SmartPhones Listening In?

[willbur]

Greetings All-
I suspect smartphones are listening to private in home conversations. Several months ago I'm talking to wife about installing additional home insulation in the kitchen. Wife gets ads the next day for insulation contractors. Yesterday, I'm talking about getting our trees trimmed. She gets ads today-you guessed it- from tree trimmers. About several weeks ago a friend is telling me he's going to Wal-Mart to pick up some shaving supplies. Shortly thereafter he gets ads on his smartphone for razor blades. Other people mention similar experiences.

Is this coincidence or am I just paranoid? Should one put their smartphones in a box and in the closet when talking in the privacy of their homes?

 

[gregk24]

Not coincidence. They are listening.

 

[tcp71]

do you have any type of alexa type device. Those definitely listen. Cell phones with Siri/google voice type programs can do the same. Turn Siri type services off and see if it changes.

 

[AZjeff]

Of course they do, everything does. All of the newer game consoles do as well and likely smart TVs. And your car with the connected infotainment.

The genie is out of the bottle.

 

[Leo99]

I met a guy in Vegas last week. He hit a small jackpot that he wanted his wife to see. He was waiting for her to return. Asked him why he didn't text her to let her know. He said no cell phone for him. He told me he used to work for the government and didn't want them tracking him. Said he bought a new car and he removed the tracking computer. Not the GPS computer but the secret one.

 

[WagonWheel]

Do you have an iPhone? If so check under Settings > Privacy > Microphone to see what apps have access. You can periodically reset the Advertising Identifier under the Privacy menu as well as clear cookies in Safari.

I find it fascinating and do random searches to see how it behaves. They other day we were discussing going to Ft. Worh and guess what popped up when we opened Google Maps. Mic access was enabled though.

 

[Whimsey]

I have a minimalist bare bones Samsung J7 V smartphone. I have minimal apps, I'm too old and set in my ways for most technology. If "they" are listening in on my phone they mainly hear belching, rude noises

, cursing OF the phone and "what the heck!"

.

Whimsey

 

[Hall]

Originally Posted by WagonWheel
Do you have an iPhone? If so check under Settings > Privacy > Microphone to see what apps have access.

This applies to Android as well and for both, these lists that one will see can be slightly misleading. For example, mine shows that Google Chrome and Google Maps, among others, have access to the microphone. Why ? You can "talk" to these apps instead of typing what you want. Same with the Camera. Why does the Kroger or Walmart app need access ? Because you can use your camera inside these apps to scan barcodes. It doesn't mean these apps are secretly recording your or taking your picture.

 

[Hall]

Yet he was in a casino with probably thousands of cameras. You met a nut job, is what happened....

 

[maxdustington]

The thing that gets me is when you go somewhere temporarily and then get ads targeted at people who reside there:

Worked at my french boss' shop where he told me he was considering painting the floor = ads for epoxy contractors in french. That one might be a location AND conversation targeted ad, but he was probably doing research. I also got random ads in french for a while, including french YouTube ads.

Working on a rich person's house = ads for Mclaren cars.

Spending time at a friend's house who was housing a Turkish international student = ads for hijabs.

 

[Hall]

Originally Posted by willbur
I suspect smartphones are listening...
No need to suspect this as this is well known and old news. Did you research this suspicion at all ? Sounds like you didn't....

 

[PPWarrior]

And there's people that install security cameras in their house. They can be easily hacked into.

 

[SevenBizzos]

Happens all the time. Yes, your phone is listening to you.

 

[willbur]

Originally Posted by hallstevenson
Originally Posted by willbur
I suspect smartphones are listening...
No need to suspect this as this is well known and old news. Did you research this suspicion at all ? Sounds like you didn't....


Well so what- you here to lecture people? Perhaps I believed I could find advice here.

 

[Triple_Se7en]

Originally Posted by hallstevenson
Originally Posted by willbur
I suspect smartphones are listening...
No need to suspect this as this is well known and old news. Did you research this suspicion at all ? Sounds like you didn't....


So if I phart a few times into my smartphone, I might get ads for Imodium or Ex-Lax?

 

[Hall]

You got multiple confirmations that yes, they're listening. No "advice" though. If this concerns you, the only accurate advice is to get rid of the phone.

 

[atikovi]

Originally Posted by Triple_Se7en
Originally Posted by hallstevenson
Originally Posted by willbur
I suspect smartphones are listening...
No need to suspect this as this is well known and old news. Did you research this suspicion at all ? Sounds like you didn't....


So if I phart a few times into my smartphone, I might get ads for Imodium or Ex-Lax?


Probably Febreeze.

 

[KrisZ]

Both android and iPhones have the setting to turn the advertising and listening off, but its buried pretty deep and the phone will not respond to the "wake" word.
Mine is off and I have no such problem.

 

[willbur]

Originally Posted by hallstevenson
You got multiple confirmations that yes, they're listening. No "advice" though. If this concerns you, the only accurate advice is to get rid of the phone.


I got some advice for you- drop the self important attitude. We are here to learn not lecture

 

[Cujet]

My iPhone XS Max listens in despite my settings to the contrary.

It's funny because it responds to things on TV/YouTube too!

There is no question the advertisements I receive are conversationally driven.