Yes, Google collects your location, but only if you let it

I was just reading an article today that caught my attention, only because it compared Android and iOS(which is always a hot topic). This time around, TNW posted an article about how Android phones sent your location data anonymously to Google, much the same way that iPhone’s were recently discovered to send location data to Apple. They were also aware that Android phones stored that data on your phone. Go ahead and read the post, then come back and read the rest.

While I wasn’t able to get my head around the storing part, I can easily solve the part where your phone sends your location to Google. Remember the first time you got your new Android phone, or every time you’ve had to do a factory reset when you switch ROMs(which is how I thought about this)? After signing in to your Google account, the screen above pops up. As you can plainly see, it asks you if it is okay for your phone to send location data anonymously to Google. If you don’t like it, uncheck the box. It’s that simple people. Google gives you the choice, you just actually need to read the fine print sometimes.

As I said earlier, if your phone is storing some location data, that is still a problem. It may only store the data if you have checked the box, and after the data is sent to Google it deletes itself. I am unable to verify this only because I do not have the skills or know-how to find this information. What I do know is that Google is still giving you the option, just like it has promised. If you really want to make sure that your phone isn’t sending data, do a factory reset(Settings>Privacy>Factory Reset). Then just make sure you uncheck that box this time around.