why did "Traffic" just use my location?

ttttaylor · Apr 23, 2012, 07:22 PM

just looked at my iPhone 3GS and saw the purple location icon. i have location services turned off on almost everything so i got suspicious. went into the settings app and saw that under Location Services > System Services, "Traffic" was using my location. quickly turned it off, so now there's just the grey location icon next to it. only apps i had open were Phone, Messages, and Tweetbot.

any idea why Traffic would be using my location randomly like that?

jkeith0919 · Apr 23, 2012, 08:10 PM

Because Apple collects traffic data unless you turn it off in system services.

verbcrunch · Dec 26, 2012, 07:44 AM

It's how traffic data is gathered for maps. Crowd sourcing. If you use the data, give back by disclosing your rate of speed while driving so maps can determine it you're green, yellow, or red.

davehutch · Dec 26, 2012, 12:57 PM

I would certainly assume that Traffic data was only collected whilst using the Maps app in a car to navigate a route, otherwise the data is useless.
Looking at the apps you had opened there is no reason it should have been collecting data

AutoUnion39 · Dec 26, 2012, 01:15 PM

Crowd sourcing. That is why traffic data is so good.

Troneas · Dec 26, 2012, 02:15 PM

Aah. So you want to check the traffic status but you are not willing to contribute to its data is that it?

davehutch · Dec 26, 2012, 05:14 PM

Can everyone please read the original post and the information contained within it.
The OP states that the only apps running were "Phone, Messages and Tweetbot"
Maps was not running, no navigation was taking place, therefore no traffic data should have been sent or received.

To the OP, please confirm what software level you were running and if you don't get any help, try the forums at Apple.com instead

LoloBond · 05:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by davehutch

Can everyone please read the original post and the information contained within it.
The OP states that the only apps running were "Phone, Messages and Tweetbot"
Maps was not running, no navigation was taking place, therefore no traffic data should have been sent or received.

To the OP, please confirm what software level you were running and if you don't get any help, try the forums at Apple.com instead

Map info is collected at all times... he need to turn it of....

Privacy>Location Services>System Services.. I turn off everything but Cell Network Search

JoeyCloverfield · Dec 26, 2012, 06:08 PM

it doesn't matter which apps you're using. If iOS 6 believes your traveling it'll periodically collect your location anonymously.

Quote:

...if you are traveling (for example, in a car) and Location Services is on, a GPS-enabled iOS device will also periodically send GPS locations and travel speed information in an anonymous and encrypted form to Apple, to be used for building up Apple's crowd-sourced road traffic database. The crowd-sourced location data gathered by Apple does not personally identify you.

Source: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5467?v...S&locale=en_US

davehutch · 06:11 AM

Traffic is only one aspect of Location Services and you would need to be travelling in a car. If you're walking or sitting on your sofa, traffic data is of no use whatsoever.
The system needs to know you're navigating...in a car, otherwise it would show the entire World as a traffic jam.
Speed is one way the system would know you're in a car as people can't walk faster than about 5mph, however, a traffic jam often moves at walking speed.
Trains, travelling parallel to a road would also give erroneous data if you we're on one and traffic data was collected.
What if one hundred people were travelling on a train at 80mph, and the train ran alongside a road with a traffic jam on?
Which data would be ignored and why?
It would therefore make sense to only send/receive traffic data whilst navigating with the Maps app...wouldn't it?

reclusive46 · Dec 27, 2012, 06:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by davehutch

Don't be ridiculous. If you're walking or sitting on your sofa, map data is of no use whatsoever.
The system needs to know you're navigating...in a car, otherwise it would show the entire World as a traffic jam

It can easily tell if someone is driving if it periodically checks.

JRoDDz · Dec 27, 2012, 08:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LoloBond

Map info is collected at all times... he need to turn it of....

Privacy>Location Services>System Services.. I turn off everything but Cell Network Search

Image

I've turned everything off under that system services including cell network search. I never have an issue getting a cell signal, using maps etc.

Rocko1 · Dec 27, 2012, 11:20 AM

Paranoid much?

Apr 23, 2012, 07:22 PM	#1
ttttaylor macrumors regular Join Date: Jun 2009	why did "Traffic" just use my location? just looked at my iPhone 3GS and saw the purple location icon. i have location services turned off on almost everything so i got suspicious. went into the settings app and saw that under Location Services > System Services, "Traffic" was using my location. quickly turned it off, so now there's just the grey location icon next to it. only apps i had open were Phone, Messages, and Tweetbot. any idea why Traffic would be using my location randomly like that?
	0

Dec 26, 2012, 01:15 PM	#5
AutoUnion39 macrumors 6502a Join Date: Jun 2010	Crowd sourcing. That is why traffic data is so good. __________________ rMBP 15 2.3 i7/16gb/256 SSD\| MacBook Air (Late 2011) 1.7 i5/4gb/128 SSD\| riPad 32gb WiFi\| TV (3rd gen)\| Airport Extreme\| iP5\|S4\|Note2
	0

Dec 27, 2012, 06:02 AM	#10
davehutch macrumors 6502 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Croxley, Herts	Traffic is only one aspect of Location Services and you would need to be travelling in a car. If you're walking or sitting on your sofa, traffic data is of no use whatsoever. The system needs to know you're navigating...in a car, otherwise it would show the entire World as a traffic jam. Speed is one way the system would know you're in a car as people can't walk faster than about 5mph, however, a traffic jam often moves at walking speed. Trains, travelling parallel to a road would also give erroneous data if you we're on one and traffic data was collected. What if one hundred people were travelling on a train at 80mph, and the train ran alongside a road with a traffic jam on? Which data would be ignored and why? It would therefore make sense to only send/receive traffic data whilst navigating with the Maps app...wouldn't it? Last edited by davehutch; Dec 27, 2012 at 06:11 AM.
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Apr 23, 2012, 08:10 PM	#2
jkeith0919 macrumors member Join Date: Jan 2012	Because Apple collects traffic data unless you turn it off in system services.
	3

Dec 26, 2012, 07:44 AM	#3
verbcrunch macrumors newbie Join Date: Jul 2010	It's how traffic data is gathered for maps. Crowd sourcing. If you use the data, give back by disclosing your rate of speed while driving so maps can determine it you're green, yellow, or red.
	3

Dec 26, 2012, 12:57 PM	#4
davehutch macrumors 6502 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Croxley, Herts	I would certainly assume that Traffic data was only collected whilst using the Maps app in a car to navigate a route, otherwise the data is useless. Looking at the apps you had opened there is no reason it should have been collecting data
	0

Dec 26, 2012, 02:15 PM	#6
Troneas macrumors 6502a Join Date: Oct 2011	Aah. So you want to check the traffic status but you are not willing to contribute to its data is that it?
	2

Dec 26, 2012, 05:14 PM	#7
davehutch macrumors 6502 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Croxley, Herts	Can everyone please read the original post and the information contained within it. The OP states that the only apps running were "Phone, Messages and Tweetbot" Maps was not running, no navigation was taking place, therefore no traffic data should have been sent or received. To the OP, please confirm what software level you were running and if you don't get any help, try the forums at Apple.com instead
	0

Dec 27, 2012, 11:20 AM	#13
Rocko1 macrumors 65816 Join Date: Nov 2011	Paranoid much?
	0