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GasBuddy Has a New Privacy Policy (Spoiler: Not As Customer Friendly)
An anonymous reader writes: GasBuddy has been a popular iOS and Android app for the last 5 years used to find the cheapest place to get gas. According to the Google Play store, there are over 10 million installs (in additions to the installs from Apple and Amazon's appstores). Now that they have a large enough number of users, GasBuddy has updated their privacy policy to allow them to collect more information. Some highlights of the privacy policy changes include: only 10 days for new terms to take effect (previously users were given 30 days to review the changes); collection of "signal strength related to Wifi or Bluetooth functionality, temperature, battery level, and similar technical data"; and [a warning that the company] will not honor a web browser's "do not track" setting.
Is it even worthwhile to use an app like that to save a few cents on gas?
If I have to spend even 5 minutes looking up gas prices and driving out of my way to go to a cheaper gas station, it's not worth saving 30 cents a gallon on gas. My local Costco regularly has 20 minute lines of drivers waiting to buy cheaper gas (though it's possible that one family member is shopping and the other is waiting for gas). If I see a line at my preferred gas station, I'll use the one down the street that I know is 15 cents more expensive.
Maybe my 11 gallon gas tank just isn't big enough for significant savings, but I really wonder whether these gas price apps are worth it.
What part of "will not honor a web browser's 'do not track' setting" did you find so difficult to understand?
Can someone explain the value of collecting data on battery strength, phone temperature, etc. ?
Seriously, they must be able to monetize that (why else risk alienating customers) but how?
What is the monetary value in knowing my phone temp?
Pretending this is my office full of bitter coworkers..
Everything about you they can get, all day long, as long as the app is running.
They'll figure out what they can make money off later. Like, do people buy more gas in the winter or summer.
This is just greedy assholes maximizing both greedy and asshole. And this why I look at apps as basically ads and analytics in disguise, and why I don't feel compelled to have a smart phone with a data plan.
You can always not play the damned game.
Me, I want Android to return the ability to selectively turn off stuff that apps can do. If your app keels over because I won't let it access my contacts, I don't want your fucking app.
I view most apps as about the same as if a retail store demanded the ability to rifle through my wallet before I came in the store, only in the case of apps it's pretty much all the time.
No thanks.
Lost at C:>. Found at C.
I like the app and use it once in a while. The prices near me can be quite different. My local Costco is not so local but usually BJ's or Sams have the cheapest prices. A while back I did an update for GasBuddy and was presented with a huge ad across the middle of the screen in the list view. I usually do not mind ads in the free versions but this was obtrusive.
As quickly as I had updates the app, it was uninstalled. I then went to the Amazon App store and installed an older version, much older, and it was better, much better! Knowing there is a big obtrusive advertisement in the update / upgrade, I see no reason the make any changes. The older version is running fine on both a Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 (Kit Kat?), and a Samsung Galaxy S4 running Lollipop.
If you don't like the Play Store app, get the one from Amazon, then ignore the reminders to update the app.
just use regular!
You need enough octane to prevent pre-ignition. If your engine is high compression, you need a higher octane. Turbo and Supercharged cars need higher octane. You only need 'enough', but that varies with air temperature, engine load and the exact fuel formula.
Seriously, they must be able to monetize that (why else risk alienating customers) but how?
Isn't it possible that these features are needed to help the app work better? If your phone is running hot and low on battery maybe it'll update its map less frequently.
Many (most?) modern engines have knock detectors in them. If they are expecting higher octane fuel and you use something lower than specified, they retard the timing significantly to try to prevent pre-ignition. This results in a significant drop in power as well as mileage. The end result is that you'll pay more for the regular in loss of efficiency than you will save in cash. On my 1996 328i, the drop was ~20% in mileage (had a two week fuel shortage and couldn't get premium and I was pretty anal about tracking my mileage at that time). Premium isn't 20% more in cost (at least where I live it isn't). Add in the time spent making more frequent fuel stops and the potential for engine damage, and it's a money loser. Basically, follow the manufacturer's recommendations.