ISLAMABAD – A recent study has shown that smartphones may be able to trackyour location even when the GPS is turned off. Other sensors in the devicecan contribute to revealing a person’s location.
GPS (Global Positioning System) is a satellite-based navigation system thatcan be used to track the location of a device. On a smartphone, it can beused with navigation apps, helping you find shops, restaurants etc. aroundyou, or it can suggest better ads and search results depending on yourlocation.About The Research
A team of researchers from Northeastern University in Boston, US hasrecently found a way to track people with smartphones that have their GPSturned off. The tests were conducted in Boston, Waltham, Massachusetts, andLondon.
Android smartphones were used, but researches say that the hack applies toiPhones as well because they have the same set of components.Any App Can be Used
Pretty much any app can be used, the researchers used a simple app like“Flashlight” to locate where the test subject was. This simply shows thatan app, which has nothing to do with tracking or location services, can beused to trace someone.
How Can Phones Track us Without GPS?
Smartphones have a lot of other sensors that can collect location data.These sensors include a magnetometer which basically works as a compass, anaccelerometer that tells you how fast you’re moving and a Gyroscope whichcan tell the orientation of your device.
The chances of getting traced are higher if the person holding the devicechooses a route with a lot of turns as compared to someone who chooses astraight path. Plus, if you take the same route every day you are easier totrace.