Google’s new Pixel 9 smartphone has received a lot of acceptance from users around the world, but there is a catch to it.
According to a recent report published by Cybernews on 9 October, the flagship Pixel 9 Pro XL collects users’ information and feeds it to the company prior to installing any app.
This has raised concerns among users who are wondering what this could mean for their privacy.
A terrifying discovery
The Pixel 9 is one of the most widely accepted Android phones Google ever made. It comes with improved features such as the camera, the body design, Gemini AI capabilities, and all round elegance.
These features seem to have distracted users from what may be lying underneath, but this report unveils some shocking realities.
The report says the phone repeatedly sends private user information such as email address, phone number, location, app list, and other user statistics to Google in the background.
There are also fears of remote controlling capabilities that came with the phone. It is said to constantly request new “experiments and configurations,” attempts to access the staging environment, and connects to device management and policy enforcement endpoints.
The Pro XL device is also said to connect to services that are not used without explicit consent, which has turned the joy of users into concerns. Indeed, tech companies have generally been accused of collecting users’ data illegally.
Google debunks claims
Google has since responded to the report alleging that its Pixel 9 transmits sensitive user data to the company.
The company said through a spokesperson that it was standard mobile phone behavior to collect such information for “legitimate” services, regardless of manufacturer or operating system.
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