 "Google's hush-hush Mobile Meter app reportedly offers compensation for data")
Even as Google updated its Terms of Services to make sure you understand better how it uses your data, the Internet giant seems to be prepping yet another service that will dig in deeper into how you use your apps. A new mobile service to monitor app usage and also compensate users seems to be in works at Google.
According to a report by Engadget , Google is internally referring to this feature as “Mobile Meter” and will be used on both Android and iOS platforms. The service will monitor apps used on Google’s own platform as well as Apple’s to intelligently monitor app usage and web browsing habits and sending data back to Google.
Keeping track
The feature is reportedly opt-in and completely voluntary. After keeping mum about it for a while, Google has been telling The Verge that while such analysis is being conducted as part of its Screenwise Market programme and is completely opt-in, it has currently no plans to extend it to consumers at last as of now. This was not a new programme it said.
Given the hush-hush existence of such a programme, it would be interesting to see how Google will handle it in case it decides to roll out Mobile Meter to a wider audience. Not only will Google get to go beyond the data it already collects from all the Android phones that exist right now, the compensatory bit will make it worthwhile for users to let Google a little more into their lives. The report by Engadget does suggest that the data collected will be completely anonymous, making Mobile Meter worth a shot.
Intrigued by all things social, Nishtha will invariably tweet about you. When not tweeting or writing about the next viral video, you will hear her proclaiming her love to Metallica, James Hetfield, Opeth, Akerfeldt and all bands that go 'growl'. She also obsesses about ACP Pradyuman and South Park and you will always find her moving around with a book. Her focus is on all the happening stuff in the tech domain, and she won't hesitate to take a shot at some of the oddball devices that make their way to our labs.