Whether you like it or not, Google tracks your location at all times if you use any of their apps on your smartphone. Although sharing your location has benefits—such as quickly getting directions to a nearby restaurant or checking the local weather—you may prefer to prioritize your privacy over these conveniences.
Google claimed that pausing your location history would prevent them from storing your location. However, many Google apps, including Maps and Weather, continue to collect and store time-stamped location data without your permission, even when you activate the “Pause Location History” setting.
To fully stop Google from collecting your location data, you must also disable another setting called “Web & App Activity.” Google enables this setting by default, and its description does not make it clear that it tracks location data. Instead, it suggests the setting only affects search engine results.
Pausing these settings means you’ll lose personalized features, such as web browsing suggestions based on your location and history. However, you can feel at ease knowing Google is no longer tracking your every move on your smartphone.
If you have any questions about how location services affect your mobile device or want to learn more about network privacy and security, call OptfinITy at 703-790-0400 or visit www.optfinity.com.
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