Apple has not commented on the matter and did not reply to a request for comment for this story.

Google says it does not collect location information without user permission.

"All location sharing on Android is opt-in by the user," the company said in a statement. "We provide users with notice and control over the collection, sharing and use of location in order to provide a better mobile experience on Android devices. Any location data that is sent back to Google location servers is anonymized and is not tied or traceable to a specific user."

The IDG News Service