Google has updated the information help page for Android’s ‘Location History’ tracking feature with text that confirms the tech giant’s mobile operating system continues to track users even when the feature has been turned off, according to a new report from the Associated Press.
Google says that apps like Google Maps, along with services such as weather updates and browser searches, will continue to track users’ locations.
The help page related to Location History now says that “This setting does not affect other location services on your device,” and mentions that “some location data may be saved as part of your activity on other services, like Search and Maps.”
The Associated Press reported earlier this week that even with Location History turned off, Android still tracks users in specific ways, despite Google’s help page stating, “with Location History off, the places you go are no longer stored.”
This particular setting only controlled Google’s comprehensive ‘Timeline’ tracking feature that records a user’s daily activity, including specific location information, with the company still tracking people through other features in the operating system.
To be clear, the setting’s actual functionality hasn’t changed, but what Google has done is update the help page’s language to be clearer.
That said, it’s possible to turn off some of Google’s additional tracking by disabling Android’s ‘Web and App Activity’ feature. This removes the company’s ability to store and track Maps related data, as well as location-based browser searches.
Source: Associated Press Via: The Verge
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