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Apps Are Using Background App Refresh to Send Data to Tracking Companies

Background app refresh is necessary when using certain fitness tracking, GPS navigation and third party podcasting/music apps, and I just limit it to apps that need it.

I believe Apple is doing what it can within reason to protect users privacy - the only truly foolproof privacy solution is not to be connected to the internet.
 
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keysofanxiety said:
Ha, I had a similar instance on Facebook a few months ago. I was talking to my housemate about toothpaste as I'd completely ran out (the tube was practically two-dimensional) and needed to borrow his before I went to bed. This is not anything I've ever Google searched and I didn't add it to an online order. Plus I'm British, which tells you just how low it is on my list of priorities.

Next day, Facebook advert for toothpaste. The only Facebook enabled thing was Facebook Messenger which had microphone permission & background app refresh.

I have no doubt it's a monstrous coincidence, especially when I try to imagine the crazy amount of tech conspiracy that would be required to pull off a catered advert based on a fleeting conversation from a phone in my pocket, but I disabled that background stuff anyway.
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hmm... maybe a coincidence, but I also experienced two similar occasions where I was in a phone conversation about something I've never mentioned/searched before, and then an ad/recommendation pops up next day, in this case it was Google. Those incidents forced me to use an ad/tracker-blocker.
 
femike said:
hmm... maybe a coincidence, but I also experienced two similar occasions where I was in a phone conversation about something I've never mentioned/searched before, and then an ad/recommendation pops up next day, in this case it was Google. Those incidents forced me to use an ad/tracker-blocker.
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Good Lord what did I do to get bombarded with an advertisement for special orthopedic support socks for elderly people? :confused: I don’t see it much on Safari or Samsung Internet Browser due to my ad blocker but when I read things on Apple news or Google news aggregator I see these damned socks everywhere.

I mentioned to a friend from my iOS email to her gmail address that I fell and hurt my foot and it’s tough getting older and clumsier. Oh goodness that must have been it. :eek:

I guess it doesn’t matter if I use my Apple mail address. If the receiver is using Gmail they know what we are talking about. :(

I wonder how much longer I will be haunted by these socks. For the longest time it was men’s underwear because of a humorous conversation I had on this forum. I just can’t get away from reminders of laundry.
 
burgman said:
Bonus points for not understanding the user giving permission for background refresh without reading the app privacy T&C. I like using the app Weatherbug, until I read the T&C, I deleted it. The parent company is hovering up a lot of data having nothing to do with weather.
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Ignorance is not a defense online anymore. Companies and some developers go to great lengths to hide behind confusing T&C language. Some good advice I received in a company meeting on security was stop using apps and just use a browser whenever possible, much more secure. Plus of course if it’s free, you’re the product.
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If an app contains trackers that are not directly related to the core functionality (aka spyware), it should not pass app review.

App review is just a formality today due to cost cutting, nothing is checked and all sorts of spyware get into the appstore.
 
JCandle said:
Can someone give me a real world example of why I would need background refresh on?
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I looked through all my installed apps and the only one I could think of that would benefit from background refresh is the adblocker app Wipr. When you open the app, you can click a button to update the adblock lists. There is also an auto refresh setting, so I'm assuming with that on background refresh would allow the app to update those adblock lists without me manually opening the app and doing the update.

Beyond that one example, I cannot think of any apps I use that need background refresh.
 
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I7guy said:
No this happens when macrumors posters incorrectly pick apart what Apple has said privacy means.
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I would love to hear what you think Apple means by privacy. Maybe you can enlighten us with your knowledge of how it works
 
What a mess.

Appears I’ve been safe from trackers anyway as I use Windscribe VPN which has built in tracker blocker. I also use Brave on both Mac and iOS, which probably helps too.

Going to turn off background app refresh...see if I notice a difference. If anything it’ll save battery life.
 
ipponrg said:
I would love to hear what you think Apple means by privacy. Maybe you can enlighten us with your knowledge of how it works
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THIS is not what my interpretation is it’s about what’s apple’s policies are. It’s laughably not about allowing access to google from iOS, which was the point.

