In Android 16 QPR3 Beta 1, Google surprisingly restored a feature that users had been requesting since the time of Android 13—a clear indicator for applications currently monitoring your geographical location. Now, the user can do more than just abstractly “know” they granted some software location access; they can see in real time precisely which one continues to track their movements.
Previously, developers had already trialed a convenient geolocation indicator in the status bar, but that concept never made it to a stable release back then. In Android 16 QPR3 Beta 1, the feature has returned in an updated form. If an application is using access to your location for a period, a special icon with a blue background appears in the status bar. This is a signal: someone is actively “looking” where you currently are.
The main innovation is the behavior of this locator. Tapping the icon opens a dialog box where the specific apps tracking your position right now are plainly listed. There is no need to go into settings, scroll through the permissions list, and guess which installed program is active: the system shows everything immediately and transparently.
Google has not officially explained why they took so long to bring back this privacy safeguard and why they gave it the green light precisely now. The update is now available for Pixel phones with Tensor chips participating in the Android 16 QPR3 beta program.
For users, this is a move toward a more honest model for handling location data: it becomes easier to promptly revoke superfluous permissions from intrusive applications, notice suspicious activity, and manage who gains access to the most sensitive type of information—your route and spot on the map—and when.
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