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Turn GPS off to save your battery?

DaQue

By DaQue
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DaQue Member Level: 4G LTE

DaQue

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I've been reading that turning GPS off doesn't help with battery life like it used to back in my EVO 4G Wimax days. Opinions welcomed. Is it worth doing?

 

Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

 

 

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cletus Member Level: 4G WiMax

cletus

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These days I believe GPS is only actually used when required for an app and not scanning otherwise. I leave mine on 24/7 with my evo3d and notice zero difference in battery life versus leaving it off. I assume this is the same case with the newer phones as well.

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DaQue Member Level: 4G LTE

DaQue

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I seem to have more than a few apps that ask for location permissions.  Even the movie apps Flixter and Fandango want it.

 

Thanks for all the answers today.

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halcyoncmdr Member Level: eHRPD

halcyoncmdr

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I seem to have more than a few apps that ask for location permissions.  Even the movie apps Flixter and Fandango want it.

 

Thanks for all the answers today.

 

The ask for permission because they have location services embedded in the apps themselves, that does not mean GPS is active all the time simply because they are installed or open.

 

If you don't have the GPS icon visible in your notification tray it isn't on. The setting just allows you to enable/disable the ability for an app to turn it on automatically, that's all

 

 

On a side note since you seem to be getting updated with current Android tech... DO NOT INSTALL A TASK KILLER UNLESS YOU KNOW 100% HOW TO PROPERLY USE ONE!

 

Android now manages apps and memory usage on its own. Apps are automatically shutdown by the system after 10 minutes of inactivity. If you know you have an app open that is having an issue and needs to be shutdown you can manually close it with built-in tools. Long pressing the HOME button (or pressing a dedicated RECENT APP button on some models) will bring up your recent app listing. This is the last 10 or so apps you have used, allowing you to easily switch between them to multi-task. If you swipe them to the left off of the screen (up on some HTC models), they will force close if they are open. Just because an app is listed in Recent Apps, does not necessarily mean it is actively running.

 

Samsung models even have a built-in task manager that extends this ability. From the Recent App screen, there will be a button at the bottom that looks like a pie chart, clicking that will pull up a Samsung-made App monitor, RAM cleaner, and Storage manager. The Active Applications tab will show you currently running apps and info about them. This is color-coded. White/Grey is standard coloring for dormant apps. Yellow are apps that are actively working but will go to sleep if your phone enters a sleep state. Red apps are actively working and will keep the phone awake even once the screen sleeps until they finish whatever they are working on (syncing, downloading, etc.).

 

In addition, anti-virus apps are useless. The few pieces of Android malware that have been released are removed by Google from both the Play Store and from all infected devices upon discovery. ALWAYS READ THE PERMISSIONS YOU GIVE APPS, THERE IS A REASON EVERY APP INSTALLED TELLS YOU THEM WHEN YOU CLICK THE BUTTON IN THE PLAY STORE. If a permission looks suspect, check the app reviews for info from other users, or send a message to the developer from the link on the app page right there asking why it needs that permission, if they refuse to disclose the information, that's extremely shady. The apps that claim to monitor or scan for malware just run in the background all of the time and give a false sense of security. I know Sprint recommends Lookout, but honestly, it sucks. Every feature of it can be accomplished through other apps that aren't as intrusive or through built-in systems.

 

Sprint's Total Equipment Protection app is decent for device location/locking/remote wiping and secondary contact backup, and it is free if you have TEP. Keep in mind the Google account you're required to make for Google Play access can also backup all of your contacts. For device location/locking/remote wipe/etc. I personally recommend Cerberus however. It is a paid app (~$5, converted to dollars), but it has a free trial. Definitely worth the cost as it covers unlimited devices.

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Sim-X Member Level: iDEN *chirp*

Sim-X

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I never shut my GPS off, I can go 2+ days on my HTC One with light usage with GPS & wi-fi on. Have always kept it on including the original evo, 3D, evo LTE & One. It's annoying when you go to use a GPS app and you have to toggle it. I would focus on other areas to improve battery before GPS.

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bill875 Member Level: 3G EVDO

bill875

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The Weather Channel app is notorious for keeping the GPS turned on, even when you haven't opened the app.  I often find my battery down to 14% by 9pm and that is due to The Weather Channel using 40+% of the battery due to the GPS being locked on.  I've finally given up on TWC as they can't seem to fix that bug, yet they redesigned the app to look "pretty."

 

I want the GPS on for the rest of my apps, so turning it off just for TWC isn't going to happen.

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WiWavelength Member Level: LTE Advanced

WiWavelength

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I am not sure when the chipset consolidation took place, but if you have almost any Sprint LTE handset (Galaxy Nexus, get lost), GPS is definitely on board the 28 nm process Qualcomm baseband.  So, as it is not a separate chipset, there is little to be gained from disabling GPS -- unless you are shutting down the cellular baseband entirely.

 

AJ

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DaQue Member Level: 4G LTE

DaQue

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I will just keep it on now and keep an eye on apps the fire it up too much. I noticed Radar Now stays running in the background and keeps it on mist of the time. I will just kill the apps that abuse . Damm just looked up and GPS is on again. .. and now its off... I wonder whats turnng it on. On agun.. sigh...

 

Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

 

 

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