Is WhatsApp tracking me? - Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

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It's written that it's sharing my real time location. I didn't share it to anyone and whatsapp has no location permission.
Recently my battery started draining faster, I tried to find out why, and found this:
Whatsapp keep accessing these movement sensors and this is not something you can block with the permission system.
For instance, this can be used to track if you are staying at home or moving around during quarantine.
Or make a profile of you, how much time do you spent in the same place.

WhatsApp has a state-of-the-art GPS location technology built-in.
Just for the sake of saving battery life, in Android you can disable GPS, which is the feature that will drain the battery the most: Google Settings -> Location -> Mode -> Battery saving.
Doing so only Wi-Fi and mobile networks are used to determine your location.

jwoegerbauer said:
WhatsApp has a state-of-the-art GPS location technology built-in.
Just for the sake of saving battery life, in Android you can disable GPS, which is the feature that will drain the battery the most: Google Settings -> Location -> Mode -> Battery saving.
Doing so only Wi-Fi and mobile networks are used to determine your location.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But Android blocks the access to all those info unless you give the app permission to location, and the location permission is denied for whatsapp.
And that notification is supposed to appear only when you share your real-time location with a contact, but I didn't share my location with anyone.

Related

[GUIDE] How to fix battery drain on 4.4.2 Roms

Ok, I've been experiencing battery drain on latest 4.4.2 roms like Resurrection Remix and Mokee, and finally I've solved it, searching on the internet I found that the problem was related to wi-fi keeping the phone awake, it didn't entered on deep sleep, first I thought it was because of location services creating a wakelock but that wasn't the case, the problem is your router configuration, this is how you solve it:
1. You have to go to your router configuration webpage, mines 192.168.1.1 on my internet browser.
2. You have to look for your wireless advanced settings, we're looking for this settings:
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Here's the trick, if your router is affected and is causing you wakelocks, default value of Beacon Interval will be 100, and DTIM Interval will be something like 1.
DTIM interval is how many intervals the router buffers data, so that devices in sleep mode will wake up and catch the information. Default on many affected routers is 1, meaning that the phone wakes up for every bacon, or 10 times per second.
Beacon Interval should be reduced to 50. This may seem counterintuitive, but your phone, if it mistimes waking for a beacon, will stay awake until the next beacon. This cuts that wake time in half, thus conserving battery.
3. Change the value of DTIM interval to "30", and Beacon interval to "50".
4. Reboot your router.
You should notice improved battery life, I also revoked auth permissions of Google Search app for keeping the phone awake and location, you guys could try that too.
Hope this helps, please let me know if this worked for you guys
Source

[App Tool] My GPS Location Switcher: fake your GPS position

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My GPS Location Switcher is a new and free android app that allows to fake your location and makes you look as if you are in another place (city or country).
the app doesn't need the GPS to be turned on, just your network connection would do the job. My GPS Location Switcher will change your current location, and makes any third party apps that uses or needs your gps position (like social media apps) believe you are in a different place.
​you can use the app to have fun with their friends making them believe you are in another place. and what's great is that the app doesn't need root access, just download and enjoy playing games on your friens and family.
the app is very useful when used with GEO-location-based apps such as:
- social media apps: twitter,facebook,whatsapp...
- dating app.
- travelling apps.
- navigation apps.
- chat apps.
links
google play store
direct download​
Nice app work good and do what we expect of it, despite a simple and concise interface, a little lack of option to activation or desactivation rapid thanks to a pop-up that can be discreet.
Hoping that soon the application can be ad-free.
ty
really good sir

Location Method changing automatically

Hi All,
ive found a new annoyance with my phone recently. I always keep my phone location settings on battery saver mode as i believe having it on high accuracy all the time does make a difference to stand by drain with google's constant requests of location data.
however recently it seems the phone changes to high accuracy mode by itself after a few hours - anyone know which app/setting may cause this? Wifi calling used to do this but i no longer use - must be another setting somewhere?
Go to the Settings search bar and type: "Send Last Location", you'll wind up here:
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The "Send Last Location" bumps up your location accuracy when your battery is low so you can find your phone when it dies.
Good find! Although my battery is on 6% atm and it's still on battery saver mode so thinking it isn't that ?
I have noticed the same thing. I picked up that the native weather app is turning on the gps to high accuracy when updating the weather.
I had a look at that app and when I launch it - it did ask to change my accuracy to high so thinking it can't be that either ? Kinda annoying trying to find this rogue setting / app
What I do is just refresh the app on the widget and not to open the app, I picked up that even if I say to turn on gps later, it switches it to high automatically

How do apps know what area code I have without granting phone permission?

So do Instagram and apps know what area code I have without granting phone permission? I want to disable this. I have an app called Package Disabler Pro where I can disable different functions and stuff but can't figure out this one...
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The app Package Disabler Pro - as its name implies - only disables ( read: freezes ) a package at a whole but not specific app features.
jwoegerbauer said:
The app Package Disabler Pro - as its name implies - only disables ( read: freezes ) a package at a whole but not specific app features.
Click to expand...
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I see, but I would still like to know how apps can get the country code that people are in
Your internet connection, mobile data connection, and GPS are the three principal ways that any app can retrieve, thus knowing your location.
jwoegerbauer said:
Your internet connection, mobile data connection, and GPS are the three principal ways that any app can retrieve, thus knowing your location.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am using a VPN and also I use FakeGPS location app that spoofs my location. Instagram even recognizes my spoofed location. I have also turned off WiFi and bluetooth location scanning as well in the settings.

Problem with option that cannot be turned off

Hello,
I am writing here because I have encountered an error and I cannot find a solution to fix it anywhere.
I have Redmi Note 5 with MIUI 11.0.3.
I clicked Optimise Battery and among other options to optimise the option "Save power when device is locked" was ticked by default. Than I clicked green button "Add X minutes". Than I realised this option causes the GPS to turn off when device is locked. But there is no way now to turn off this option "save power when device is locked". It is nowhere to be found in settings.
Looks like it is a software error, where battery optimizer turns on this option but there is no way to turn it off later in any way.
I am attaching a screenshot, you can see this option in "optimised" category and there is nothing to be done to turn this off.
Please help me how to disable this option, because having GPS when device is locked is important to me.
Thanks
Konrad Dolowy
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You can't keep GPS on while screen is off and in power saver mode.
However you can keep google navigation on in the background, which in return can keep the GPS on no matter what is your state of your device.
Or you can download this app, it claims to keep GPS on in background. (Probably uses the same logic of google navigation)
I haven't tested the app though. And I think it would stop working once you turn power saver mode, and didn't add the app to whitelist.
I believe google find my device can keep GPS on in the background as well, even in power saver mode. (Since it has administrator permission)
I recommend trying google find my device first. I wouldn't feel safe sharing my location with too much apps, and google is enough.
Similarly you can try adding any app that uses GPS to the whitelist.
Hope I helped.

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