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.
Research Claiming Android Collects 20x More User Data Than iOS 'Off By An Order of Magnitude,' Says Google
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Google and Apple both collect data from their users on their respective mobile operating systems, even when users are simply browsing the settings page or inserting a SIM card. Android, however, collects 20x more data from users compared to iOS, according to newly published research.
A study from Douglas Leith at Trinity College, reported by Ars Technica, says that while both OSes collect data from their users regularly, Android fair exceeded the amount collected compared to Apple's iOS.
Specifically, Leith says that, for example, on device startup, Android sends around 1MB of user data back to Google, while iOS only transmits about 42KB. Sitting idle, Android sends around 1MB of user data to Google every 12 hours, compared to Apple only receiving around 52KB over the same 12 hour period.
While the research clearly shows that Android collects more data from users, there are significant caveats. Leith says he used a jailbroken iPhone 8 running iOS 13.6.1 for the study, meaning the data is based on an iOS version that most iPhone and iPad users are no longer currently running. On Android, Leith used a Google Pixel 2, running Android 10, released last year.
In a statement, Google calls the researched flawed, stating that the notion that Android collects more user data compared to iOS is "off by an order of magnitude."
Apple told Ars Technica that it "provides transparency and control for personal information it collects" and that the research "gets things wrong." The research is available as a PDF for those interested in learning more.
Article Link: Research Claiming Android Collects 20x More User Data Than iOS 'Off By An Order of Magnitude,' Says Google
| This research is great to see how we are being constantly followed and profiled by Google and Apple. We need more privacy respecting options for mobile phones, such as /e/ OS mentioned in the research. It should be easy to use for non-technical users, and guard privacy by default. I believe e foundation does a good job in providing a user-friendly and private android. |
Both iOS and Google Android transmit telemetry, despite the user explicitly opting out of this.