Ok, well maybe watching may be a little harsh, but the giant corporation may well know where you are right now through one of their various tracking devices. Some customers are not too happy about this, and many report that Google is over-insistent with Google Play and is almost impossible to become untraceable as it automatically turns on your GPS.
There are ways around Google not knowing your whereabouts, such as switching your permissions off on location, but it will be switched off for all apps, not just Google. So, it’s all or nothing, unfortunately. This is done intentionally as Google does not want you to switch this off – they want to keep tabs on you.
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It is a very similar situation with Google Maps, too. Although it’s fairly obvious why a map service would need your location, the latest version doesn’t make it very easy for you to switch it off when not in use. One user recently reported via Twitter that he almost had a heart attack when he walked into McDonald’s, and his phone prompted him to download the restaurant’s app. He discovered this was down to Google Play that had monitored where he was and had been several times.
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Google is using your location to push apps onto you. If you visit a pharmacy, don’t be surprised if you’re offered software to print photos, or wander into a supermarket and get deals pinged to you or get offered apps to install automatically. It may become ultra annoying, but you are limited as to what you can do to stop it. You could delete Google Maps and Google Play. Alternatively, leave them on but you will need to continuously disable/enable your location throughout the day, which may not be worth the hassle.
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