GPS on/off icon in notification bar

[strat1227]

Hey, sorry if there's a thread already, if so I missed it somehow

Anyway, does anyone else despise that gps on/off icon at the top?? Not only is it almost always wrong (I use tasker profiles to turn on/off GPS depending on certain conditions, and apparently that bar doesn't update when tasker changes GPS settings), but it also takes up room for nothing, do i really need to be notified that I'm NOT using GPS??

Without rooting, is there ANY way to get rid of this thing? Or at least make it accurate if it's going to be there?

 

[trooper54]

No you cant get rid of notification bar items without rooting. To make it accurate, i suggest using the quick settings tab in notifications to turn gps on and off. Also it might give you a "wrong" reading when gps is idling as in when your not using navigation. Try using navigation and see if it still show up as gps off.

 

[strat1227]

I can't just use "quick settings" to turn it on and off because as I said I have several tasker profiles that activate/deactivate it based on given settings

Also, I went into google maps and navigation and the satellite thing popped up but the compass still had a line through it even though i was obviously using gps

 

[trooper54]

I can't just use "quick settings" to turn it on and off because as I said I have several tasker profiles that activate/deactivate it based on given settings

Also, I went into google maps and navigation and the satellite thing popped up but the compass still had a line through it even though i was obviously using gps

Then It sounds like its a tasker issue. Have you tried turning off your profiles, rebooting the phone and then turn on GPS and maps to see if the line through the compass goes away?

If it doesI would contact the developer and see if they have any insight.

 

[anon(109164)]

I can't just use "quick settings" to turn it on and off because as I said I have several tasker profiles that activate/deactivate it based on given settings

Also, I went into google maps and navigation and the satellite thing popped up but the compass still had a line through it even though i was obviously using gps

The compass shows your location setting (Menu->Settings->Location->Location Setting): ON shows the little compass or target symbol, OFF shows the same symbol with a diagonal line through it.

Unfortunately, I believe this icon appears on all phones and cannot be disabled, though it may be possible with root. I hope so, since I also hate to see valuable status bar space wasted!

HTH

 

[strat1227]

What's the distinction between Location Setting and GPS?

 

[anon(109164)]

What's the distinction between Location Setting and GPS?

Well, if you click on Menu->Settings->Location->Location Setting, you'll see a screen with the following info:

Turning location on will allow the network to detect your position by using GPS technology, making some Sprint PCS applications and services easier to use. Turning location off will disable the GPS location function for all purposes except 911, but will not hide your general location based on the cell site serving your call.
No application or service may use your location without your request or permission.
GPS enhanced 911 is not available in all areas.


If Location Setting is off, there's no way to use the GPS in any app and, AFAIK, while the GPS can be turned on/off by apps, this Location Setting cannot, so it exists to give you, the end user, the final say so over whether you want your location info to be available to apps on your phone or not.

 

[strat1227]

Well, if you click on Menu->Settings->Location->Location Setting, you'll see a screen with the following info:

Turning location on will allow the network to detect your position by using GPS technology, making some Sprint PCS applications and services easier to use. Turning location off will disable the GPS location function for all purposes except 911, but will not hide your general location based on the cell site serving your call.
No application or service may use your location without your request or permission.
GPS enhanced 911 is not available in all areas.


If Location Setting is off, there's no way to use the GPS in any app and, AFAIK, while the GPS can be turned on/off by apps, this Location Setting cannot, so it exists to give you, the end user, the final say so over whether you want your location info to be available to apps on your phone or not.

That can't possibly be correct ... mine is set to off and I use the GPS all the time! I've used navigation and google maps and all kinds of things, and the GPS emblem even appears up top when I'm using it!!

So I'm still very very confused about this setting ....

 

[anon(109164)]

That can't possibly be correct ... mine is set to off and I use the GPS all the time! I've used navigation and google maps and all kinds of things, and the GPS emblem even appears up top when I'm using it!!

