You can shut down location access to "friends" but not to law enforcement and the U.S government
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Is my phone telling people where I am??
- Thread starter heycal
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
You can shut down location access to "friends" but not to law enforcement and the U.S government
It sounds like there's likely something else going on there not related to sharing of location or at least any active/ongoing sharing.
I took a photo of White House . Would you believe it, people knew I was in Washington DC. Go figure.
I decided to fake em out. Took a picture of a picture of Niagra Falls. And I wasn't in Buffalo. Boy did that confuse em.
This whole thing wreaks of a Google app sharing data as an "opt-out" feature. I imagine that some Google app on your phone has a location sharing "feature" for "your convenience" and is tracking/sharing your location.
I would take a deeper look at any Google apps you have and their settings. Both apps on your phone as well as Google accounts that you access via your phone.
I would take a deeper look at any Google apps you have and their settings. Both apps on your phone as well as Google accounts that you access via your phone.
I agree. The fact that someone could tell my location AND my location history is baffling and disturbing.
"You can modify privacy settings in Settings > Privacy. You can select a type of data from this list to see which apps have asked for permission to use that data. An app won't appear on the list until it asks permission to use your data. You can add or remove permission from any app that has asked for access to data. An app can use your data only if you have given it your permission.
If you allow third-party apps or websites to use your data or your current location, you're subject to their terms, privacy policies, and practices. You should review the terms, privacy policies, and practices of the apps and websites to understand how they use your location and other information. Information Apple collects will be treated in accordance with Apple's Privacy Policy."
"The first time an app tries to access your location, even in the background, it will ask for your permission. You'll see which app is asking for permission to use your location, and the app's developer may also explain how their app uses your location."
My guess is that when setting up some app at some point you just tapped "Allow" and have since forgotten about it.
It's really very simple - turn off location service for everything but Google maps/maps, find myphone, weather apps, and Siri and you'll be golden.
Something gave out your location earlier...if you are unwilling to spend time to parse the permitted apps down, not much else can be done.
The adage about "leading the horse to water" comes to mind...
Something gave out your location earlier...if you are unwilling to spend time to parse the permitted apps down, not much else can be done.
The adage about "leading the horse to water" comes to mind...
Last edited:
Believe me, I'm happy to spend whatever time is necessary to solve this problem. I've researched it, quizzed my friend relentlessly, started a thread about it. Spending time is not the issue. I want to know what is causing the problem, and why. Telling me to turn off "Yelp - while using" or whatever is not likely to explain the problem, or assure me that this can't happen again to me, or to one of you.
What app could possibly tell my android-using friend both my location and my location history? Particularly since my instinct in the first place is to err towards more privacy, not less, whenever setting up a device or new app. I don't even allow my own phone to track my locations or history.
Based on your settings, it does't appear that you are sharing your location with anyone unless you have an app installed that is doing it. My guess is that
It doesn't mean it was your phone they tracked though. It could be a laptop or another device you used. Also, it doesn't sound like she is tracking you real time as she just showed you stuff in the past, so that should get you in the right direction.
The locations she provided should have a date and time. Just think back to what you were doing at that date and time and what devices were on you?
Unfortunately she did not preserve the evidence, and has been unable to recreate the conditions under which she saw it. But I'm bugging her like hell to try to
She says she saw two different things:
1) In her contacts, it said something like:
Heycal
Heycal location
Heycal location
She clicked on one of them, and was taken to google earth and saw my general location. She said she deleted both 'location' things quickly without studying them because she found it invasive and spooky.
She then noticed the same thing for one other contact, but did not click on it and deleted that one as well. She says she does not see it for any of her other 300 or so contacts.
2) Then, in a separate place, she said she was given my past locations. My only other device is a Mac Air that rarely leaves the house, and was never at any of the locations she remembers seeing for me.
