Consensus: Will leaving GPS ON consume more battery life?

[meyerweb#CB]

Interesting about the WiFi. I'll have to look into how that works.

 

[AldousSnow]

Thanks for the clarification meyerweb. In regards to WiFi, if you open location settings, there is some verbiage about using WiFi and/or mobile networks. Not a clue how that would work, but it is in there.

I have my GPS off, but my weather updates based on my mobile network (sprint satellites). It's not exactly accurate as the GPS but it gets close enough.

 

[dwhitman]

Thanks for the clarification meyerweb. In regards to WiFi, if you open location settings, there is some verbiage about using WiFi and/or mobile networks. Not a clue how that would work, but it is in there.

Remember the recent news stories about Google being investigated in Europe for (apparently inadvertently) recording data transmitted via WiFi while the Street View cars were driving around?

I believe that recording transmitted data was an accident. But they were intentionally collecting WiFi access point data (MAC address plus GPS coordinates) for use as a part of location services. WiFi is a rather short range technology, so detecting a known access point gives a pretty fine grained location by a simple lookup, no need to see satellites or perform a fairly compute-intensive GPS calculation.

You can hear 5A234CFF0A? I know that one! You must be on the 200 block of Main Street in Podunk, Kansas.

 

[r-nice]

I leave mine on all the time and have only seen the GPS icon pop up once and that was when starting up Where and trying to find my location.

 

[Darth Mo]

I just did a quick test.

Left GPS on for 3 hours and checked the battery usage. I didn't use any apps that use GPS, and the GPS usage wasn't even listed as having used any battery. Might show over a little more time, but idle GPS looks like it's basically nil as far as drawing power.

 

[meyerweb#CB]

I have my GPS off, but my weather updates based on my mobile network (sprint satellites). It's not exactly accurate as the GPS but it gets close enough.

Just to be clear, Sprint doesn't have any satellites. Your voice, 3G and 4G signals travel to and from antennas attached to land based towers.

 

[RayStinkle]

guysthe gps only turns on when you see that icon at the top of the screen, for example when you open Google maps. There's no reason to turn gps off cause its not using any battery when you don't see that icon. And the icon only turns on when you open maps. Even if you open maps then hit the home button, you see the icon immediately turn off. It doesn't use resources in the background. Unless of course you have an active route ongoing in navigation.

So I never understood why you would turn off the gps when it turns itself off while you're not using it.

 

[sel1965]

I have not turned mine off since launch and have no issues with it or my battery life.

 

[Cory Streater]

You guys have sold me on not having to turn it off, but it doesn't help that the User Guide creates confusion by saying this under the "Power-Saving Tips" section:

Managing Your Device’s Wireless Functions:

Disable the 4G, Sprint Mobile Hotspot, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS functions of the device when not in use.

Adding that you should add widgets to your homescreen to quickly turn these functions on and off.

 

[SilverZero]

So since GPS is only a receiver, can we use it on the airplane?

 

[sel1965]

Just to be clear, I am not suggesting anything to anyone just stating my experience.

 

[Cory Streater]

So since GPS is only a receiver, can we use it on the airplane?

It depends on the airlines policy and the crew. If they tell you to turn it off, then you need to turn it off. I know American Airlines has a written policy against it, whereas others do not. I've never been able to get a GPS connection - in flight - on any smartphone I've owned anyways.

 

[AndroidOne]

So since GPS is only a receiver, can we use it on the airplane?

Yes and no. The FAA has ruled against the use of cosumer location devices on-board commercial airplanes, that includes phone integrated GPS receivers. This has nothing to do with interference with the plane's navigation equipment, but rather for security reasons post 9/11.

Regarding potential navigation equipment interference with cell phone signals, there is a significant amount of debate among proponents and detractors of the cell phone ban, but little concrete unbiased data in support of either possition.

I am a jet-rated pilot and have flown as PIC or second on my A/C as well as multiple others including military/private jets. My personal observation over the years is that I have yet to find any noticiable communication or navigation signal degradation on any onboard radio equipment attributable to the use of GSM/CDMA phones on the plane.

 

[Gekko]

i can't wait for the day when in-flight WIFI is available on all flights.

Gogo Inflight

 

[McPlot]

The GPS is "ondemand" which means it is off unless some app uses it. So it does not make a difference if it is on or off.

 

[Robbie317]

Yes and no. The FAA has ruled against the use of cosumer location devices on-board commercial airplanes, that includes phone integrated GPS receivers. This has nothing to do with interference with the plane's navigation equipment, but rather for security reasons post 9/11.

Regarding potential navigation equipment interference with cell phone signals, there is a significant amount of debate among proponents and detractors of the cell phone ban, but little concrete unbiased data in support of either possition.

I am a jet-rated pilot and have flown as PIC or second on my A/C as well as multiple others including military/private jets. My personal observation over the years is that I have yet to find any noticiable communication or navigation signal degradation on any onboard radio equipment attributable to the use of GSM/CDMA phones on the plane.

Agreed... I have spent the last 15+ years in Aviation Maintenance and am a current employee of Boeing Aerospace.... I have actually been on a flight where I forgot to turn my phone off and it started to ring in my pocket.. It quickly lost signal... Ooops...

I know with my Garmin I can get a signal when near the window... Have not tried it with my EVO.. With the Garmin I did it so my "MAX SPEED" read 588 miles per hour....

Other than that the GPS and even the Cellular signal has little to no affect on the aircraft. the new 787 aircraft has built in WiFi into the aircraft...

 

[akarol]

So, can we all agree that having the GPS antenna ON at all times will not consume more power than having it OFF?

 

[meyerweb#CB]

The GPS is "ondemand" which means it is off unless some app uses it. So it does not make a difference if it is on or off.

Don't think that's right. If I have my GPS radio manually turned off, telling weather bug to use the GPS for location does NOT turn the GPS radio on during updates.

 

[Gekko]

So, can we all agree that having the GPS antenna ON at all times will not consume more power than having it OFF?

i don't agree. leave it on and you could have apps running in the background that will bang your GPS radio. even the Browser (Google) bangs the GPS regularly for location. so it really depends on your usage pattern and what apps you have installed and running IMO.

 

[RayStinkle]

So since GPS is only a receiver, can we use it on the airplane?

Sure, many people have got it working on a plane.