Google can use Bluetooth to track phones even with Bluetooth turned off (2018)

Re:Google can use Bluetooth to track phones even with Blueto... by scatters on Monday April 13, 2020 @12:11PM (#22857066)

Having location history means that Maps knows places I visit often, so they're highlighted on the map and in the search box, saving time if I want to navigate there or find out opening times. It speeds up time-to-fix with GPS. It allows Google Pay to have the supermarket loyalty card ready when I get to the checkout. Little things like that.

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Re:Google can use Bluetooth to track phones even with Blueto... by markstos on Monday April 13, 2020 @01:34PM (#22857941)

Last time I checked, Google Pay stores your credit card number in the cloud, which is not necessary. Both Apple Pay and Garmin Pay only store the card in an encrypted form locally.

So giving Google my location history so I can also give them my credit card numbers when they don't need those either is not considered a feature.

I use Google Maps frequently and have been bothered by any behavior changes there. My home address auto-completes easily enough and in some contexts Google clearly does seem to know my "Home" address (which I'd tell them if they just asked if they didn't want my lifetime location history along with it).

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Re:Google can use Bluetooth to track phones even with Blueto... by soared on Monday April 13, 2020 @02:16PM (#22858387)

Google pay works on many different devices, something apple and garmin don't need at the same scale. I have google pay on a couple different laptops, phones, and tablets and wouldn't want to re-enter details 10 times.

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Re:Google can use Bluetooth to track phones even with Blueto... by reaperducer on Monday April 13, 2020 @05:56PM (#22860602)

I have google pay on a couple different laptops, phones, and tablets and wouldn't want to re-enter details 10 times.

If I save a credit card on my iPhone it saves that information to all of my iOS devices, and all of my Macs automatically. Even devices going back to 2012.

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Re:Google can use Bluetooth to track phones even with Blueto... by three_seagrass on Monday April 13, 2020 @02:53PM (#22858776)

Google pay is also more of a competitor with Paypal than Apple pay. Not very many websites allow Apple pay on a desktop, for example.

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Re:Google can use Bluetooth to track phones even with Blueto... by catalogia on Monday April 13, 2020 @12:24PM (#22857185)

> It speeds up time-to-fix with GPS

There has been something seriously fucked with Google Maps in this particular regard. On my phone with my location/privacy settings, it takes Google Maps 5-10x times as long to get a location fix as it takes OSMAnd. It works eventually, but it's dog slow.

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