With all the spying going on with these apps, can a VPN stop them recording your locations?
No, it only encrypts packets. When you installed those apps, you explicitly gave them permission to use your gps
If they do not use GPS/location services, then yes.
In addition to what the others here have said: go to Settings -->Apps and check each one under “Permission”. Apps that have the “Location” set to On have access to one’s GPS.
Apps like Waze, Google Maps and such need access to the GPS to properly function. But one might question why some other apps also insist on having access. Over time, these apps gather a lot of data on one’s movements and habits based on this. The individual will have to decide whether allowing them access adds value to him/her. Set the Permission to Off if one feels it doesn’t.
Use this to find out more about the app
Even if an app can’t get your location form your GPS it may be able to get an idea of where you are from what wireless hotspots you are near
I ran a speed test app and it was able to pick up my location even though my VPN is set for another country.
Thanks for the replaies, I recently bough Adguard Pro on ios because you can block dns access from each app. I will try and control what is talking to the outside world from there I guess.
I’d recommend reading: https://www.reddit.com/r/theprivacymachine/comments/a61339/is_a_vpn_worth_it_the_truth_about_vpns/
And checking out /r/theprivacymachine subreddit to get a good grasp on privacy and security.
Only exception is on android if your GPS is set to “battery saving” in which case I believe that could work. (Correct me if I’m wrong)
EDIT: nope
Yes I had the same problem, I believe its in the privacy settings on locations services
Nope. Android also uses nearby wifi to determine location.
It could be. I think it’s likely because of the GPS. That’s a little harder to spoof.
Ah, got it, I edited the comment.