Android update: Google could follow Apple’s steps to improve operating system’s privacy features with ‘less stringent’ tools

Online privacy has become one of the hot topics among tech consumers over the last few months, and Google is reportedly looking for ways to improve the Android operating system. However, Android users should not expect something as rigorous as Apple’s App Tracking Transparency (ATT) tool.

Google looks to update the Android OS with better privacy features

It is about time people started talking about online privacy, and more companies appear to begin listening as well. Bloomberg reported that Google is exploring ways to improve the Android OS privacy features. Some might say Apple’s widely discussed ATT rules prompted the move, but sources suggest the Android owner is not looking to implement something as strict as the new iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 feature.

Other businesses of Google also benefit greatly from targeted ads. It is then not surprising that the company opts for a more tame privacy feature than what Apple is implementing. The same report said Google is currently thinking of ways to “limit” how app developers can collect data and track users when using other apps and websites. But tipsters do not expect Google to offer the users an option that would ultimately stop data collection and tracking.

When would Google limit tracking activities on Android OS?

Google’s planned privacy policy changes for the Android OS is reportedly still in the early stages. It is unclear how it is going to be implemented, except for it being a less strict approach. The same report noted that Google has yet to finalize when to launch such a feature or if it would actually see the light of day. So it seems far-fetched to expect it on Android 12 later this year.

Android 11, which officially launched last fall, delivered some privacy changes. Again, they are not of the same level as Apple’s privacy-focused ATT, where users are given a choice to be tracked or not.

One of the notable changes in Android 11 is the automatic reset of app permissions when a user does not open an app after “a few months.” Google also introduced one-time app permissions last year, along with updates in allowing apps to access a user’s location information.

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