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GPS question...

Does GPS drain your battery when no app is using it?


  • Total voters
    13

SyDTRaKKeD

Android Enthusiast
When you have GPS activated but no app is using it... is it disabled and not draining my battery?

Or if you have it activated does it drain battery even if nothing is using it?

I tried to test it out and it didn't seem to make much of a difference on my eris. Just wondering what others have experienced.
 
I leave GPS on all of the time and I know for a fact it is not draining the battery unless I actually have an app open that uses the GPS. You can also test this by going to the battery information section in your settings. If you don't use the gps it won't even be listed. Now when you do use GPS it is a frickin battery vampire.
 
I leave mine on 24/7 and the difference is negligible...... of course I have bluetooth on all the time as well, and 3g or wifi always on.......... but I have nearly everything set to manual syncs.... so very little is ever occurring in the background on my phone......

with average phone use....... including some web browsing, using maps, and other activities (a few games, etc)........ I tend to get about 1 1/2 to 2 days without charging.......

so I would say either my phone is a rare exception....... or its just set up properly

either way I dont think having GPS on or off makes that much of a difference
 
Did someone say Vampire? ;)

I see no battery use when GPS is left on. I typically turn mine off though when I am not using it simply because I tend to have location lock issues if I leave it on all the time.
 
Yes I said vampire :P. I was using the GPS for just a few minutes without the car charger and I just watched the % points drop one after another and I have the 1750 battery. Love the car charger.
 
awesome! i think thats what i pretty much concluded on my own but I wasn't sure if I was just getting lucky or something...
 
So the next question is... what apps do you use that use GPS? Or, should that be another thread??
 
welll... the majority seems to be that your battery is just fine as long as your not running anything using gps...

so yea... why not list some apps that are known to switch it on?

obviously Maps and Navigation use it... what are some others?

i'll start:
Where
Zombie run
...
 
I think urbanspoon uses gps too... and layar

I actually have about 4 more I can name off the top o my head, but, I want everyone else to enjoy the fun :) :) :)
 
i ran my phone alllll day to day with gps and i still have about 30% left... which is normal for my phone (i know some others have a lot of syncing and stuff turned off allowing for 1-2 days worth)

Just throwing my final opinion into the ring... GPS doesn't hog battery if it's not being used!!!
 
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