keeping GPS on: my conclusion

[funkylogik]

ok ive been testing with my normal hard use discharges with gps+wifi on (not connected to gps or wifi, i use mobile data), no gps on, and no wifi on. screen on constantly and browsing etc from 100-5% and (wish id took screenshots) and with GPS on, not locked to a sattelite, sat indoors, i get a good 1.5hours less use. wifi on is neglegable.
these are just my personal findings so ill be keepin GPS off until i need it and wifi on because Google Now suggests it.
any thoughts or contradictions welcome

global s3, UK. Ask me anything and ill reply even if its just an intelligent (or stupid) guess

 

[KreepyKen]

ok ive been testing with my normal hard use discharges with gps+wifi on (not connected to gps or wifi, i use mobile data), no gps on, and no wifi on. screen on constantly and browsing etc from 100-5% and (wish id took screenshots) and with GPS on, not locked to a sattelite, sat indoors, i get a good 1.5hours less use. wifi on is neglegable.
these are just my personal findings so ill be keepin GPS off until i need it and wifi on because Google Now suggests it.
any thoughts or contradictions welcome

global s3, UK. Ask me anything and ill reply even if its just an intelligent (or stupid) guess

Same thing I've experienced. With all the radios (3G/4G, LTE, Bluetooth, GPS, Wifi), a weaker signal will cause higher drain. So if you're inside and the phone can't see the satellites, having GPS turned on will burn more battery than if you were outside. Same with 3G. If you have lousy coverage (like one bar), you'll burn A LOT more battery than if you're standing under a tower. I believe that WiFi and Bluetooth go dormant when not in use. I've noticed extra drain when leaving GPS on, but I haven't seen any difference if WiFi is on, whether or not I'm in range of a WiFi router or not.

The issue with the extra GPS drain might not actually be caused by the radio. I've noticed that Google Maps is much more active when GPS is on...even if it can't connect to the satellites. I have a feeling that Maps is the battery drain, forcing the phone to try making the GPS connection when it can't. But that's just conjecture on my part...I have no idea for sure. Just something I noticed.

 

[funkylogik]

Same thing I've experienced. With all the radios (3G/4G, LTE, Bluetooth, GPS, Wifi), a weaker signal will cause higher drain. So if you're inside and the phone can't see the satellites, having GPS turned on will burn more battery than if you were outside. Same with 3G. If you have lousy coverage (like one bar), you'll burn A LOT more battery than if you're standing under a tower. I believe that WiFi and Bluetooth go dormant when not in use. I've noticed extra drain when leaving GPS on, but I haven't seen any difference if WiFi is on, whether or not I'm in range of a WiFi router or not.

The issue with the extra GPS drain might not actually be caused by the radio. I've noticed that Google Maps is much more active when GPS is on...even if it can't connect to the satellites. I have a feeling that Maps is the battery drain, forcing the phone to try making the GPS connection when it can't. But that's just conjecture on my part...I have no idea for sure. Just something I noticed.

same mate. i used to keep maps disabled but as i wana get the most out of Now, i enabled it, its only usin 1-2% but its pretty amazing. how did it know i was sitting in the council housing department and tell me how long it would take to get home and add a minute for extra traffic lol.??
anyone know how to make it know i dont drive and have to walk or bus?

global s3, UK. Ask me anything and ill reply even if its just an intelligent (or stupid) guess

 

[OWybPPgO]

I've noticed the same with Google Maps and GPS on. I've also noticed some poorly coded apps (like the awful Facebook app) will use the GPS if it's on, even if I have location turned off. I don't need GPS on enough to keep it on - I just turn it on when navigating.

 

[funkylogik]

I've noticed the same with Google Maps and GPS on. I've also noticed some poorly coded apps (like the awful Facebook app) will use the GPS if it's on, even if I have location turned off. I don't need GPS on enough to keep it on - I just turn it on when navigating.

ill be doing same mate.
dont get me started on fb app lol its a horrorshow.
why cant they design a new fresh app from the ground up like g+???

global s3, UK. Ask me anything and ill reply even if its just an intelligent (or stupid) guess

 

[anon(823957)]

Agreed. I need to force close Facebook any time I dare open it, or else my battery tanks.

