Swype makes 3750 location requests a day

[Eug]

http://forum.swype.com/showthread.php?13052-Swype-makes-almost-4000-location-requests-every-day

Swype is constantly monitoring your location.

Bad code or malicious intent?

 

[Red Storm]

The official response:

This definitely sounds like a bug. We check for last known location in order to provide regional dialects via Living Language. Swype shouldn't request location info to this extent.

I'll make sure that this is logged as a bug so that we can look into it.

Thank you

 

[zerogear]

AppOpsX, revoked

 

[Anubis]

why does a keyboard need to know your location ever?

 

[Yuriman]

Swype has amazing prediction. Unfortunately, it also causes wakelocks, so I'm presently trying to get used to the not-as-awesome but much more battery friendly Android stock keyboard.

 

[gorcorps]

why does a keyboard need to know your location ever?

There are settings in some keyboards that allow you to "use your location" when deciding which language to download. I imagine it's just poor coding and it's checking for location by accident.

 

[Brian Stirling]

The question I have is ... does it send anything back to SKYPE HQ that could be used for location TRACKING. I can see the value of using location when setting the app up or when making setup changes, but constant checking seems suspicious to me. The government gets a bad rap for the excesses of the NSA and deservedly to, but business is at least as interested in where you are 24/7 as the NSA is.

Again, the kicker for me would be whether or not this location data is being sent to SKYPE or some third party...


Brian

 

[s44]

I learned from the reddit thread on this that stock unrooted Samsung 4.4.2 (that is, Touchwiz) still has app ops enabled.

 

[magomago]

The question I have is ... does it send anything back to SKYPE HQ that could be used for location TRACKING. I can see the value of using location when setting the app up or when making setup changes, but constant checking seems suspicious to me. The government gets a bad rap for the excesses of the NSA and deservedly to, but business is at least as interested in where you are 24/7 as the NSA is.

Again, the kicker for me would be whether or not this location data is being sent to SKYPE or some third party...


Brian

....
.......
...........
.................
.....................
........................
............................s Wype...

not sKype


Anyways this is totally bad coding; if it was malicious intent, then they did a lousy job of hiding that intent.

 

[Brian Stirling]

....
.......
...........
.................
.....................
........................
............................s Wype...

not sKype


Anyways this is totally bad coding; if it was malicious intent, then they did a lousy job of hiding that intent.

Yep, saw SWYPE but typed SKYPE...


Brian

 

[sm625]

Well you are giving the keyboard complete access to all your passwords. So it is the perfect tool for the NSA (or anyone else) to also monitor where you are. Why not have it all in one app?

 

[blackangst1]

Does the android keyboard request location?