So in order to track the phone he had to:
1) Get physical access to the phone and be able to unlock it.
2) Manually disable the Android setting so that non verified apps can be installed (the setting is enabled by default on almost every Google Android phone to protect users). By doing so a clear message warns the user that the phone will become vulnerable to attackers.
3) Install an obscure apk on the phone (side load or via link) outside of the Play Store.
I would call this just installing an app that is designed to track you. Such an app is trivial to code.
When you decide to set your OS free to make it possible to install anything then obviously you can install anything on it, including a spyware.
It makes no sense to compare this to iOS because iOS doesn't allow 2) (walled garden). Android leaves it up to you and thus provides more "freedom" to users. Freedom comes with additional risks. The equivalent is jailbreaking on iOS (unofficial).
I like to compare this with someone being locked in a room. This person is obviously less likely to die from a car accident than a free one. But does that mean you want to live locked in a room ?
1) Get physical access to the phone and be able to unlock it.
2) Manually disable the Android setting so that non verified apps can be installed (the setting is enabled by default on almost every Google Android phone to protect users). By doing so a clear message warns the user that the phone will become vulnerable to attackers.
3) Install an obscure apk on the phone (side load or via link) outside of the Play Store.
I would call this just installing an app that is designed to track you. Such an app is trivial to code.
When you decide to set your OS free to make it possible to install anything then obviously you can install anything on it, including a spyware.
It makes no sense to compare this to iOS because iOS doesn't allow 2) (walled garden). Android leaves it up to you and thus provides more "freedom" to users. Freedom comes with additional risks. The equivalent is jailbreaking on iOS (unofficial).
I like to compare this with someone being locked in a room. This person is obviously less likely to die from a car accident than a free one. But does that mean you want to live locked in a room ?