"Researchers Find Android Phones Still Track You, Even When You Opt Out" 12 October 2021

(…)

[As the researchers] point out, [it] fall on so-called “system apps.” These are apps that come pre-installed by the hardware manufacturer on a certain device in order to offer a certain kind of functionality: a camera or messages app are examples. ...[The researchers] found they were constantly sending device data back to their parent company and more than a few third parties—even if you never opened the app at all.

(…)

[Samsung Pass], for example, sharing details like timestamps detailing when you were using the app, and for how long, with Google Analytics...

...The Google messaging app that comes pre-installed on phones from Samsung competitor Xiaomi was caught sharing timestamps from every user interaction with Google Analytics...Huawei devices were caught doing the same. And on devices where Microsoft’s SwiftKey came pre-installed, logs detailing every time the keyboard was used in another app or elsewhere on the device were shared with Microsoft, instead.

(…)

Google, when asked about this un-opt-out-able data collection by the folks over at BleepingComputer, responded that this is simply “how modern smartphones work”:

As explained in our Google Play Services Help Center article, this data is essential for core device services such as push notifications and software updates across a diverse ecosystem of devices and software builds. .For example, Google Play services uses data on certified Android devices to support core device features...