MyPhoneTracker - analyze iPhone and Android tracking databases
MyPhoneTracker, an application brought to you by this blog, allows you to visualize the location tracking database of iPhones and Androids on a interactive map.
Be aware that the data the devices collect are determined through cell tower triangulation so its by far not 100% correct.
You can import the database from a local iTunes Backup, the application will display all backups for your devices ordered by date.
Or load the file from an actual iPhone (jailbreak required). The file is named "consolidated.db" and you find it inside "/private/var/root/Library/Caches/locationd/consolidated.db".
For Android devices the file is called "cache.cell" for cell determined locations and "cache.wifi" for WiFi determined locations.
You can find the file(s) inside the folder "/data/data/com.google.android.location/files".
The tracked locations are visualized through markers and colored dots.
A dot indicates that inside the displayed area more then 1 location was tracked. The number inside the dot tells you how many times your location inside this area was saved. Click a dot to zoom in and get a more detailed view till you see the exact marked locations.
MyPhoneTracker allows you to import data from iTunes/iPhone and Android OS.
You can open an existing location database, import more data from the consolidated.db and save it again. This way you can keep track of your locations even with the iOS 4.3.3 limitation of only 7 days location location data.
Changelog:
Version 0.6
fixed opening files
fixed viewarea
better performance
Version 0.8
can open android tracking databases (cache.cell & cache.wifi)
Version 0.9
new interface
selectable itunes backup device and date
crashs fixed
starts "clean" without a automated loaded location database
universal 32/64bit binary
Version 0.9.1
self update functionality
Version 0.9.2
support for CDMA (Verizon) iPhone thanks R. Hamilton
It wont help you if you loose youre phone, its an tool to analyze the local tracking db that ios4 introduced. Check the last blog post for more details.
@Scott O'Donnell Yes since its determined through cell tower triangulation the points are not very correct, i upload a 32bit binary and the source later today.
Aren't Apple tracking all Iphones anyway, heard it on the UK news, it's even in the 15,000 word contract/terms and conditions and is given to third parties but without your details/name. Tracks everywhere you go to, all locations.
as what Woody brought up, it currently always quits immediately showing "couldn't load consolidated.db file from..." without allowing opening anything manually. thanks.
Thanks for 0.9.2 - I'm now seeing data from my Verizon iPhone.
FYI, when I ran SELECT COUNT(*) FROM _tablename_;
on each table of consolidated.db (being curious), I saw errors like the following: SELECT COUNT(*) FROM CdmaCellLocationBoxes; SQL error near line 3: no such module: rtree SELECT COUNT(*) FORM CdmaCellLocationLocalBoxes; SQL error near line 11: no such module: rtree SELECT COUNT(*) FORM CellLocationBoxes; SQL error near line 18: no such module: rtree
Using the version of sqlite3 from MacPorts rather than the one that comes with the Mac let me count those too; they had the same number of rows as the corresponding table whose name did not end in "Boxes".
Some googling told me that apparently the version of sqlite3 with the Mac is not compiled with the RTREE option. I think perhaps, but haven't looked that far yet, that there may be some trade-off that explains why the default version wasn't compiled with that option.
So if there's ever a reason to access those tables, you may need to supply your own build of sqlite3.
I also saw that in addition to CdmaCellLocation (with 642 records on my copy of consolidated.db), there's also CdmaCellLocationLocal, with 155 records. The layout of those two tables is the same. The highest timestamp is in CdmaCellLocationLocal, about 53341 higher than the highest in CdmaCellLocation. But I have no idea what the difference is in the _meaning_ of those two tables.
32 comments:
Neat. Did you make this yourself? I'm not sure I'll need this though, because I know where my iphone goes :)
Maybe I'll get it in case of losing my phone
It wont help you if you loose youre phone, its an tool to analyze the local tracking db that ios4 introduced. Check the last blog post for more details.
nicely done, looks good
hey, that's awesome!
kudos on this exclusive release!
I heard apple was spying on people with this technology.
The points collected are rather inaccurate to as much as 1km.
Also this doesn't run on my older iMac. Is it 64 bit?
Otherwise. Nice quickie app!
@John: ready http://mac-and-i.blogspot.com/2011/04/local-iphone-location-tracking-database.html understand what "not transfered to apple" means
@Scott O'Donnell
Yes since its determined through cell tower triangulation the points are not very correct, i upload a 32bit binary and the source later today.
cheers!
Aren't Apple tracking all Iphones anyway, heard it on the UK news, it's even in the 15,000 word contract/terms and conditions and is given to third parties but without your details/name. Tracks everywhere you go to, all locations.
lol that is kind of creepy. @The Angry Lurker, they are even worse than the united states government.
well done
awesome software, and love the new icon!
Even though you can open files from elsewhere, you can't start the app if you don't have the files in the default location
@Woody
thanks for the info, gonna fix it in 0.7 (later today)
as what Woody brought up, it currently always quits immediately showing "couldn't load consolidated.db file from..." without allowing opening anything manually. thanks.
updated it so it wont quite if it cant find your consolidated.db
So who wants to fund my plan to make iphone cases out of lead to block any tracking signal?
Ooh, exclusive. Nice!
Cool :3
Interesting stuff mate.
Well done...sometimes I worry about how much data Apple has on me.
Scary yet interesting, I must say.
Can't believe it is all being logged, awesome application.
This is a great app, thanks for sharing it.
version 0.9.2
new user interface, selfupdate and support for cdma iphones (Verizon)
Thanks for 0.9.2 - I'm now seeing data from my Verizon iPhone.
FYI, when I ran
SELECT COUNT(*) FROM _tablename_;
on each table of consolidated.db (being curious),
I saw errors like the following:
SELECT COUNT(*) FROM CdmaCellLocationBoxes;
SQL error near line 3: no such module: rtree
SELECT COUNT(*) FORM CdmaCellLocationLocalBoxes;
SQL error near line 11: no such module: rtree
SELECT COUNT(*) FORM CellLocationBoxes;
SQL error near line 18: no such module: rtree
Using the version of sqlite3 from MacPorts rather
than the one that comes with the Mac let me count those
too; they had the same number of rows as the corresponding
table whose name did not end in "Boxes".
Some googling told me that apparently the version of sqlite3
with the Mac is not compiled with the RTREE option. I think
perhaps, but haven't looked that far yet, that there may be
some trade-off that explains why the default version wasn't
compiled with that option.
So if there's ever a reason to access those tables, you may
need to supply your own build of sqlite3.
I also saw that in addition to CdmaCellLocation (with 642
records on my copy of consolidated.db), there's also
CdmaCellLocationLocal, with 155 records. The layout of
those two tables is the same. The highest timestamp is in
CdmaCellLocationLocal, about 53341 higher than the highest in
CdmaCellLocation. But I have no idea what the difference is
in the _meaning_ of those two tables.
One could of course use a query like
SELECT * FROM CdmaCellLocation
UNION
SELECT * FROM CdmaCellLocationLocal;
to retrieve all the rows in both tables (excluding duplicates).
Thanks for your feedback R. Hamilton, i am currently checking the date in those tables and will prolly include them in v1.0.
v0.9.5 up with Google Maps API v3 and Timestamp info on each maker
for me it shows nothing from my iPhone backups - only from the iPad backup. Versio:n 0.95
Imperator: are you're iphone backups crypted?
Not to keen on the idea that folks can track ya down.
Awesome man, nice work.
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