https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-45183041
No surprise to me. I say since years that privacy options and software guards cannot be trusted. They< are just code, and what the code actually does and what not, you do not k ow, and is beyond your control.
What is needed instead is that customers get full control over what software is installed on their smartphone, and that no automatic packaging of Android OS with Google software suites and bloatware is taking place anymore. Consumer rights organisation then can test every new device for whether or not it still phones home to mama or not.
A new cellphone you buy should have nothing more than just the pure Os of your choice, and nothing more. Evertyhign else should be installed manually at choice of the user. I had two older Smasdung tablets, both were heavily infested with bloatware you canot get rid of without rooting the device. My now Huawei P9 lite however, had some bloatware, but much less than the Samsungs, and the little that was there for the most was removable easily. So a lot here is company policy. Samsung I have logged as one of the worst offenders. Will never buy Samsung tablets or smartphones again, their policy is a customer-hostile offence.
This is one of the few occasions where the EU commission actually goes after something positive: it has started actions against Google to force it to stop packing OS together with bloatware suites that favour Google services.
In case you need a map or navigation app, I recommend OSMAND. Its free for a limited amount of map areas stored for offline use, it is, as just said, offline-capable, and it has better maps then Google esoecially in urban areas. Via this site
LINK
you can easily and comfortably create tour tracks and move them for use onto you cellphone, for use in Osmand.
No online need. No tracking. Just passive GPS. Monthly updates of maps. Better quality maps.