Aside from an on-going scandal about tracking the user’s location, a study shows that an idle Android device sends data to Google nearly ten times than an iOS device sends to Apple’s servers.
In the study conducted by Vanderbilt University Professor Douglas Schmidt – published by Digital Content Next, an Android phone with Chrome running in the background sent location data to Google 340 times within a 24-hour period.
Location data is said to have accounted for 35% of all traffic back to Google – setting a rate nearing 50 times than an iPhone with Safari.
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On the other hand, Google can’t collect much of any data from the browser Safari or its host device unless a person is actively using it, Prof. Schmidt noted.
Just a week ago, Google has confirmed that it continues to log location data even when a “Location History” setting is disabled. Additionally, user must also disable a setting called “Web and App Activity” to completely stop tracking location.
As a result, Google was invited for a class action lawsuit which might force them to amend its policies to avoid payout.
Source: Apple Insider