Is there a way to use Mobile app without giving away location?

Mobile App
#1

I don’t want to give my borderline sketchy device access to my location; is there a way to use the app, on a tablet specifically, without giving away location?

#2

In theory, installing and appropriately configuring a fake location app (there is an Android feature) may work. But in practice, the Flipper mobile app has a good reason to ask for location and you can’t turn it off.

1 Like
#3

For legal reasons the location is needed to select your region. Mostly a SubGHz allowed frequency thing.

So, no. You shouldn’t.

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#4

Hrm?
AFAIR it is IP-based, not Android geoAPI?

#6

I never give my apps location info, and when it is mandatory i delete the app right away.

But the iOS app doesn’t even want to know my location so stop using android then :slight_smile:

2 Likes
#7

We never use location data. Not even for SubGhz. For SubGhz we use Geo2Ip and phone frequency data (from sim card). These methods do not allow us to know the location with more than country accuracy.

Bluetooth requires Android geolocation permission to work, because Google thinks that Bluetooth can be used to calculate approximate geolocation (which is true).
You can read more about this here: 6.0 marshmallow - Why do I need to turn on location services to pair with a Bluetooth device? - Android Enthusiasts Stack Exchange

However, in newer versions of Android, Google has changed the text to avoid misunderstandings on this permission and it is now less stressful for users, so if you don’t want to see the geolocation permission prompt, you can update your Android to do so.

On iOS there is no such prompt, although the ability to calculate location via Bluetooth is still there with advertising points. It’s just that iOS decided not to notify users about it.

So the technical possibility of geolocation detection exists whenever you use Bluetooth. The only way to avoid it is to never use Bluetooth in any way (or better yet, not use the radio module in your phone at all).

But we don’t use geolocation data and never will. You can verify this in the following ways:

  • Examine the source code of the mobile apps. They are completely Open-source
  • Decompile with third-party software (e.g. Jadx) distribution package from Google Play/GitHub
  • Use F-Droid where the source code is guaranteed by F-Droid and the package is signed by them
1 Like
#8

Thanks for clarification.