Its no secret that smartphones, that includes Apple iPhones collect user data and send them over to their maker such as Apple and Google. But how often does your iOS or Android device collect data and sends it over to its home company is something that has intrigued us for a long time. Now we may finally have an answer thanks to a new study by Professor Douglas C. Schmidt of Vanderbilt University.
According to the study, which compared how often popular smartphones powered by Android OS and iOS send collected data to Google or Apple within a span of 24 hours. The results are quite predictable with Android powered devices sending data more often when compared with Apple’s iOS. The study distinguished the data that was sent in idle and usage modes, with idle mode monitoring the instances when the device sent the data while it was not being used, such as while in your pocket or at night time.
The study found that an Android powered device will send data 40 times per hour even in the idle mode, compared to this an iPhone will only send data 4 times to Apple’s servers. During usage an Android smartphone will send data around 90 times per hour, compared to just 18 times for iPhone.
Google’s data hogging attitude is not limited to Android only, as the company also collects data from iPhones. In fact Google collects more data from iPhones per hour than Apple does from its own devices. The study found on iPhone data is sent to Google’s servers 50 times per hour when the device is being used, while data is only sent to Apple’s servers 18 times during the same time period.
Google has disputed the study and has called it “wildly misleading”, noting the author of the study has biased against the company as he has previously served as a witness against Google in its battle against Oracle. Despite this Google’s reputation as a company that loves to collect data on its users isn’t hidden from anyone, and studies like these only prove the case against the search giant. (Source)
