The smartphone has become an indispensable part of everyday life, but few users think about how much data about their movements the devices collect every day. Many believe that turning it off is enough GPS in order for the device to stop tracking locations, but in practice the situation is much more complicated, explains ZDNet.
Location determination on modern phones relies on a whole range of technologies working together. GPS is the most well-known part of the system, but it is neither the only nor the most important when it comes to daily device tracking.
The phone simultaneously uses data from GPS satellites, information about nearby Wi-Fi networks, Bluetooth devices, mobile network base stations, as well as sensors such as accelerometer, gyroscope and compass. By combining all these sources, it is possible to determine very precisely where the user is, even when the GPS signal is not available, for example in a closed space or among tall buildings.
Therefore, turning off GPS does not necessarily mean that apps can no longer estimate your location.
They have a particularly important role Wi-Fi networks. The phone does not need to be connected to a specific network to know that it is nearby. It is enough to recognize its identifier, which is then compared with huge databases containing the geographic locations of millions of routers around the world. Bluetooth works in a similar way, especially in urban areas where a large number of devices can serve as an additional reference point for determining the position.
Mobile base stations are another source of information. Each phone is constantly connected to the nearest mobile network repeaters, and by analyzing the signal strength and distance from several base stations, it is possible to calculate the approximate location of the device even without GPS.
Of course, not all data collection is necessarily problematic.
Navigation, food delivery apps, hailing a taxi or finding a lost phone wouldn’t be possible without location access. The problem arises when users are not aware of how many applications have access to that information and how long the data is stored.
Many applications ask for permission to access the location even though it is not necessary for their basic operation. Movement data can be used to personalize advertisements, analyze user habits or develop new services. When data collected over many years of phone use is added, it is possible to build a very detailed profile of the user’s daily routines, places of residence, work and habits.
Fortunately, both Android and iPhone today offer significantly more control than before.
Users can determine that the application accesses the location only while it is active, that it asks for permission every time, or that access to it is completely disabled. It is recommended to periodically review the list of permissions and remove access to applications that do not need location information.
Another useful option is to limit the location precision. On Android, it is possible to allow certain applications only an approximate location instead of exact coordinates, while iOS offers a similar function called Precise Location. For many applications, such as weather forecast or local news, the approximate location is quite sufficient.
It is also worth paying attention to the history of the locations. Google and Apple allow users to review and, if desired, delete data about previous movements, as well as turn off the automatic saving of location history in their account.
It is important to emphasize that completely disabling location tracking is practically not possible if you use the phone for everyday communication. Only connecting to the mobile network implies a certain level of determination of the device’s position. However, users can significantly reduce the amount of data they share by carefully managing permissions and regularly checking their privacy settings.
As artificial intelligence and personalized services become more prevalent, location data becomes even more valuable. That’s why understanding how your phone determines where you are becomes just as important as protecting passwords or personal information. Modern smartphones offer a number of useful location-based features, but it’s up to the user to decide when the benefits outweigh the price they pay in terms of privacy.