The #Android calculator app takes no permissions and doesn't support notifications and is just under 2.5M in size and yet it has still transmitted 366kB on my phone since October and for what??

Scott Williams 🐧

The payloads are roughly the same size every month except for in October, which appears to be the first time it made any data calls. So did Google just start collecting telemetry on the calculator app in October 2024?

Scott Williams 🐧

Also, why does the calculator app even need background data enabled by default?

"Why do we even have that lever, Kronk?"

Scott Williams 🐧

I unchecked those and opened the calculator app to get this ominous message. Why does the calcutor need internet access?! It seems to calculate just fine without it. I've left it disabled for now, but I'm not sure my curiosity has fully yet been quenched.

#Google #Android #privacy

Scott Williams 🐧

@OpenComputeDesign My guess is that Google started adding telemetry to the stock calculator app for some reason between October to early November of last year.

Schykle

@vwbusguy Syncing EULA and/or license info most likely

Tris

@vwbusguy Not implying this is the reason but some calculator apps do have currency conversion functionality and all, which requires internet

Scott Williams 🐧

@triskelion I have done exactly zero of those. I mainly only use this to calculate tips at restaurants.

mx alex tax1a - 2020 (5)

@vwbusguy benign explanation: conversion tables for currency

sinister explanations abound

Scott Williams 🐧

@atax1a Wouldn't that be foreground data on demand?

mx alex tax1a - 2020 (5)

@vwbusguy maybe it pulls updates on a regular basis, or something. of course, a packet capture would be more informative

Scott Williams 🐧

@atax1a Yeah, a packet capture would certainly be helpful. I didn't see any increase when using the calculator app tonight though, so if it's truly recurring background telemetry, that might not be the easiest.