• emergencyfood@sh.itjust.works
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    1 day ago

    Android phone collects every WiFi network it has ever seen and sends it to Google

    Possibly, but how often do you use WiFi on a phone?

    • AppleMango@lemmy.world
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      1 day ago

      Possibly, but how often do you use WiFi on a phone?

      Basically whenever I’m at home or a relative’s house?

    • TeddE@lemmy.world
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      1 day ago

      Please note: I didn’t say you had to connect to these networks. This happens as a background process unless you do a ritual to shut off location services and actively work to keep it off. Most people do not know/care to do this. And even if it’s off in settings, some apps have the permission to temporarily override this (and will ask you once to grant it such permission and then have that permission for the lifetime of the app). And regardless of which app overrides said setting, Google gets a copy of whatever the background scan finds (for all Android phones that have the Play store installed, which is most of them).

        • TeddE@lemmy.world
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          13 hours ago

          I use WiFi at home and friends. I use cellular for work and travel (usually between home and friends). I’m glad you have a simple enough arrangement that it’s worthwhile to manage it by hand.

          Further, in recent versions of Android, factory settings are set to automatically turn WiFi back on if turned off - plus there’s several methods to indirectly turn WiFi back on (https://thedroidguy.com/stop-android-turning-wifi-on-automatically-1261625). This is that dark patterns thing. Getting people to do what you want by being frictionless with your preferred options and ‘polite’ but obstinate about options you wish to steer people away from.

          • emergencyfood@sh.itjust.works
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            12 hours ago

            I use WiFi at home and friends.

            This is the part I don’t understand. Mobile data would work in your houses too, right?

            Further, in recent versions of Android, factory settings are set to automatically turn WiFi back on if turned off

            I haven’t seen this happen, but I use MIUI (Xiaomi’s Android ROM) which tends to be aggressive in limiting battery use. It will actually cut hotspot if unused for a few minutes.