battery drain from leaving gps on...

[Robert7107]

my samsung note 3 battery life is amazing. i want to use the google now feature but wondering if by leaving the gps on all the time will it drain the battery greatly? from what i have read to get the most out of google now its best to have gps on all the time...currently i get a whole days use out of my phone before i have to plug it in. usually by 9 pm its in the teens to single digits (13%-9% on average,lowest is 6%)

 

[GuitarG20]

You don't really need to use your GPS to get the best out of google now. If you have wifi turned on, google now can get a reasonably accurate estimate of where you are based on what wifi signals it picks up. This is the mode I leave it in most of the time, and it tends to be almost, if not as, accurate as if I would have GPS on.

And yes, if the phone is constantly using GPS to get a location fix, it will drain your battery quickly.

 

[John Bean]

if the phone is constantly using GPS to get a location fix, it will drain your battery quickly

But why would it be doing that? I leave GPS enabled at all times with no ill battery effects; it consumes battery only when actually used and displays an icon in the status when this is the case, which I see very rarely except when using a dedicated app (maps, whatever) that needs continual GPS updates.

Other apps may access GPS as and when needed but in my experience their brief use of GPS has minimal impact on overall battery life.

 

[Hadron]

Correct. The only risk is if you have an app which wants to check GPS location constantly.

I've no idea how Google Now uses GPS because I don't use Google Now. I do leave GPS on all the time though without problems.

 

[fdbryant3]

Personally I leave Wifi, GPS, and Bluetooth running all the time. I've tried managing them but have only seen minimal if any change in battery life.