Hello everyone.
I just wanted to get your attention on a major Android OS (Kitkat) bug in the interaction between Wifi -> Advanced -> Wifi Always Scan and the Location Service. Clearly the bug doesn't happen every time, but sometimes it does, and obviously I'm talking about stock rom / kernel / no root / locked bootloader.
Althought I can't prove it, this might also be the cause of the current GPS / Navigation issues, currently being reported here.
What makes me link this to that issue? Because when Wifi Always Scan bugs out, it prevents my phone to acquire a location even from the 3g network.
That would explain why in that thread many people report that they could navigate with Device Only, which doesn't use 3g or wifi for location, but they had major issues with High Accuracy, which uses all three sources.
Please take a minute to star the issue so that Google will hopefully fix it faster.
https://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=64597
Thank you,
TD
Just turn it off, all it does is waste battery anyway
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
Ben36 said:
Just turn it off, all it does is waste battery anyway
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
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Thanks for your useful contribution.
It doesn't waste battery, it saves it. It enables to use the wifi location using a lower power state of the wifi chip compared to actually turned on wifi (which is also more accurate by miles than 3g location, works indoors in clubs where there is no 3g or gps signal, and not as battery expensive as gps location).
Also, people use that option for many things, I for one use it in MANY Tasker tasks flawlessly, whether the alternative (wifi periodic toggle and polling) would rape my battery.
Wifi automatically Turned off. Built in feature?
I kept my wifi on, and the had not used it basically just left the device in the room and had run off.
When I retured, the wifi was on in the power control widget but the wifi signal indicator icon in the notifications bar was absent.
is this normal/intended?
My wifi / internet connection is weak but continuous and my device is about ten to twelve feet away from the modem / router.
Can anybody help?
Although I have not a Nexus 5, my problem seems to be the same. I'll tell you if perhaps serve as any indication.
In my HTC EVO 3D, I've been running since the summer with CM10.2 (Android v4.3.1) with location mode set to "Network & WiFi" and "WiFi Always Scan ON". During this time the location was very accurate, location history left a fairly detailed trace. In Google Maps, was located immediately, as in Google+. If activated the GPS, even better. Summarizing, 0 issues with the location.
On January 1, I decided to upgrade to CM11 (Android v4.4.2), I set my location mode to "Battery Saving" & "Wifi Scan Always ON". During the first 10 days everything was perfect, the location history trail was so detailed as CM10.2 and battery consumption a little better. Google Maps and Google+ also positioned themselves almost immediately. Suddenly, on January 11 the location seems to stop of using WiFi networks and began guided only by the Network Cells (being rather more vague). Also when for some reason failed to position (being out of range of Network Cell), the phone started to not enter Deep Sleep Mode and the battery started to discharge at high speed. Google Maps, Google+, 1Weather ... were unable to obtain the current location or showed the last known location of hours before. Rebooting the phone sometimes temporarily solved the problem, but sometimes not.
I tried to change the placement options; abroad, with "high accuracy" mode, the location worked well, but indoors the GPS was not able to find satellites (logical) and still the same problems. I enabled and I disabled the location, nothing. Factory reset, no change.
To rule out a hardware failure, I returned CM10.2. Everything about the location worked smoothly... Return to CM11, again the same problems.
In short, my impression is that this is a software bug, as in versions prior to v4.4 Android location "Network & WiFi" + "Scan Always ON WiFi" works correctly. Moreover, not only occurs in the Nexus 5.
I have marked with a star your ticket.
I'll keept testing.
I get this problem when I use tether with WiFi always scan enabled.
When I disabled tethering, I have to manually enable WiFi to fix the location reporting issue.
With WiFi scanning not enabled, I do not get this problem
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I think I have similar problem and I really hope smbody can help me.
On my stock nexus 5(4.4.2) wifi location don't work in google maps and ingress, when I turn it on instead of gps location.
But in other apps wifi location works( yandex.maps, 4square)
Only reboot helps
Hello again.
I just updated Google Maps to version 7.6.0 and Google Play Services to version 4.2.39 and all the problems I had with the location are gone, everything is okay again, as it did in CM10.2. So it looks like it is confirmed that it was a software bug.
