Scientists have devised software which will allow smart phones to do much more than keep you in contact with family and friends.
Very soon, they claim, phones will be helping users make new friends by suggesting places to go where people with similar interests are likely to congregate.
The system – named Jyotish after the Sanskrit term for Hindu astrology – creates a map of people's movements by tracking the wi-fi and Bluetooth connections on their phones to within around ten metres.
Eventually the technology would be able to go one step further, by matching their identities to social profiles and spotting situations where they may encounter a potential love match or work client.
The software was devised by Boeing scientists to predict the movement of its work crews in their huge aircraft factories.
But there are privacy and safety issues, said Peter Bentley, a computer scientist at University College London.
He said: "What if anyone could predict exactly where you will be and who you will be with? It is a stalker's dream."