Android sync without "enabling location"

[cBitFit]

The new android dash is fabulous.  Have been using it instead of my PC, since its release.  Unfortunately, with the last update, the app is currently asking android 6 users that have location disabled, to "enable location to sync".

I would like a new android app feature:  sync, even if location is not enabled.

My reasons for this post:

- preservation of my phones battery life, and preservation of my privacy.  I take my privacy seriously and would choose to delete the app, rather than "enabling location to sync"

- I called tech support about this issue and they strongly encouraged my to submit this post, and they supplied me with the link to do so.

- it would take little effort to implement (or should I say re-implement) this feature, because prior to last week, the android app did in fact sync, even when location was not enabled.

[SunsetRunner]

Why does the location on my phone need to be turned on to do a sync?  This shouldn't be.

[KellieFit]

Yes, I agree and want this feature too.

Please implement android sync, without requiring "location" to be enabled. 

I value my privacy also.  The discussion boards 'imply' that location must be enabled to perform BLE scans.  I don't appreciate that the app is now attempting to perform BLE scans, instead of just syncing with my specific fitbit device.

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@cBitFit wrote:

The new android dash is fabulous.  Have been using it instead of my PC, since its release.  Unfortunately, with the last update, the app is currently asking android 6 users that have location disabled, to "enable location to sync".

I would like a new android app feature:  sync, even if location is not enabled.

My reasons for this post:

- preservation of my phones battery life, and preservation of my privacy.  I take my privacy seriously and would choose to delete the app, rather than "enabling location to sync"

- I called tech support about this issue and they strongly encouraged my to submit this post, and they supplied me with the link to do so.

- it would take little effort to implement (or should I say re-implement) this feature, because prior to last week, the android app did in fact sync, even when location was not enabled.

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[ardianmusliu]

Totally reasonable. +1 vote

[Julia_G]

This was a change made by Android developers in their latest upgrade, apparently to plug a security hole, and is not related to any change made by Fitbit.  Therefore this is something that needs to be addressed by the Android team, not the Fotbit team.

[cBitFit]

I spoke to fitbit support about this issue twice.  The first time I was given an explanation similar to Julia_G's comment.  The explanation didn't make sense to me, because my app is still syncing with my blaze, despite my refusal to "enable location to sync".  Here is my proof:

I  contacted tech support a second time, and was given a link to this forum, and was asked to post this as a new feature request.  I agree with KellieFit.  I just need my phone to continue to sync with my already paired blaze.  I don't want to sacrifice my privacy and battery life so my phone can use "location services" to find and sync other devices.

I would therefore respectfully encourage anyone with battery life or privacy concerns to help out and vote for this new feature request.

[JoruusC]

It is NOT necessary to enable location to sync an already connected device. However, if you want to connect a new device you need to enable the feature for the duration of the search, after that it can be disabled again.

It's an issue of android but a necessary one because it's supposed to make it harder to track your phone and your devices without your permission.

So there is really nothing Fitbit can do about it. Perhaps the request should aim at the warning in-app to be disabled.

[Rich_Laue]

First enabling location services does not turn on the location, it simply u locks the door allowing an app to have access to your location.

The kain reason for location services to be on is because Google, not Fitbit,  says it needs to be! Tgink about it, why is it only Android 6 and up, why not Android 5 and under, not apple, not windows?

In Android 5 and under there was found to be a very high risk security hole in the operating system. For some reason Google only discovered it in android 5 or 6, and stupidly, for your phones health and to help protect your phones security and personal information, choose to fix this security hole. How dare they do this! 

In any case your OS requires that location services, not location, be on when an app is asking for a devices bluetooth MAC address.

Fitbit uses this MAC to identify the account associated with the device.

So basically until Google finds a different way to protect you their user, the location services must be on to sync.

Just a not, durring a sync, fitbit does not look at or request the location of the phone, this can be confirmed by looking at the recent location history request screen.

[cBitFit]

I agree with the fact as stated by JoruusC, and if this feature request were closed by disabling the pink alert message, that would be fine too:

Fact:  "It is NOT necessary to enable location to sync an already connected device"

While enabling location services is not necessary to sync a connected device, doing so does more than simply "unlock a door" as suggested by Rich_Laue.  It allows the app to perform BLE scans, and this is a privacy concern.  A phone performing BLE scans is not invisible/anonymous in a public place.  The scans are easily detected by potential hackers, and can make a phone a target for an attack.

