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Comment by mark_l_watson | Hacker News Reader

Is this a big deal? I almost always turn GPS off anyway. I turn GPS on when I am travelling, and very occasionally for a minute if I use Google Map. GPS runs the battery down. Is GPS something most users leave turned on?

I thought the article would be about tracking via wifi use, which they probably do.

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I suspect that most people don't understand much about location services and reference 'GPS' as the generic term for location tracking whether it's via GPS/Wifi/Cell tower/other. The bottom line is if your device has any sort of connectivity whatsoever that can geolocate your device, Google is using it. Off-line when it happens? No problem: they'll log it and upload the data when you reconnect.

GPS is nice to add exif info to photos. Also, who wants to turn GPS on and off, every time you're using maps?

Me. It's like two clicks. It used to be one when I kept a widget for that purpose on my home screen. I also turn off bluetooth and wifi if I'm not using them.

You know what happens when you force a user to do an extra two clicks to accomplish something that should take one? They don't do it.

Yes. I'm not sure how that's relevant. I'm not just "some user". I'm actually me, and I know what my actual behavior actually is. I'm just describing what I actually do, not prescribing what someone should do.

I do. I thought everyone did.

Apparently I was wrong g to think everyone did? To clarify, I turn my off to save a little battery, same as my Bluetooth and wifi.

Probably. I would assume that only a very small percentage of Android users does that.

Huh that's what I get for assuming!

Me! Always. Otherwise it'd always be running. Who would want that? I don't need to know my GPS location very often, so I see no reason to leave it enabled all the time - that might serve Google's interests but it definitely does not serve mine.

Before this I did, since it didn't do anything as long as no app requested GPS. (at least it did feel very much like a GPS in warm-up mode when I did use it once in a while, and it had no discernible effect on the battery)

Does leaving GPS on in location services, but not using an app that requests my location in its permissions drain the battery?

No.

Not actively using (as in not having it up on the screen), or not having it installed at all?

Not having it open on the screen, and not having it running as a background process

>Is this a big deal?

To me? it is a desition that makes want not to use Android.

GPS is always on. "Off" is just slower updates to conserve power.

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