The teen later realized that the location data pinpointed the wrong house, according to prosecutors. Two of the teens are facing murder charges.
Location tracking information in Apple’s Find My technology and similar software for Android phones can be incredibly useful, as are location trackers such as Tile and Apple AirTags that can help find your keys buried in the sofa cushions.But as the two cases in Denver show, those location identifying technologies are not always accurate and the consequences can be dire.
There’s no fix for our occasional over reliance on technology, but awareness helps. Here is why location tracking features can be inaccurate, how to use them productively and when it’s worth considering alternatives.Most location pinpointing technology, such as Google Maps and Find My features in your phone, use multiple signals to approximate where you are.Phone sensors calculate where the device is by connecting to GPS satellites.
Still, location data is good enough most of the time that we can lose sight of its imperfections, especially when we’re stressed.Google said that people using Find My Device, the software that shows the location of Android smartphones, see a one-time disclosure that the device location is approximate and might not always be accurate.