I understand that some users don't care, and that's fine.  Fitbit should care, along with users concerned about privacy/hacking.

Would still encourage votes if you want this resolved.

[cmaligno]

I agree totally!!

[Toddo1962]

I am not buying that this is a google issue. My wife told me her fitbit was not syncing so after looking at it found that she was correct. I also have the same fitbit she does and mine was working fine. So I went and updated the FITBIT app on my android phone and guess what, now I am required to have location services on. How can that be a google issue when I only updated the fitbit app?

I too will be getting rid of my fitbit if this is not corrected. My wife will also get rid of hers.

[Toddo1962]

I am not buying that this is a google issue. My wife told me her fitbit was not syncing so after looking at it found that she was correct. I also have the same fitbit she does and mine was working fine. So I went and updated the FITBIT app on my android phone and guess what, now I am required to have location services on. How can that be a google issue when I only updated the fitbit app.

I too will be getting rid of my fitbit if this is not corrected. My wife will also get rid of hers.

[Rich_Laue]

@Toddo1962 you may believe what you want, but I'm sure Fitbit had nothing to do with the change to Garmon

https://www.google.com/amp/forums.androidcentral.com/garmin/675228-location-services-required-connec...

Or VivoSmart

https://support.google.com/nexus/forum/AAAANseOu18CfAImC9ccms/?hl=en

Or others 

http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/160479/why-do-i-need-to-turn-on-gps-to-pair-with-a-blueto...

[cBitFit]

I agree with Toddo1962, not Rich_Laue.  The android 6 screenshot I previously posted proves that it is NOT necessary to enable location to sync an already connected device.  This has been confirmed by JoruusC.

Also, the Garmin link posted by Rich_Laue confirms that enabling location services/BLE scans "expedites battery drain", which is one of the reasons we should have "android sync without enabling location."

When Google released android 6/marshmallow, they put the user back in control of their privacy, and battery life.  For myself, that enabled me to start using the android fitbit app instead of my PC, because I could disable location services, camera access, photo access, etc., protecting my privacy and preserving my battery life.  Some of the Fitbit team wants us to enable location services, despite Google giving us the ability to say no.

I respectfully encourage anyone concerned about privacy, and extending battery life to vote.

[AngelaDang]

I just updated my app since I bought a new phone and found out that it is now required to turn on location to sync my Fitbit. Quite frankly, I find this ridiculous. Its already a battery drain to have my bluetooth on all day, I don't want to turn on my location all day as well. I'm fine with leaving my bluetooth on and having my Fitbit automatically sync. However, turning on both is tedious and unnecessary. Please work together with Google and take away this requirement!

[Rich_Laue]

@AngelaDang you will need to take th8s up with google, not Fitbit.

Tye app is just remind8ng you that Google now requires location services to be on. There is now request for location that happens.

This just happens to be the way google closed the huge security hole found in your old phone. The same hole that allowed several stars to have their phone contacts stolen and published on the internet.

Sorry

[cBitFit]

I remain a strong supporter of this feature for all the technical reasons previously posted, and have really appreciated hearing the various opinions of others.

I feel strongly that android app users that have concerns about the how the app affects their privacy and their devices battery life, ought to be able to voice their opinion to this community and fitbit. 

Rich_Laue - shame on you for repeatedly tolling supporters of this feature, while failing to articulate any valid technical details yourself.  Calling anyone out with "you will need to... Sorry." is just wrong in so many ways.  Shame on you. 

[Julia_G]

@cBitFit and others, if you google this yu will find that this affects all connections that use bluetooth low energy connecting to Android 6 and above -- Garmin, Withings, etc... It is really not a decision made by Fitbit and @Rich_Laue is just trying to explain to you that you are complaining to the wrong people in the wrong place

[cBitFit]

There is one fact in particular that has been verified by several forum members:

Fact:  "It is NOT necessary to enable location to sync an already connected device"

Regardless of this fact, in a previous release, the fitbit developers chose to indiscriminately display a pink bar saying "Enable Location to Sync", irrespective of whether or not the android phone was already connected (paired) to the user's fitbit.  I discussed this with tech support, and they said that the only way to indicate concerns and/or preferences to the fitbit developers, is to post a new feature request.  They suggested highlighting the issues/concerns, as opposed to suggesting a solution.

