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Why are there loads of unnamed bluetooth devices around me? (feddit.de)

submitted 1 year ago by PixeIOrange@feddit.de to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml

75 comments fedilink hide all child comments

I live in a big city in the center. When i activate "Show bluetooth devices without names" in the developer settings of my android 13 phone, there appear loads of this devices. I have no clue what they are. Does anyone know? Are that the bluetooth nanobots of the vaxxinated people? (/s to last question!)

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[–] ChicoSuave@lemmy.world 60 points 1 year ago (7 children)

Bluetooth personal networks have been a thing for about a decade and are used for monitoring traffic density and flow by third party companies. It's partly why Apple was removing their aux ports and pushing for Bluetooth so much, they are making money with tracking their statistically significant user base. Google does it too and it's most readily evident with Maps traffic filter.

If you've wondered why enabling Bluetooth asked for iPhone location to be enabled, now you know.

[–] ReadyUser31@lemmy.world 15 points 1 year ago (4 children)

What the fuck

[–] TrenchcoatFullofBats@belfry.rip 20 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Just wait until you hear about how AirTags work:

Apple AirTags emit a Bluetooth signal that anonymously connects to any nearby device active within Apple’s Find My network (any iPhone after iPhone 11 with "Find My" enabled). The AirTag’s location is triangulated based on the strength of the Bluetooth signal sent to those third-party devices.

Your AirTag’s location information is uploaded to the cloud and pinned on a map for easy reference.

[–] TdotMatrix@lemmy.ml 8 points 1 year ago (1 children)

That's how it's expected to work, yes. As does Samsung SmartTags, and Tiles. These tracking devices (that we purchase and opt-in for) are a net positive in most cases. How else would we expect them to work if not for Bluetooth beacons (and UWB)?

[–] TrenchcoatFullofBats@belfry.rip 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

When you buy a new iPhone, is the location tracking "Find My" feature enabled by default, or do you need to turn it off if you don't want your phone to upload other people's location data to Apple while draining your battery?

[–] TdotMatrix@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 year ago

Yes, it is turned on by default. You can opt-out if you'd like. Here's a pretty good article that covers it all: https://www.howtogeek.com/725842/what-is-apples-find-my-network/

Samsung SmartTags "Find" network is opt-in, which stagnated the growth of their network.

Tile's network is naturally opt-in as it requires us to install the app, and therefore has the lowest coverage from my understanding.