So I'm still very very confused about this setting ....

Don't know what to tell you, but that's how it should and does work on my new EVO 3D and how it worked on my EVO 4G and my Hero before that. If I turn off the Location Setting, it turns off my GPS and if I go into Maps, all I get is a big blue circle around my approximate cell tower-based location...

 

[strat1227]

That's absolutely bizarre ... Mine is definitely set to "Off" and when I pull up maps I get a pinpoint location, it even says "Accurate to 20 meters"

so basically for whatever reason, on my phone this icon/function is completely useless ... ugh i can't wait for root, I hate when companies make phones on android which is supposed to be about freedom, then force **** like this on you

 

[backlund]

Tasker only turns off the actual GPS radio. Location fixes can still be made, albeit much more inaccurately, via triangulation of the cell towers your phone sees, as well as with wifi GPS triangulation (if you have wifi on).

I also use tasker to turn off GPS and this works perfectly for battery life. The actual GPS radio will be off, but you can still get a lousy location fix to use for apps like Places if you want to see a nearby restaurant, or a weather app that just needs to know what city you are in. The lousy fix is great for apps that just need a general idea of where you are. And, it uses very little battery at all, since your phone is always connected to the towers anyway.

 

[backlund]

That's absolutely bizarre ... Mine is definitely set to "Off" and when I pull up maps I get a pinpoint location, it even says "Accurate to 20 meters"

so basically for whatever reason, on my phone this icon/function is completely useless ... ugh i can't wait for root, I hate when companies make phones on android which is supposed to be about freedom, then force **** like this on you

Nothing is being forced on you. The pull down menu settings only turns off the GPS radio. If you truly want to disable any and all location fixes, you have to turn off the Use Wireless Networks setting in the settings -> location control panel. By doing that, you can only enable/disable the GPS radio from the pull down menu (or tasker) and that is the only time it will be able to get any kind of location fix.

If you have the Use Wireless Networks option checked, it will still be able to check location periodically and you will still see the icon every now and then even if your GPS setting is OFF in the pull down menu.

This is a feature that is even available in vanilla Android ROMS, so blaming HTC is completely irrelevant, as it is a basic function of the operating system. As I previously noted, it uses almost zero additional battery life because you are already connected to your cell towers, even with the phone in standby.

 

[backlund]

That's absolutely bizarre ... Mine is definitely set to "Off" and when I pull up maps I get a pinpoint location, it even says "Accurate to 20 meters"

so basically for whatever reason, on my phone this icon/function is completely useless ... ugh i can't wait for root, I hate when companies make phones on android which is supposed to be about freedom, then force **** like this on you

I should also point out that there are a number of reasons why you are getting a pinpoint location. The first reason could be that you probably weren't moving at the time you checked maps. The network triangulation can be quite accurate if you aren't moving. Try maps again when you are in a moving car and it will probably take forever to get any kind of accurate fix, if any at all, with the GPS radio turned off. Furthermore, GPS functions on mobile devices will sometimes reuse old data to help save battery life. If you were messing with the GPS setting and turned it on long enough to acquire a fix, then turned it off, the operating system can make a 'best guess' if you have actually moved since your last accurate fix. Once you turned it off and pulled up maps, your assumption is that it will do a brand new network triangulation, but if the OS sees that you haven't moved (far), it will simply reuse the more accurate data from the last time you had the GPS on.

I wrote a few GPS driven apps for WebOS, and Android and IOS all generally use GPS in the same ways. The OS is smart enough to cache data and reuse it if needed, instead of making new fixes which can use battery and CPU.

 

[ilordvader]

Hello Need Help
I have Galaxy S4
When I on the gps it flickers & blinks in status bar
cos when I get a e mail or mesg & I pull down the bar

it flicks & jumps up & down making me miss the e mail or mesg or whatsapp I want to open
its very Irrattating
Is there anyway to make that Gps search jump stop ?

Thank you all