) cloud that I'm not doing now ? (besides backups, which I already have covered by another method).

Reply to
Alice J.

Alice J. schrieb am 2016-02-10 um 17:14:

No. And this is also *not* what the articles says! A developer *may* get the name and billing address of users who *purchase* his apps. Just that information that Google Wallet exchanges for a financial transaction.

Yes - I have. But I don't sell any app. My work is Open Source and available for free on Play Store and F-Droid.

For free apps: the total number of installations grouped by severa critria like Android version, language, region, device type etc..

If the app ever crashes and users devide to send a crash report I also get the report as well which includes technical details about the crash, but with no personal information about the user at all.

Reply to
Arno Welzel

I meant apps silly!

What app functionality must you pay for on Android that you can't get for free?

Someone name some, because "I" have everything I need, and it's all free of cost and obnoxious ads (I delete any obnoxious ads instantly) and spying (I turn all that stuff off with permission managers).

Name functionality that most of us need on Android that we can't get for free.

Reply to
Alice J.

Alice J. schrieb am 2016-02-10 um 17:18:

Just two of those I use:

Titanium Backup GPS Status & Toolbox

But "similar functionality" is not always sufficient. Sometimes "ease of use" or "good support in case there is an error" etc. is as important as well for me.

Reply to
Arno Welzel

I respect your answer, and I bow to your knowledge. I only have my experience of deleting my Google Play account periodically.

As far as "I" can tell, I lose absolutely nothing. So, for you to say that I lose "everything which is stored in the account", I have to ask what is stored in the account?

I mean, I don't lose any apps.

I lose my login & password, but, that's the whole point of periodically wiping out the account anyway.

So, what do "I" lose by periodically deleting my Google Play account?

Reply to
Alice J.

Thank you for be1. Titanium Backup

  1. GPS Status & Toolbox Pro
  2. Real Calc Plus
  3. Power Amp
  4. OSMAnd

Taking them, in reverse order (because it's easier), I have:

  1. Offline Map Software: F-Droid OSMAnd~
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  1. Music Player I'm sure PowerAmp is feature rich, but I use this, which is fine for me: Music Player By JRT Studio
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  2. Calculator I'm sure the pro version works great, but for "my" calculations, even the freeware version is good enough for me. But, I just downloaded it since you basically are saying it's a great scientific calculator: RealCalc Scientific Calculator, By Quartic Software
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  1. GPS Tools Like you, I do plenty of backcountry hiking and mapping, so I have tons of freeware GPS related tools that work fine for me. For example: a. GPS-Coordinates-gps.coordinates.share.sms.email-16-v3.22.apk b. GPS Essentials-com.mictale.gpsessentials-402023-v4.2.23.apk c. GPS Status-com.eclipsim.gpsstatus2-111-v5.3.111.apk d. GPS Tracking-com.fsp.android.c-10555-v7.2.apk e. GPS Tracking-com.fsp.android.c-10557-v7.2.apk And many more.

  2. Backup My phone isn't rooted, so, AFAIR, I can't even use the free Titanium Backup, but, really, what do "I" need by way of backup anyway? a. Backup of data (pictures, contacts, videos, music, etc.) b. Backup of apps

Both those are *easily* attained via freeware, and especially easy when you have a 128GB external microSD card like I do.

So, I simply redirect the folders using a freeware ridirect app a. Redirect File Organizer by Xavier Tobin

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And then I back up *those* folders using the normal file explorer on either Windows and Linux (using the FTP url as the "folder"): b. WiFi FTP Server by Medha Apps Tools

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I even automatically back up all my installed APK files, using: c. App Backup & Restore-mobi.infolife.appbackup-53-v3.2.0.apk

I just noticed that this app no longer seems to be freeware on Google Play? Is that correct? (Luckily I have the APK long ago backed up!)

So, while I realize your needs are far greater than mine, with a little effort, I can replicate your needs (pretty much, right?) using freeware?

The cost is that I have to "think" harder than you do, in order to get the functionality I need, for free.

This is a *good test* of my (unproven?) concept that everything "I" need is already available for free.

In that spirit, name some other functionality that you actually need, and I'll see if I already have that functionality, for free.

Reply to
Alice J.

What on earth are you talking about, silly?

This is a *discussion* group. This thread posits a *discussion* which is a question of fact. If you don't like the *discussion*, nobody forced you to enter the fray. But, if you *do* enter the discussion, you should probably make some sense.

The original question was whether our SSIDs are being sent to Google. The answer is yes (very much so).

The logical question arose as to how to prevent that, and how to see what was already in the Google public database.

We're still working on those answers. If you have valuable input, as Andy Burns did, please let us know as there are still unanswered questions that might benefit all.

Reply to
Alice J.

So why do you persist if *you* don't care that Google allows anyone who wants to, to track your whereabouts?

What's your added value again?

Reply to
Alice J.

It's not about malware, it's about returning information to the app's developper.

No, you can't. You can only turn off *groups* of permissions. If any permission in a group is *needed* for the app to work, you can't turn off the permission group and the app can use any permission in that group.

['Duh!' story deleted.]

Straw man.

And another one.

Red herring.

Reply to
Frank Slootweg

Alice J. wrote: [...]

Wrong. They *must* have them in order for restore/copy to work. Don't like it? Don't use a smart-phone.

Reply to
Frank Slootweg

Having problems with reading for comprehension? I'm talking about each and everyone of your 'arguments' which were debunked by others and me.

As I *said*, I specifically debunked your attempt to tie the SSID or/and MAC address of *a* AP to *'you'*. The silence of your non-response was and is deafening. .

Exactly! But a discussion does *not* mean that the one who claims something(s) does not respond when 'her' claims are debunked or snips 'inconvenient' material.

[More pompous twattery deleted.]
Reply to
Frank Slootweg

Boggle! I didn't know that (wireless) access points could post to Usenet!

[...]
Reply to
Frank Slootweg

Alice J. wrote: [...]

Duh! Of course you can download the APK and install the app. But you can't *use* the '+' functionality of the app (which in this case is (mainly) unlimited maps and unlimited map updates).

And rest assured that OsmAnd+ is one of the best - if not the best - of the (nearly) free navigation apps. So I'm happy to give the app developers (and *maintainers*) my 10 dollars. 10 dollars, mind you! Not

*really* a rip-off/unsurmountable amount, is it!?

BTW, how does that free phone work for you? How did you get it for free? How do you use it for free? Free calls/texts/mobile data/wifi? Free electricity? Free cover? Etc., etc. ad infinitum? And how about that free computer of yours and that free Windows and those free disk drives?

[...]
Reply to
Frank Slootweg

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