So far Google already tracks just about everything you do, so why not let them track your mobile usage? Right now, Google probably knows more about you than you do. Which is kinda funny in a way. In 2012, Google introduced Google Now which brought along cards that were kind of creepy. Somehow Google Now knew exactly where you were, showed you the fastest way to get home, or the fastest way to get to a place you had just Google’d. And many other things. Now it looks like Google is getting ready to track your mobile usage. This new app that Google is reportedly working on is known as the ‘Mobile Meter’ which will utilize iOS and Android apps that will intelligently monitor app usage and web browsing habits and send the data back to Google.
So far, Google hasn’t commented on the matter, so I’d throw this under the ‘rumors and speculation’ category. Engadgetis pointing out that their sources are telling them the Mobile Meter program will be voluntary. So you do not have to use it. Participants will be required to give their consent before joining. Google isn’t the first to reward their users for allowing them to gather information from them about trends either. Nielsen has been doing this for quite some time with an Android app.
Google already collects a ton of data on each of us. So I don’t see this being a huge issue, only if it’s a big battery draining app. Which knowing Google, it probably won’t be. This app will allow Google to see the usage patterns of iOS and Android users, which could be big for future versions of Android. It could show them what they need to do to win over future Android users.
Google’s going to need to be transparent over the opt-in service, since Facebook and Google have both made mistakes in the past where private information was made public. But it doesn’t sound like a bad idea in my opinion. What do you think?