Google no longer shares signal strength data from Android phones with carriers

In April, Google stopped a service where it shared data about, in particular, the signal strength of Android phones with carriers. This is reported by Reuters news agency citing various sources. Google confirms this, but does not provide further details on the motives.

According to four Reuters sources, Google has stopped the service due to privacy concerns, as it involves sharing data from users of Android phones. The service, called Mobile Network Insights, could have attracted the attention of users and regulators and that was apparently the reason for its discontinuation. Some sources indicated that data quality challenges and slow connectivity upgrades at carriers also played a role in Google’s decision to pull the plug on the service.

Providers worldwide used the service to locate vulnerabilities in their coverage. The data was reportedly anonymous and showed the companies by area where the signal strength dropped and how fast the connection speeds were. The service was free to use, and the data came from users who had specifically consented to sharing their location history, diagnostic data, and device usage data. This data would not have been traceable to individual users.

A Google spokesperson confirmed the discontinuation of the service in April, but declined to provide further details. According to two Reuters sources, Google also gave no further reasons in its message to providers about the discontinuation of the service. Google says it has not provided individualized data on demographics and app usage.