Unfortunately she did not preserve the evidence, and has been unable to recreate the conditions under which she saw it. But I'm bugging her like hell to try to
She says she saw two different things:
1) In her contacts, it said something like:
Heycal
Heycal location
Heycal location
She clicked on one of them, and was taken to google earth and saw my general location. She said she deleted both 'location' things quickly without studying them because she found it invasive and spooky.
She then noticed the same thing for one other contact, but did not click on it and deleted that one as well. She says she does not see it for any of her other 300 or so contacts.
2) Then, in a separate place, she said she was given my past locations. My only other device is a Mac Air that rarely leaves the house, and was never at any of the locations she remembers seeing for me.
Honestly, I think since she has Android and you have an iPhone, you guys must have been messing around with Google Latitude at some point. https://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/02/see-where-your-friends-are-with-google.html
I don't think it is an issue with your phone and I would review your settings with Google Earth and Latitude on your laptop or any other device you use them on.
I don't think that could be it. I've rarely used google earth, don't seem to knowingly have it on my phone or laptop in any obvious way, and have never heard of Google Latitude, much less fooled around with it. I doubt she has either. (She is a 50 year old mother of two kids who's not particularly phone savvy or interested in such things.) Also, in reading about this Latitude thing on that link, it says "everything is opt in", which I would never do.
Not only that, my friend is only just now telling me she is not sure if it was google earth or google maps she was taken to. I think there is a difference, no? She says she also does not knowingly have google earth on her phone. I believe she is referring to a satellite image on google maps, which is probably her default setting for google maps. So perhaps we should strike the term 'google earth' from the record. Sorry.
There must be some other explanation. I'm hoping someone can crack this case!
Last edited:
Two big things I can see here, the Google app and google maps. On android Google can learn where you normally go and tell you when you should leave to get there in time and offer you better "suggestions", has location on it always been set to "when using"?. Also the Google maps app I'm assuming can do something similar to keep you updated on traffic and other things. It seems like since your friend had an android these apps might be set to share these locations with "friends" and the software on her device allowed her to get to that easier?
I believe both google and google maps have always been purposely set to "while using" in the belief that I would find this helpful while navigating or looking for 'pizza near me'. Do most of you have yours set to 'never'? The only new thing I can think of is that I added google now recently. But I'm pretty certain that all my settings in these apps are always set to not share or track my location.
Also, what importance or relevance might it have that my friend has an android? I would think that someone with an iphone could theoretically retrieve the same information she has, particularly since we've yet to identity what or how she saw the information she did, which was both my current location, and -- in a separate place -- my location history.
Also, what importance or relevance might it have that my friend has an android? I would think that someone with an iphone could theoretically retrieve the same information she has, particularly since we've yet to identity what or how she saw the information she did, which was both my current location, and -- in a separate place -- my location history.
Seems like without some more actual details from the friend and some more actual exprimentation with that and your device(s) to rule things out and/or narrow things down, there's probably not much more that could be said beyond what's been suggested and mentioned earlier in the thread.
About the only thing I could see is the messages app seems to have a send location and share my location function, even for non-iPhone users.
I don't currently use moves, but I do see it set to track me under location services. Messages is set to Never. That said, I can tell you that at least once in the last year, I have somehow accidentally sent a message to this friend sharing my location, a little map with a pin on it. But could that account for her ability to both see where I was weeks later, and to also name a number of locations I've been at?
So this is from the Moves app description:
Moves is an automatic diary of your life. Your daily storyline and maps show where, when, and how much you move. The app is always on, so there’s no need to start and stop it. Just keep your phone in your pocket or your bag.
I am guessing this is a the culprit but who knows!
I think it's highly unlikely. It has been set to off for months and months now. I msyelf can not trace or locate any of my past movements. To do so, I would need to click "resume tracking". And even if it were somehow secretly tracking my movements, how and why would it share them with another person, particularly one who doesn't have an iphone and doesn't even know what the 'moves' app is?
[doublepost=1465421024][/doublepost]
Can you think of specific experiments or specific details that could help? Unfortunately, she can't remember details nor recreate the information, but she -- and I -- are certainly willing to try out specific suggestions.