"tear drop" on the status bar?

[lgbalfa]

what is the "little tear drop with the hole on the top of it" mean on the status bar up top of the phone?

i get it intermittently.

 

[Einsteindks]

That is the icon for your GPS. Highly lame if you ask me.

fat-fingered and Maxx-ed out.

 

[B. Diddy]

Are you talking about this? It's Google's trademark "pin" icon from Maps, also intended to represent GPS, as mentioned above.

 

[doogald]

It's not necessarily GPS - it's location services. It could be doing network location if you have it set that way, or have the GPS radio off.

Some app is looking for your location - either a foreground app or a background app. It could be a weather widget, etc.

 

[lgbalfa]

Are you talking about this? It's Google's trademark "pin" icon from Maps, also intended to represent GPS, as mentioned above.

View attachment 106061

yep that is it but not in red but in white.

do you leave yours on all the time?

i guess i should if i want the weather updated at my current location in the circle widgets right?

 

[B. Diddy]

I only turn on GPS if I really need precise location, which is rarely. The "battery-saving" option (which uses only wi-fi and/or cell signal to estimate location) is usually good enough for me, and is accurate to within a hundred meters or so. I only see that icon whenever I have GPS turned on, which is why I don't think it represents all location services. I have plenty of apps that use location services, but without GPS on, that icon never shows up, even briefly.

 

[lgbalfa]

I only turn on GPS if I really need precise location, which is rarely. The "battery-saving" option (which uses only wi-fi and/or cell signal to estimate location) is usually good enough for me, and is accurate to within a hundred meters or so. I only see that icon whenever I have GPS turned on, which is why I don't think it represents all location services. I have plenty of apps that use location services, but without GPS on, that icon never shows up, even briefly.

thanks for the feedback.

if i want the weather constantly accurate / updated on the circle widgets, do i need to leave the GPS on all the time?

 

[B. Diddy]

No--if you have mobile data or wi-fi on, the weather widget can get your location from that connection.

 

[lgbalfa]

No--if you have mobile data or wi-fi on, the weather widget can get your location from that connection.

thanks for the info.

 

[doogald]

thanks for the feedback.

if i want the weather constantly accurate / updated on the circle widgets, do i need to leave the GPS on all the time?

Settings/location/mode. You can change it to device only (GPS only), battery saving (wifi and cell tower triangulation) and high accuracy (GPS, cell towers, and wifi locations are all used.) Some apps allow you to set their own location controls, though the droid command center circle widget will use the settings / location.

(Notice that the icon for settings / location is the white pin drop icon.)

 

[lgbalfa]

No--if you have mobile data or wi-fi on, the weather widget can get your location from that connection.

it is weird, the weather (circle widgets) does not get updated on mobile data or wi-fi on. it only gets updated with GPS on.

 

[B. Diddy]

That's odd. Weather apps and widgets shouldn't require GPS, since they shouldn't require precise location to determine the weather. I'm not sure if it's some odd way that particular widget was coded.

 

[lgbalfa]

That's odd. Weather apps and widgets shouldn't require GPS, since they shouldn't require precise location to determine the weather. I'm not sure if it's some odd way that particular widget was coded.

let me try and be a little more specific this way you have enough information to help me if possible.

the weather i am referring to is on the circle widgets.

i have added 3 cities and have my "current location" for a total of 4 cities.

the weather does change for the "current location" but it does not when you click on it to see the 4 day forecast. that never changes.

the other 3 cities that i added, everything is updated including the current temperature of that city and the 4 day forecast.

any suggestions on why the 4 day forecast is not changing on my "current location"?

it only works when the GPS on.

thanks

 

[doogald]

it is weird, the weather (circle widgets) does not get updated on mobile data or wi-fi on. it only gets updated with GPS on.

Then leave GPS on. GPS only uses battery when an app looks for location. Leaving it on doesn't drain battery unless you have an app constantly looking for location, and, in that case, it will be looking for location from network anyway so it will be draining one way or the other.

 

[B. Diddy]

You say that the Current Location info only works when GPS is on--what does your phone say it's set to when GPS is off? With KitKat on my Nexus 5, the Location settings in Settings>Location are no longer "GPS on" or "GPS off." If I tap on the "Mode," there's "High accuracy" (which uses a combination of GPS, Wi-fi, and mobile networks), "Battery saving" (which uses only Wi-fi and mobile networks, and not GPS), and "Device only" (which uses only GPS). However, on that same screen, there's also a switch to completely turn off Location Services. So what I'm wondering is on your phone, when you turn GPS off, are you actually turning off Location Services completely?

If that's not the answer, then as I mentioned before, it may still be that the way the widget was coded, the Current Location weather info requires GPS (even though it really shouldn't need it, since it should be able to get your general location from wi-fi or mobile data).

 

[lgbalfa]

You say that the Current Location info only works when GPS is on--what does your phone say it's set to when GPS is off? With KitKat on my Nexus 5, the Location settings in Settings>Location are no longer "GPS on" or "GPS off." If I tap on the "Mode," there's "High accuracy" (which uses a combination of GPS, Wi-fi, and mobile networks), "Battery saving" (which uses only Wi-fi and mobile networks, and not GPS), and "Device only" (which uses only GPS). However, on that same screen, there's also a switch to completely turn off Location Services. So what I'm wondering is on your phone, when you turn GPS off, are you actually turning off Location Services completely?

If that's not the answer, then as I mentioned before, it may still be that the way the widget was coded, the Current Location weather info requires GPS (even though it really shouldn't need it, since it should be able to get your general location from wi-fi or mobile data).

i think i see the issue now.

when i turn off "location mode" it defaults to "device only"

what do you leave yours on? "high accuracy"?

 

[lgbalfa]

an issue that i am having with this is that i can only select the "mode" when "location mode" is on.

- high accuracy
- battery saving
- device only

when i turn "location mode" off whatever i selected (high accuracy / battery saving / device only) it does not save and defaults back to " location off"

http://i57.tinypic.com/2ikbfnm.png

it should save it right?

 

[doogald]

You're not turning gps off - you're turning all location services off. That's why the command center widget can't update location.

If you want no gps radio, set the mode to battery saving. But leave location on.

 

[lgbalfa]

You're not turning gps off - you're turning all location services off. That's why the command center widget can't update location.

If you want no gps radio, set the mode to battery saving. But leave location on.

confirmed.

thanks for the clarification and assistance.

 

[lgbalfa]

thanks everyone for there help.

i appreciate the great customer service and assistance from everyone who responded.