Upon factory reset, three questions are invariably asked of Android owners:
formatting link
The best short summary of the questions I can come up with is:
Let all apps contact Google to figure out where you are
Let Google apps know where you are.
Send Google all your neighbor's Wi-Fi access point information
Specifically:
Let apps estimate your location with Google's location service. Anonymous location data will be collected and sent to Google, and may be stored on your device. This could occur even when no apps are running.
Get more relevant information when using Google apps. GPS and Google's location service may be accessed, even when you're not using Google apps.
To improve location accuracy and for other purposes, let Google's location service and other apps scan for nearby Wi-Fi networks, even when Wi-Fi is off.
My question is: Q: Which of these three location operations do *you* allow - and why?
Funny I was never asked those 3 questions, and I reset my phone a couple times when I got it.
You have me look and the darn phone was set to use GPS&WiFi; I've disabled WiFi, left GPS enabled. I can disable location completely but if I do this simple things like the weather might stop working.
I have Android 4.3, and it *always* asks those three questions:
formatting link
1.Let apps estimate your location with Google's location service. Anonymous location data will be collected and sent to Google, and may be stored on your device. This could occur even when no apps are running.
Get more relevant information when using Google apps. GPS and Google's location service may be accessed, even when you're not using Google apps.
To improve location accuracy and for other purposes, let Google's location service and other apps scan for nearyb Wi-Fi networks, even when Wi-Fi is off.
I pretty much know exactly what that third item is, which is that all the SSID/BSSID/SS information from your neighbor's access points are sent to google (even if they append _nomac to the SSID!).
I'm not sure exactly what the first two actually do. Do you know for sure *what* the first two items actually do?
I think that's the *wrong* way of thinking - and I say that strongly, in a friendly way.
You can let the *app* have access to your location! You don't have to let *Google* have access to your location!
Two different things. To prove that, on Android 4.3, I went to Settings > Accounts > Google > Location Settings
a. I first saw this, saying "location access is off": b. Pressing the "Location Access" button brings up this: c. Clicking "Access to my location" brought up this:
Which asked: Location consent: Allow Google's location service to collect anonymous location data. Some data may be stored on your device. Collection may occur even when no apps are running. [Agree] [Disagree]
I hit "Disagree", and what was left were three questions: [x] Access to my location [x] Use GPS satellites [ ] Use wireless networks
Where the details were: [x] Access to my location Allow apps that have asked your permission to use your location information. [x] Use GPS satellites Allow apps to use GPS to pinpoint your location. [ ] Use wireless networks Allow apps to use Google's location service to estimate your location faster. Anonymous location data will be collected and sent to Google.
The first two options appear to be linked, in that you can't have one without the other.
Only the third option *requires* you to *accept* the aforemented Google "Location consent" agreement, where if you press "Disagree", you can't select the third option above.
In summy, I think you *can* (easily) allow apps access to your location
*without* allowing Google to "collect anonymous location data ... even when no apps are running".
I may be wrong - so experts are welcome to explain further what is actually going on here...
In my haste, I forgot to post the "this" screenshots. Sorry. Here they are, belatedly.
When you go to Android 4.3 settings, you can select the Google account.
formatting link
In my case, the Google account says that location access is turned off.
formatting link
You *can* turn on just *app* location access and GPS location access
*without* turning on Google location access!
formatting link
But the moment you try to add the wireless-network location access, you are faced with a Google Accept/Decline popup question:
formatting link
So my recommendation, is to leave all location access off *until* you need it explicitly, for a specific app:
formatting link
Only when you *need* an app to have location access, my suggestion is to turn that location access on (i.e., turn on app access *and* turn on GPS satellites - but do not turn on Google's location service):
formatting link
This works even with Google apps such as Google Maps.
Besides, you are *not* being a good citizen if you indiscriminately spy on all your neighbors, which is what the "Use wireless networks" does, in effect.
That is, it is supremely impolite for any Android user to have the "Use Wireless Networks" option turned on.
Cabling-Design.com Forums website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here.
All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.