Google Pie and Wifi Wardriving

[arkasha]

Google has throttled scan initiation in Android P - 4 scans/2 minute maximum. Feel free to "star" the issue to help raise awareness within Google. Bug: https://issuetracker.google.com/issues/79906367 Feature Request: https://issuetracker.google.com/issues/112688545

Rest assured that WiGLE is going to keep working on this one, but it's certainly going to pose problems. This could be pretty disastrous for the networking, security, indoor positioning, and wardriving communities. The API documentation now states that Google plans to remove the startScan() call completely in future releases.

[bobzilla]

This is getting ridiculous, allow the user to decide battery life trade-offs, instead of forcing things to fail. And don't go the route of Apple, removing the ability altogether, making the platform useless for whole categories of applications for regular folks who aren't rooting/jailbreaking.

[thwiggle]

[quote=arkasha post_id=9648 time=1533677929 user_id=54]
Google has throttled scan initiation in Android P - 4 scans/2 minute maximum. Feel free to "star" the issue to help raise awareness within Google. [url]https://issuetracker.google.com/issues/79906367[/url]
[/quote]

This is really bad news but I'll do everything that is necessary to keep Wigle running smoothly on my phone, even rooting / installing a custom ROM when necessary when Android Pie arrives on my (futute) phone.

[arkasha]

we're committed to finding a way to resolve this for everyone, and wouldn't ask our users to decrease their own security just to stumble - we'll post info here as it becomes available!

Cheers,

-ark

[Iamien]

There should be a permission created to "Exceed Wifi Scan Throttling".

There are some very creative applications for scanning beyond stumbling hat should not be casualties.

Start this feature request as well:

https://issuetracker.google.com/issues/112688545

[ViperVirus]

Hopefully they will add a way to bypass the wifi scan limit in stock android although I tend to use custom ROM's like linageos so hopefully the linageos team will have a solution for this even if stock android doesn't although most of my wardriving devices are currently running stock android 5.1.1 or lower and I only use them for wardriving and some other stuff so I don't plan on upgrading to Android 9 anytime soon.

[om]

so is there a way to overcome this with root permissions? maybe a magisk module or something?

[arkasha]

haven't researched it extensively because we don't want to ask our users to risk security problems in exchange for network detection - but by all means, let's study and collect options!

[om]

It could be an option for some users at least, e.g. I'm using a rooted device anyway

[Phlik]

Having gone to Pie I am glad to see they haven't limited the bluetooth and cell scanning rate... yet.

[wirelessscanner]

Can anybody confirm or deny Android 9 (Pie) is not limited more in scanning compared to Android 8?

[arkasha]

it definitely is significantly more limited in WiFi scanning. It shouldn't limit Cell/Bluetooth scanning any more than previous versions.

[om]

there's a link suggesting it might get fixed in android q at least:
https://www.androidpolice.com/2019/01/2 ... android-q/

[arkasha]

I was excited to hear that they were fixing the location stuff, too - now if they'd just do it for network scanning!

[TROMOS]

I've noticed an improvement in results if I periodically switch wifi off and back on. Obviously this is impractical to do manually for any prolonged period. An automatic toggler may be a way to get round the scan limit as it seems to allow a scan as soon as it is enabled even if that is just a couple of seconds after the last time. Not ideal as it would interfere with other apps use of wireless, but could be an option for some if it works (until Google also disable this!). As things stand for me, I've just about given up as I'm only getting about a tenth of what I used to get in the past. I hope some resolution is found soon.
Best regards to all the Wigle team...