GPS on but not in use = battery drain???

[gtbarry]

So, with the release of 4.3, the bug in Android that allowed apps like Tasker and AutomateIt to turn on and off GPS automatically when an app launches on a non-rooted phone is gone. i.e. when I launched Maps, Waze, Glypmse, etc. my GPS would turn on. When I closed those programs, my GPS would turn off. All in an effort to save battery.

Now, I have been reading up and it seems like a handful of people are saying that GPS on but NOT in use will not drain your battery. This is counter-intuitive to me. As most things say, the fewer antennas on - the less your battery will drain. But a number of posts are saying GPS will not drain your battery unless it is actually in use by an app.

Your opinion please: GPS on but not in use will or will not drain your battery?

Thanks!

 

[gtbarry]

On a side note, this is interesting....

When I started the topic, I always look at the "before your post look at these other posts" section that pops up after you enter the title of your new thread. Nothing similar came up so I posted my new topic.

Then about 5 minutes later in doing a Google search, not only did my thread already show up in the search results, but so did a few with very similar titles.

 

[funkylogik]

I always have GPS enabled mate and nah it uses zero power until an app/process activates it. Aparently (and this goes against the grain for me lol) bluetooth is the same :thumbup:
P.s yeah, i exclusively use the AF app but i find the search function pretty useless. I prefer to google the keywords and "android forums" at the end :thumbup:

 

[funkylogik]

check out this excellent post about battery use where he mentions GPS and BT mate http://androidforums.com/showthread.php?t=618583

 

[Hadron]

I've left GPS enabled for the last 3 years. I was suspicious at first, but I was monitoring battery life pretty fiercely at the time and didn't see any difference at all.

I think the key here is the word Funky used - "enabled" rather than "on" - because that's how it behaves in my experience: with it set "on" apps that need it can use it, but it's actually off unless they do.

Of course if you have a GPS-capable app checking your position every few minutes it would be a different matter. So if you like to use these "let other people look at my location" services and they can run in the background then maybe it's different (never been remotely tempted, so no idea how they behave in this regard). But on a typical day my GPS isn't activated at all.

 

[gtbarry]

Of course if you have a GPS-capable app checking your position every few minutes it would be a different matter. So if you like to use these "let other people look at my location" services and they can run in the background then maybe it's different (never been remotely tempted, so no idea how they behave in this regard). But on a typical day my GPS isn't activated at all.

These seems to be the disconnect in the disagreements I see. People who leave it on and have apps that use it constantly say GPS kills their battery. When it is actually the apps that are using GPS that are doing it.

Thanks to 4.3 and Apps Ops, this may not be an issue for me.

 

[funkylogik]

I think the Greenify app would help with any apps that use gps in the background when you dont want em to mate

 

[gtbarry]

Permissions Manager FTW

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.appaholics.applauncher

 

[SiempreTuna]

As well as 3rd party apps, you also need to consider Google apps: I'm guessing that if you have location services or Google Now enabled, the GPS is going to get polled relatively frequently which is going to have some affect on the battery.

Rather than fret about which apps may or may not be polling the GPS, I feel it's a whole lot easier to turn the thing off It's not like any of the location services actually do anything worthwhile: a couple of weeks back, Google Now was convinced I worked 400 miles away, despite me having the same phone and working in the same place for 8 months!

 

[divinebovine]

Keep in mind how GPS works. If an app polls GPS for current location, it's not going to get the location immediately unless GPS has been keeping a lock on the signals -- which is where all the energy goes.