Sorry, I know this post is quite stale, but I came across it doing a search about this very same problem I've seen on my LG G4 (stock). I have a Tasker task that uses WiFi near state and I use the "Allow Wifi scanning..." option in my Advanced WiFi settings. Whenever I would use WiFi tethering and then later turn it off, I noticed my Tasker task would not detect the WiFi networks it was supposed to. If I turn the "Allow scanning" option of and back on, or just turn on WiFi altogether, it starts working again.
So, after more than a year and a half, and on a newer version of Android and it still doesn't work right. Who knows; maybe it's a Tasker problem.
-SR-
Hi guys,
Just a quick question.
Under Location, I notice that there are three options for Location Mode:
- Device Only
- Battery Saving Mode: which uses Wi-Fi.
- High Accuracy Mode: which uses Wi-Fi and GPS.
Excluding High Accuracy mode, which mode uses more battery: Device Only or Battery Saving mode?
Thanks,
device only = gps only. so that would use more than wifi. honestly i would just keep it high accuracy, but turn on/off location when you're not using it.
I havet just GPS on always and thats no need to turn location on off . As long you dont use any app that demand location the GPS is off and doesnt use any battery.
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Use device only. Here's why :
Google Services such as Gmail, Now, Maps, and Google+ constantly polls your location using your wifi (if you're connected) or your cell network. And every time Google Services poll your location, your battery gets affected. So what's the solution to that?
Solution
Further research by Galaxo60 proved that going to Settings - Location Settings (or Location on android 4.4), and unticking WiFi & mobile network location (or setting the Mode to Device Only) prevents Google Services from polling your location, thus preventing the battery drain
So disable the WiFi & mobile network location option, and actually tick and turn on GPS satellites. (It's just like setting the Mode to Device only on KitKat)
But why do that? Why should by I turn on GPS?
Explanation
Google Services don't use your GPS to poll your location, so your GPS actually stays offline most of the time; and the reason you should enable GPS is to "Let apps that have asked your permission use your location information".
Info taken from here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2601318
Hi. Yesterday my I537 4.4.2 AT&T S4 Active started automatically enabling its WiFi when in sleep. No changes were made that would enable this. I've checked all the WiFi settings and Location settings, but nothing has changed. Any idea what might cause this? Thanks.
EDIT (02-07-2015): Found the app doing this. It's Straight Talk's "My Account" app in the Google store.
Recently, while I'm on Wi-Fi, I keep getting spammed by data consumption popups of about 0.08mb data, even when the phone is idle.
The popups stop when I manually turn off 3G after switching to Wi-Fi. I have noticed this on several Wi-Fi networks so I don't think it's a Wi-Fi network strength issue.
Also this spent happen when I'm on 3G connection.
Is it a problem with my Wi-Fi sensor? Has any one else had this problem? I couldn't find a relevant thread anywhere on XDA, so posting this.
Any solutions?
Screenshot attached.
Thanks!
I don't think any legitimate system (either Carrier, WiFi or device) would use "Ur" instead of "Your". Check the applications you have installed on the device. Or better yet, install an antivirus application, if not just to identify and remove the offending program.
It is definitely from the carrier. Almost all carriers do this in India, if you're on a Prepaid connection. Try some apps which blocks these USSD codes. There are a few available on Play Store.
Why does Location turn on whenever I connect to a Wifi network? I never had this kind of behaviour before. How to stop this? I read online that disabling Locate my phone would do the trick, but it doesn't.
Also, since a few weeks, I always get the Location consent dialog, and even if I agree, it always asks me. I want to always agree and stop being asked every single time. Even Xposed modules don't do anything on my rooted S7E. Do you guys have any hint?
Yeah you can't turn them off now.
I figured the only way the data collection won't hurt me is if i don't have any accounts synced to my phone.
They tied down the Geo location for most radio connections the phone has.
Irritating. You can toggle by using the phone gps only but my experience, my map apps tend to not work unless I use the high setting.
Most phones has AGPS units where it's always assisted by other connections.
And individual gps units are exactly that: gps (garmins... Etc)
Good luck