But if you want to start the conversation on your interpretation of apple’s privacy policies, please feel free.
 
Wow! Wow! What a shock! Does this surprised anyone? Everyone mines your data. By any means possible. This is why I don't use 3rd party apps very often, I honestly don't need a smartphone but I prefer the touch typing to a QWERTY keyboard, and I like the photo syncing with Macs.
 
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I have always had app refresh off, but still had 150 trackers blocked last night. So why are they saying turn this off like
It’s going to help us, It clearly didn’t. We need more info on what is going on, why this is going on and how we can limit this without uninstalling.

And if ur on a small data plan, using 1.5gb for tracking can screw you as well.
 
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FairlyKors said:
This doesn’t have anything to do with an app actually being open (foreground or “background”) but what happens in the background when an app is simply installed and present on your phone.
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Of course it does. But by your statement, you think it's OK if an application sends the same telemetry when it's deliberately brought to the foreground?

Of course you don't.

That's why the idiotic "gotta disable Background Refresh immediately" comments are just that. Idiotic. Remove the app. Let software publishers know that what they're doing is not acceptable.
 
NY Guitarist said:
Wow, I just went to see which apps had background refresh enabled and they were ALL on!

I'm guessing the latest IOS update reset them, like it did my WiFi, bluetooth etc.
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No IOS update resets any such settings. It leaves them where they were before the update.
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JessWinter said:
Nope they're completely independent of each other. We've had push notifications on iPhone well before Background App Refresh was a thing. I've actually talked to many people who thought the same thing as you though. Perhaps Apple needs to explain it a bit better to consumers.

Background App Refresh "pulls" data constantly in the background (a somewhat intensive process compared to a push notification). "Push" notifications do not constantly pull data checking for an alert. The alert is "pushed" to the device by the server and then displays the notification. Hence the name.

So yeah, feel free to turn off Background App Refresh. It will not affect your push notifications from other apps at all.
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Thanks for that clarification.
 
Couldn't you just turn off background app refresh? I have mine off, don't really see the benefit of turning it on in the first place. I simply don't want apps running when I am not using them.
 
burgman said:
Bonus points for not understanding the user giving permission for background refresh without reading the app privacy T&C. I like using the app Weatherbug, until I read the T&C, I deleted it. The parent company is hovering up a lot of data having nothing to do with weather.
[doublepost=1559132732][/doublepost]
Ignorance is not a defense online anymore. Companies and some developers go to great lengths to hide behind confusing T&C language. Some good advice I received in a company meeting on security was stop using apps and just use a browser whenever possible, much more secure. Plus of course if it’s free, you’re the product.
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Understood - but if people don't push back, then nothing changes. Apple knows that privacy is increasingly important to their customers - hence their adverts. They need to be held to account - otherwise we are left with the Hobson's choice of two spying platforms ....
 
i read the article a while back maybe Washington Post. You can turn off background app refresh but the original article indicated there is still quite a bit of data being exchanged. No matter if background refresh is on or off.

run an outBound Fire Wall app such as Little Snitch or Radio Silence and you may see apps, some with a LOT of activity.

get a life:
Apple is a very secretive company so no wonder this and more is happening
 
dannyyankou said:
I guess I'm turning off Background App Refresh now. Battery will improve anyway.
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Aside from this article providing a prompt for me to activate PIA VIN on my phone, it also prompted me to completely turn off background refresh, as well. Hopefully my battery life will increase, too.
 
AngerDanger said:
That's IT! I'm switching to Android where I'll be safe from tracking! :mad:

;)
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On my rooted phone, I can block all apps from sending data I don't want them to send.
I will say it again and again. If you don't have administrator privilege on your device, you don't own it.
Would you accept a desktop PC when only the company that sold it to you had the sysadmin password or root?
No, you would not. So why does anyone accept it on a phone is beyond me.

I will not buy a phone with a boot loader I cannot unlock and do what I want, when I want.
I can install sniffers and ad blockers and change the host file to prevent nefarious tracking.
I own my phone.
 
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