Why is Google CONSTANTLY requesting my "recent location"?! Turned everything "off" & persists

[Starpower11]

Why is Google CONSTANTLY requesting my "recent location"?! Turned everything "off" & persists

Hi all. Fairly new with the GS5, have it all set up and optimized how I like it. Part of that was having "Location Services" always "off", until I thankfully realized that my Lookout "Find My Phone" service wouldn't work with it off. Unfortunately, due to that, I've turned it on, though in the "Power Saving" mode and I've gone through every individual App to turn off their "Location Reporting".

One app that ALWAYS shows up in the "recently requested locations" list is Google, every time, regardless of whether I've used it. Google Play Services pops up there every now and then, but Google is up there every single time. One thing I can't stand about Google is how unbelievably invasive they are.

I've gone to the Google App and turned off Location Reporting in every way I can, I turned it off on the Google Page on Chrome (via my Account), etc. I've tried having "Web History" turned off and then turned it on, as well as "Personal Tailored Searches" since I know that on iOS having "Private Browsing" on would cause Google to always ask for your location, thinking it might have some correlation. Unfortunately, on Android it seems you can't get around Google sniffing around your location.

It's almost as if they just keep Google on the "recent recasts" list by default, or so I'd wish, as it seems very excessive that it would keep sapping up your resources (as minuscule as it may hopefully be) by being on a constant "location request".

Any help or ways you got around this would be appreciated! Thanks.

 

[B. Diddy]

Re: Why is Google CONSTANTLY requesting my "recent location"?! Turned everything "off" & persists

If you have Location Services turned on at all, some Google service will be requesting location at some point. Usually Google Search (i.e., Google Now, whose very purpose is a location and situation-based information center), but also Google Maps, among others. If you really​ object to this behavior (which, I would surmise, is not unique to Google), then are you sure an Android phone is right for you?

 

[Starpower11]

Re: Why is Google CONSTANTLY requesting my "recent location"?! Turned everything "off" & persists

If you have Location Services turned on at all, some Google service will be requesting location at some point. Usually Google Search (i.e., Google Now, whose very purpose is a location and situation-based information center), but also Google Maps, among others. If you really​ object to this behavior (which, I would surmise, is not unique to Google), then are you sure an Android phone is right for you?

Thanks. I do, and I've always been more of an Apple guy, but gave Android another chance after the horrid experience with what I considered an awful device (GS3), and glad I did as I do mostly love the GS5 and screen size is important to me. I've disabled and "crafted" my Android to be as non-invasive as possible, and tried to limit as much of Samsung's experience-ruining bloatware (thankfully I like all the good stuff on the GS5 to have me mostly overlooking that for now), but things like this do bother me. I'm not a big Samsung company fan, but the GS5 ticked enough of the right boxes.

It seems it's the actual Google app itself (Search) that's requesting my location constantly (or maybe, wishful thinking, they just keep it there on the "recent requests" list under Location settings just because), which is odd as I've turned off location requests on this phone under the specific app (but still have location services turned on, yet under "Power Saving").

 

[B. Diddy]

Re: Why is Google CONSTANTLY requesting my "recent location"?! Turned everything "off" & persists

Try turning off Google Now in Google Settings>Search & Now. If Google Now is off, it probably won't request your location that much.

 

[Starpower11]

Re: Why is Google CONSTANTLY requesting my "recent location"?! Turned everything "off" & persists

Yeah, I have that off too, lol. Very weird.

BTW, turning on or off "Web History" and "Personal Results" shouldn't be a factor in this, correct?

 

[B. Diddy]

Re: Why is Google CONSTANTLY requesting my "recent location"?! Turned everything "off" & persists

I don't think so.

You need some automated functionality where the phone's Location Services are always off when the phone is on your person, but if it leaves your vicinity, Location Services turns on so that Find My Phone can work. Maybe you could combine Tasker and some kind of NFC or Bluetooth proximity tag.

 

[peacefulberry]

Have you tried disabling Google search by going to settings. More. Application manager. Find Google search. Click turn off. You can still use Google search in chrome if you have it installed, but the actual Google search app will be disabled. This is the only thing I can think of.

 

[Starpower11]

Re: Why is Google CONSTANTLY requesting my "recent location"?! Turned everything "off" & persists

I don't think so.

You need some automated functionality where the phone's Location Services are always off when the phone is on your person, but if it leaves your vicinity, Location Services turns on so that Find My Phone can work. Maybe you could combine Tasker and some kind of NFC or Bluetooth proximity tag.

Hmm, interesting. Unfortunately that's way over my head at the moment, but sounds perfect. If somehow the phone could tell when it wasn't actually on me? Is there a tutorial anywhere on how to get that formatted?

Have you tried disabling Google search by going to settings. More. Application manager. Find Google search. Click turn off. You can still use Google search in chrome if you have it installed, but the actual Google search app will be disabled. This is the only thing I can think of.

Yeah, thought about that briefly, good idea. I'd hate to turn off my Search app, though. It's just weird that with literally everything "off" in my Google app, from location search, to web history, personal data, Google Now, etc., it still has a permanent spot on my "recently requested location" tab. Google Services also is up there quite a bit (btw, any knowledge as to whether disabling that will hurt anything? Samsung gives you the option to, but I don't want to if it "hurts" anything).

I guess I'll monitor the battery data on the GSam app and see if Google is in fact taking up more resources by this. I'm hoping it's just some sort of "thing" where Android lists Google under "recently requested services" permanently as some kind of non-sequitor (maybe to take no risks by being as transparent as possible, or something).

 

[B. Diddy]

Re: Why is Google CONSTANTLY requesting my "recent location"?! Turned everything "off" & persists

There are Bluetooth proximity fobs that can tell if the phone gets too far away from you, like this one: http://www.smartnudge.com.au/

Tasker is an app that can automate a lot of actions, but I'm not sure if what I suggested is possible with it. Might be worth looking into.

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