Why does fitbit require location to be turned on?

[CromeX]

Guys I know there has been a thread about this before, but knowone answered the actual questioning that thread.

Why does fitbit require location service to work all of a sudden? Doesn't anyone think this is a breach of privacy?

Why does fitbit need to physically know where we are? There are quitenough a few security issues with this, not to mention the annoyance of switching on the location just for fitbit.

How can we synchronise without locations services?

[Rich_Laue]

@CromeX the only time Fitbit asks for your location is ehen it is tracking an activity such as a Run.

Fitbit could not care if you have location enabled to sync, but Fitbit realises tgst if your running Android 6 or above, Android requires location on before the phone will oass on the required information Fitbit needs.

Oh and why does Android request location turned on? Im not sure but it is a step that was made to protect the security of your phone in closing a known bluetooth  exploit.

This was not a decision Fitbit made, and can be confirmed by doing a search of "bluetooth location", it is well documented on the dev.android site. Oh and this decision of Android affected other step counters along with manybluetooth tracking devices.

[Lewtwin]

So the answer is that they need to monitor your movement through Android ..... and not make a better pedometer/HR that interfaces with your phone... that ladies and gentlemen is called profiling.  Fitbit went from ok to creepy.

[gdio53]

---

@Lewtwin wrote:

So the answer is that they need to monitor your movement through Android ..... and not make a better pedometer/HR that interfaces with your phone... that ladies and gentlemen is called profiling.  Fitbit went from ok to creepy.

---

@Lewtwin  It has nothing to do with Fitbit, it's a Google requirement for Android versions Marshmallow and newer.   Try an internet search for "android bluetooth location on".

[Rich_Laue]

 I don't understand what your implying @Lewtwin.

There are two ways fitbit monitors your movement the main way ius from the tracker you are wearing, is that creepy?

The second way is when the go's is turned on by the users requesting GPS recording during an event. Does that sound creepy?

During a sync the OS or Fitbit do not request the phones location.

The only reason location needs to be on is because Android says so, fitbit is simply reminding the user that it needs to be on. Do a search and you will find this is the same for almost every tracker on the market.

Of course it is real easy for a user to prove that no app or OS requests location during a sync. Simply do a sync then look at the location history request list.

Having location on is like unlocking the front door to your house, anyone could enter but they first will need to have they desire. Nobody is requiring you to walk through the door. Now if location services are off the front door is locked and the desire to enter is prohibited. Turning location services on does not make the phone or any app look at the phones location, it simply unlocks the door allowing an app to retrieve the location.

Of course the service provider and your OS don't care, they get your location a completely different way.

[Lewtwin]

Well.... nuts. Now that I did that I don't want to use my phone anymore.

[Lewtwin]

Yep. You're right, now that I did the research. Still, having my location
traced or tracked feels creepy. I can't blame fitbit. I have to blame
myself for wanting the ease interopability between IOTs and GPS on my
phone. This makes me just want to go back to analog.

[Rich_Laue]

May I ask what research you did? 

Did you read up on this in the beta.androd.org site? 

[Eightimmortals]

This is an issue for me too, I DO NOT want google tracking my every movement and run my phone with location services off.  We bought 2 fitbits for Christmas not knowing of this breach of privacy issue and would appreciate if someone could come up with an answer that is a bit more elegant than having to turn on location services just to upload my fitbit data.

Thanks

[Rich_Laue]

I'll try first let's go to the Androids developers site

This way you get the info from the developer. 

Fitbit scans for the Bluetooth MAC address to relay this info to the Fitbit server. The server uses the MAC address to identify the users account. 

Android had a major BT security leak in android 5 and earlier when an app searched for the BT Mac if a device. They came up with a way to close this security hole, unfortunately android now requires location services to be on. 

Note I did not say location is needed to be determined. Location services does not mean that location will be asked for. 

If you find that having location services on drains the battery. It is because you have apps or websites that are asking for the phones location. 

Yes turning location off will prevent apps from gaining location, but it is not the correct way to do this. The correct way is to revoke access through the apps permissions. 

[Eightimmortals]

HI Rich, 

Thanks for the quick reply. I understand that location may not be asked for or accessed by Fitbit but having it on will (I'm fairly certain) add my location data to googles tracking services which I do not want. So it is not so much an app having access to location services that is my concern as much as the android OS itself.  **ahem** others have noted there are may devices that do not require location services to be turned on. My car stereo and portable BT speaker for just 2 examples. I guess the argument is that those devices don't have to phone home and fitbit does?  I also read that fitbit are trying to work on a better solution to this issue.  In the meantime I guess I'll just have to keep turning it on to sync at the end of each day.

Cheers

[CromeX]

Are we all missing the discussion about the legality of collecting user data for a different purpose other than what it was the original intention. syncing fitbit data to a users phone while, google is storing unnecessary locatiom data. Which I might add is illegal under EU law.

[Eightimmortals]

Hi CromeX,

Not missing it, being intrusive is what Google does.  If we don't 'have' to turn on location services then that should sort it out from at least one avenue. (Do a search on the 'information industrial complex' all very interesting and scary).

Cheers

[Rich_Laue]

@CromeX you will need to take that up with Google,, it Fitbit. 

I will say that you did agree to this when setting up the phone. It is on the form most people do not read and blindly accept. 

[SunsetRunner]

I am extremely annoyed by this, while what Fitbit says about not keeping track of a user's location, Google sure as hades is keeping track.  Although I don't like Apple, that is what my company issues so I am using my work phone to sync.  

On occasions when I do use my personal phone, Google sends me reminders to see where I have been.  As if I need to be reminded where I live.

[JulieCC]

I download Google Maps to my phone. Then I can use without location on. I very rarely have it on.  I also have Google set not to track me when it is.

JUST got a Flex 2. Going to try keeping it off. It IS a phone battery drainer. As is BT.

[Rich_Laue]

Interesting, how does the phone know it's location with the location services off? 

BTW turning on location services does not turn on location. but turning off location services prevents app from getting your location. 

The android OS does not look at the location, as the title of this thread implies, but the OS wants location services on. 

[Rich_Laue]

Interesting, how does the phone know it's location with the location services off? 

BTW turning on location services does not turn on location. but turning off location services prevents app from getting your location. 

The android OS does not look at the location, as the title of this thread implies, but the OS wants location services on. 

Garmon and several other companies have been affected by this change and discussions on this may be found in dev.android.org

[Arrendalek]

Have to reply to this one. My charge HR would not synch data on Android 6
without my allowing location in my phone to be activated. At the time it
was a real pain because I had to spend time turning it on, synching, then
turning it back off because gps and location tracking was a battery drainer
on my phone. I was planning to step up to the blaze, but this issue was a
deal breaker and I fired them for a much better product and have never
regretted it.

[Eightimmortals]

What are you using now?

[Arrendalek]

S3 classic