Apple and Google have banned X-Mode, a major data broker, from collecting location from users whose mobile devices run iOS and Android, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday. The tech giants told developers they must remove X-Mode’s tracking software or risk being cut off from their app stores – and […]

You can stop Google from tracking your Android device by disabling Google’s “Location History” option, or by disabling specific apps. Google tracks your Android’s location at all times by default, and uses that information to give you traffic information, browsing recommendations, and more. Turning off location tracking may cause certain […]

You can stop Google from tracking your iPhone by disabling the “Location History” setting. Google apps that you download onto your iPhone track your location to give you real-time traffic information, location tags for your photos, and other features. Many iPhone apps also have their own location settings, which you […]

The US military purchases location data mined from seemingly ordinary smartphone apps, public procurement records show. One source of location data bought by the military is Muslim Pro, a prayer app with more than 98 million downloads worldwide, according to a new report from Vice’s Motherboard. Apps like Muslim Pro […]

Customs and Border Protection paid $US476,000 to Venntel, a firm that gathers and sells location data from people’s phones, according to government procurement records published this month. Venntel is currently being investigated by House lawmakers, who have raised concerns about its business of collecting people’s location data and selling it […]

Hundreds of thousands of bikers converged in Sturgis, South Dakota, in the first week of August for a massive annual rally. It was one of the biggest public gatherings in the US since the COVID-19 outbreak started. Newly released phone-location data shows where people travelled to attend the rally. The […]

The NSA warned members of the US military and intelligence community this week that their smartphone apps could be tracking them and put their security at risk. In guidance issued Tuesday, the agency noted that many apps make use of WiFi, GPS, and Bluetooth to collect mobile phone location information, […]

You can create a location on Instagram using Facebook’s “check-in” feature. To create a location on Instagram, you need to visit the Facebook app and create a new location by checking in and selecting the “I’m here right now” option. There is no way to create a new location using […]

All 50 states have started to reopen following COVID-19 shutdowns, with most restrictions on stores and restaurants being gradually lifted. But phone location data shows that people across the US are moving around less than usual, a sign that consumers might still be wary about shopping amid the pandemic. Even […]

Members of Congress have opened an investigation into a data analytics company that sells people’s phone location data to government agencies including the FBI and Department of Homeland Security. The company, Venntel, aggregates location data from smartphone apps including games and weather forecast apps, and in turn sells that data […]

Phone location data from millions of Americans’ devices shows how COVID-19 shutdown orders are impacting people’s mobility across the country. The data, gathered by location analytics firm Cuebiq, shows that millions more Americans have started leaving home and travelling to different counties in recent weeks as states reopen. Meanwhile, people […]

Google published a huge report of location data this week showing how people’s movement has changed during the coronavirus pandemic. The data details changes in attendance at: retail and recreation sites, groceries and pharmacies, parks, transit stations, workplaces, and residential locations. For the US Google broke down the data for […]

Google has released aggregated location data from 131 countries that shows how people are moving around during the coronavirus pandemic. The data compares footfall from up to a few days ago to a baseline taken from the beginning of this year. In many Western countries, visits to recreational and retail […]

Tile, which makes Bluetooth accessories, accused Apple of anticompetitive behaviour that has “gotten worse, not better” in a statement published Wednesday on the House of Representatives website. Tile first testified against Apple at a congressional hearing in January, after the firms’ relationship soured amid ongoing rumours that Apple planned to […]

You can share your location between an iPhone and Android device by using Google Maps’ “Share your location” feature. Google Maps lets you send your exact location in a text message, which can be sent between iPhones and Android devices with no issue. When you share your location, you can […]

The New York Times was able to track the movements of President Donald Trump using mobile phone data. The Times said it used leaked phone data to track the movements of someone in his entourage, believed to be a Secret Service agent, as well as found the agent’s name and […]

If your location is wrong on your iPhone, there are a number of ways you can fix it to get a more accurate location. Make sure location services are enabled for the app you’re using, and that both the app and your iOS are fully updated. You can also try […]