The good news is that the developers subsequently modified the app so that the pink bar and message is no longer displayed when the app has previously connected to the users fitbit.  Perhaps the reason they did this is that many fitbit owners have concerns about enabling location, because doing so reduces their phones battery life, and it makes their phone visible to potential attackers.

Julia_G has twice made the point that this new feature request should be addressed by google, not fitbit.  The above explanation (and screenshots previously posted) demonstrates otherwise. 

There is also another rebuttal to Julia_G's point that, fortunately, many marshmallow (android 6) users understand very well:  Google, did a great thing for its users when is allowed us to block services (like Location) on a per app basis in android 6, regardless of the services the app requests access to.

So, as far as I'm concerned, Google has already addressed the point made by Julia_G:  Google gave us the ability to disable Location.  But fitbit, unwittingly tried to get everyone to permanently enable it, instead of perhaps calling for location just for pairing, not syncing.

Hope this explanation, which has already been made previously in this thread, helps 🙂

If you're concerned about privacy and battery life, please support this feature so that fitbit developers get the message.  Imho, Google already understand this and made a great choice in Android 6 by allowing us to override the fitbit app preferences and disable Location services.

If you're trying to pair a new device, a workaround for you might be to enable location services, pair, and then disable location services and the apps access to it.  The downside is that this is complicated.  Let's let the developers find a solution that is easy for the user - assuming enough people continue to support this new feature request.

ps - I appreciate Julia_G's post because it forced me to think about whether I could explain the issue in a clearer way.  Hopefully, now that that has been done, maybe folks that originally thought that this was a pure android issue could more easily support this.

[Rich_Laue]

Yes @cBitFit seversl have descovered that by using a third party app to fool the OS into thinking location services are on have been able to circumvent the security update that google installed. This third party app also has its security problems and a different set of drawbacks.

Also having location services on does not mean the app or OS is going to ask for your location, of which neither does. Your smart enough to know how to see what programs have asked for location.

[cBitFit]

To any potential supporters,

I hope you can overlook the drama from the "Space Racer".  I apologize if pushing back against his 'bullying/trolling' turns folks off. I had no idea what I was signing up for when I accepted the request from tech support to posted this feature request. 

If you're concerned about privacy and battery life, your support would be really appreciated.

To Rich_Laue specifically,

I don't use a third party app to circumvent anything.  I use plain old android 6.

No matter how hard you try, you currently have no way of disputing the fact that is being discussed in this thread:

Fact:  "It is NOT necessary to enable location to sync an already connected device" [The context of this fact is Android 6, without the 3rd party app mentioned by Rich_Laue.]

The above could change in the future if fitbit imposes a new restriction on syncing, but preventing that is one reason for this new feature post.

Once again Rich_Laue, you've failed to articulate any valid technical details yourself.  Your 3rd party app point is not technically relevant, because a 3rd party app is not needed to sync an already connected fitbit device with an android 6 that has location services disabled.  Are you planning to continue trolling supporters of this feature, or will you recognize that you totally missed the issue being discussed, and apologize for telling AngelaDang "you will need to... Sorry" ?

[Rich_Laue]

Outside of posting a link to the official Android developers site, where Android specifically spells out the reason for this change. I guess i havent posted any technical sources.

Others have also posted on how this change to Google has affected almost every tracker on the market along with things like bluetooth enabled locks

[MarlenS]

This is a great idea! Thank you for sharing this suggestions with us, I also think that we can save battery and it would be more secure if the locations services are off. 

[brightsidelife]

Last time I checked, my mother can still pair her Charge 2 to her iphone 6 without location services turned on. She needed to do it for setup only, and then turned it off without any further glitch in pairing.

[Rich_Laue]

 the key to your mom phone @brightsidelife is the word iPhone. This thread is about the android phone and charm he's made in the android operating system. 

[Rich_Laue]

@cBitFit apparently the app knows the MAC address of an already connected device and therefore does not need to ask the tracker for its MAC address. 

If the app does request, without location enabled the request will be denied by the operating system. 

Your comment about not needing location services is irrelevant to this thread. Many people do not want to enable all ways connected to or simply be cause they don't need it. 

BTW your proof above is not proof since you haven't shown the next screen with the time of the last successful sync. The icon to the to right of the tracker is grey, which indicates that the tracker is disconnected. Green is connected, but since it flashes the screen shot may have been taken at the wrong moment.