Ask HN: How does the iOS Lyft app detect that I landed at the airport?

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43687696

by stpn • 1 year ago

6 8 1 year ago

news.ycombinator.com

I have location services turned off while I’m not using the app and background app refresh turned off in iOS, but somehow Lyft still knows I’m at the airport and serves me a push notification ad.

I want to turn this off but I can’t think of how this is happening in the first place.

bhaney• 1 year ago

I think it's less likely to be technical chicanery (special bluetooth beacons, wifi SSID scanning, etc) and more likely that your airline just partners with Lyft and directly hands them passenger information.

AStonesThrow2• 1 year ago

No, I call bullshit.

A commercial airlines passenger manifest is very private information. It is security sensitive. They're not going to give or sell or publish that information, except to an entity that would be law enforcement or National Security oriented. Or if y’all die in a crash, they’ll use the manifest with the NTSB and FAA...

Perhaps Lyft figured out this person's IP address? Perhaps somebody sitting next to them detected that their phone and Bluetooth signature? There are many many ways to find out where you are at, without location services. Your accelerometers just gave away your excessive velocity!

bdangubic• 1 year ago

one of the most naive answers I’ve read in awhile… of fucking course airlines sell this information. of all of this shit that is no longer private your LOCATION is number 1 thing anyone can buy with a few bucks mate

NoPicklez• 1 year ago

People have asked this question before and there are a multitude of different potential ways. Supposedly Lyft can sync or calendar and in some cases was being sync'd automatically, perhaps it knew from that?

The app might pull accelerometer data in a way that suggests you just landed or were on a plane? Could it be that the cell towers in that area are known to be based at the airport?

daemonologist• 1 year ago

Change in IP location? If you suddenly jump across the country but your traffic is still coming from a cell provider (so unlikely to be a VPN) Lyft could infer that you've flown, and to which airport.

Alternatively maybe barometer? All modern iPhones have one, but I don't know if apps are allowed to access it in the background (or without location services), and it wouldn't let Lyft tell which airport you were at.

galaxy_gas• 1 year ago

Can register geofenced notifications via https://developer.apple.com/documentation/usernotifications/... in advance , The app is not informed (if don't tapping it) and it is triggered by the OS.

jordann• 1 year ago

Your calendar can get automatically updated from your emails; I imagine Lyft can likely access your calendar.

Ask HN: How does the iOS Lyft app detect that I landed at the airport?

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