 

[deanodrums]

My GPS only shows a 5% drain when it is on all the time. So for me its no big deal. The FB app i dont have any problems with. Though i do have that with other apps i have on my s3 which dont rquire GPS. Though i will mention the navigation on the maps is really good

 

[funkylogik]

nav is amazing.
what is GPS called in Gsam mate?
i just based my test on time from 100-5%
5% is quite a chunk lol. ive uninstalled background apps for far less and Now seems to function fine without it

global s3, UK. Ask me anything and ill reply even if its just an intelligent (or stupid) guess

 

[deanodrums]

nav is amazing.
what is GPS called in Gsam mate?
i just based my test on time from 100-5%
5% is quite a chunk lol. ive uninstalled background apps for far less and Now seems to function fine without it

global s3, UK. Ask me anything and ill reply even if its just an intelligent (or stupid) guess

Ok in GSam it shows up as System (gpsd) i think that is the gps anyway. I just checked this morning and its running at 14.2%!!!!!!!!!! So maybe i may turn it off and use it for when i need the maps
I have also checked this in my built in battery stats its running at 8%. Then again my battery says its been on for 2d 23h 14s. So maybe when i fully charger the phone these stats will change.

 

[funkylogik]

have you got Gsam set to refresh when charger unplugged so u get a fresh reading after each charge?
u can also set it to reset after a full charge.
it doesnt affect your average time or anythin. mines 10+half hrs surprisingly lol... im what youd call a power user

global s3, UK. Ask me anything and ill reply even if its just an intelligent (or stupid) guess

 

[deanodrums]

yep. I took it off charge about 4.30 this morning before i left for work. so the 14.2% is quite high for a few hours. My thing is with this is people can get to conected with the performance of there phone. I was checking nearly every hour the battery stats,apps etc to see if i could save more battery. In the end i decided just to use my phone as and when and charge it when i need to. I get a full days use out of it with everthing on. I am happy with that

 

[smooth4lyfe]

I always leave GPS on and I don't see it affecting my battery in any way... I still get 14+ hrs lol

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S3 Boyyyyyy!

 

[badbrad17]

ok ive been testing with my normal hard use discharges with gps+wifi on (not connected to gps or wifi, i use mobile data), no gps on, and no wifi on. screen on constantly and browsing etc from 100-5% and (wish id took screenshots) and with GPS on, not locked to a sattelite, sat indoors, i get a good 1.5hours less use. wifi on is neglegable.
these are just my personal findings so ill be keepin GPS off until i need it and wifi on because Google Now suggests it.
any thoughts or contradictions welcome

global s3, UK. Ask me anything and ill reply even if its just an intelligent (or stupid) guess

Okay. Strange post. After your comments yesterday about Juice defender I wanted to see how my phone did with everything on and me not toggling the wifi, bluetooth etc. It did really well. I got 13 hours which for my SGS2 was pretty good. But I did notice that the gps did drain a lot more than when it was off. I think it's the one feature that is harder to manage with a battery saver because like you said maps etc. is accessing it.

Sent from my SGH-T989D using Android Central Forums

 

[deanodrums]

I always leave GPS on and I don't see it affecting my battery in any way... I still get 14+ hrs lol

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S3 Boyyyyyy!

14 hours+ is good enough battery i think. People are just expecting way to much from there phones i think.
Use the phone as you please,charge when it runs low. Simples!!!

 

[funkylogik]

14 hours+ is good enough battery i think. People are just expecting way to much from there phones i think.
Use the phone as you please,charge when it runs low. Simples!!!

totaly thats fine battery life.
all i know is i get longer with no gps.
each to their own though.
as Deano says, if the phones doin what u want then why worry

global s3, UK. Ask me anything and ill reply even if its just an intelligent (or stupid) guess