Is Android always listening?

[Wildman107]

Today, I was sitting in my kitchen having a conversation with my wife. We reminisced about a date we had 10 years ago at the Valley Fair theme park in Minnesota. My Moto G (1st Gen) was sitting on the table.

The thought of going back to Minnesota and visiting Valley Fair has never crossed my mind. I've never searched it in google or talked about in email, text, anything! One hour later I was looking through my gmail and there was an ad for Valley Fair in Minnesota! D:

How could this be? I don't understand how this ad came up especially because I live on the east coast now.

I searched the internet to see if other people have experienced this and many people have. If Google is not listening to our conversations, how do you explain these coincidences?

I'm spooked out. This is making me consider an iPhone. :\

 

[tsupersonic]

This sounds like pure coincidence.

 

[Wildman107]

This sounds like pure coincidence.

I have trouble buying that explanation. Google has phenomenal ad targeting algorithms which usually produce ads based on recent emails or google searches. Google doesn't simply present absolutely random ads, especially for theme parks that are over a thousand miles outside of my radius.

 

[tsupersonic]

I have trouble buying that explanation. Google has phenomenal ad targeting algorithms which usually produce ads based on recent emails or google searches. Google doesn't simply present absolutely random ads, especially for theme parks that are over a thousand miles outside of my radius.

Then something doesn't add up here. You either searched for it, google mapped it, or something for their algorithm to pick up.

If you think your privacy is safe with any smartphone, then you're smoking something seriously strong.

 

[Crono]

Do you live in Minnesota when you first had the Moto G? If so, that's no spookier than any other website offering you ads based on your IP/location, though I guess that means Google is saving location history (which they do for other things, if you check your dashboard).

Now if you got the Moto G only after you moved to the East coast and were thinking about Valley Fair that would be impressive.

 

[rumpleforeskin]

Maybe you wife searched something relating to this on your home PC and you are logged into google/chrome . I get a ton of terrible recommended vids on YouTube due to what Mrs rumple watches on the desktop PC.

 

[Wildman107]

Do you live in Minnesota when you first had the Moto G? If so, that's no spookier than any other website offering you ads based on your IP/location, though I guess that means Google is saving location history (which they do for other things, if you check your dashboard).

Now if you got the Moto G only after you moved to the East coast and were thinking about Valley Fair that would be impressive.

I did live in Minnesota for several months after I bought the phone. So i guess there we have it, Google can use location history (over a year old) obtained through Google Maps or other means to bring advertisements.

 

[Crono]

I did live in Minnesota for several months after I bought the phone. So i guess there we have it, Google can use location history (over a year old) obtained through Google Maps or other means to bring advertisements.

You can double check:
https://maps.google.com/locationhistory/b/0
https://www.google.com/dashboard/

if you see your past locations there, that pretty much confirms it.

 

[Megatomic]

I did live in Minnesota for several months after I bought the phone. So i guess there we have it, Google can use location history (over a year old) obtained through Google Maps or other means to bring advertisements.

This is a confirmed feature/service. I like getting ads for things that are actually pertinent to my life and interests if I am going to be getting ads at all.

 

[p0rkguy]

Coincidence. I get ads for events around my area.