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[Major Bug] Wifi Always Scan breaks Location Services

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
Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

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-

Wifi scanning

Battery life is pretty good for me, but wondering, as wifi is high on the list, if anyone finds decreasing scanning interval to be significantly helpful, I would think it would?
Thanks
Sent from my XT1058

I noticed a slight improvement with WiFi Scanning switched off. I always leave it off now as I don't feel like I need to use it.

Wutang200 said:
I noticed a slight improvement with WiFi Scanning switched off. I always leave it off now as I don't feel like I need to use it.
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Click to collapse
Thanks, I don't need it to scan, I only use it at home. I didn't realize there was that option -under "scanning always available" I have it unchecked, I guess that's the same as having scanning off??
Thank you
Edit: I'm guessing that doesn't turn off scanning, as when I look at the available networks list, I see it refreshing.
How do you turn off scanning? Is there a setting, or only with editing the build.prop?
Thanks

You might want to uncheck 'Network notification' in the wifi advanced settings. Probably no need to look for open networks constantly when you can look for one when you need one.

Groid said:
You might want to uncheck 'Network notification' in the wifi advanced settings. Probably no need to look for open networks constantly when you can look for one when you need one.
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Click to collapse
I have that unchecked as well, thanks.
Wondering if there is a way to not have it scan at all, or is the only option to decrease the scanning interval by editing the build prop line??
Thanks for any and all help with this

Is my wifi scanning off then if "scanning always available" is unchecked?
I see it refreshing when I look at the list, but I read it could be when you're in wifi settings it scans, even though you've set it off?
If anyone has more familiarity with wifi scanning, disabling it, would greatly appreciate it
Thanks!

A wifi conundrum (unsolved)

Hi everyone
I have a profile that that kicks in every 30 mins from 8 am to 9pm, to sync my account. I have set it up to use wifi first, but if there is no wifi connection it will go to my mobile data instead.
Now here is the problem if my phone is on standby it always connects via mobile data regardless of a wifi connection is available. But if I am using my device at the time when the task runs then it will connect to wifi. I have checked my, keep wif on in sleep option and it is set to always.
Could anyone explain as to what this is happening?
Thanks in advance

What is your Android version?

I am currently using a custom rom called exodus which is currently based on marshmallow.

Check if Tasker is excludied from Battery Optimization and whether Wi-Fi is not deactivated while the phone is in sleep mode in Settings/Wi-Fi/Advanced/Keep Wi-Fi on during sleep.

yep tasker is excluded from battery optimisation and the allow wifi during sleep policy is always.

If you're turning wifi on with tasker action wifi turn on, try instead of that shell script "svc wifi enable".

Ok thanks, I will let you know the out come of this. I was using secure settings to enable Wifi as the command built in tasker, is not compatible from kitkat and onwards if I remember correctly.

I found out "svc wifi enable" command does exactly the same thing

Discovered I'm having the very same problem on cm13 and the batch jobs have been done by initialized mobile data. Finally found out a solution to initialize wifi instead of mobile data. I've no limited data plan, but wifi is more battery friendly.

taisto said:
Discovered I'm having the very same problem on cm13 and the batch jobs have been done by initialized mobile data. Finally found out a solution to initialize wifi instead of mobile data. I've no limited data plan, but wifi is more battery friendly.
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Care to share the solution?
After all this is a community that people use to, find solutions to problems and to get the most out of their device. Which also help others who experience the issue for future reference.

Does anyone else know a solution to this?

HatchetEgg said:
Does anyone else know a solution to this?
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Click to collapse
Do you actually wait for wifi to connect?
Does your phone do the low power screen off wifi thingy?

rignfool said:
Do you actually wait for wifi to connect?
Does your phone do the low power screen off wifi thingy?
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Click to collapse
Yes under normal circumstances it takes about 20 seconds to connect.
No because for some reason my wifi will only switch on if the screen is on.
I also have uninstaled my custom kernel, but this issue still appears from time to time.

There's a setting in wifi connection settings that you can set to that says "keep Wi-Fi on during sleep"
This same setting is often repeated in battery apps like powernap, naptime, better battery saver etc.
Even though the wording is the same, I don't believe they are all touching the same setting so go find those apps if you have them installed.
Also, disable all native battery savers (including Samsung 2 or 3 different ones,, doze, battery optimization etc etc just to see if your problem goes away.... Which it will. At least you'll know though

I have the same problem with Wi-Fi connection.
I have a profile to turn Wi-Fi on and try to connect when certain conditions meet and the screen is off in that case.
It seems that the phone has difficulties turning Wi-Fi on and connecting to it when screen is off. Tasker does manage to turn Wi-Fi on but the phone somehow does not connect *reliably* in all cases.
Tasker is excluded from battery optimization, Wi-Fi on during sleep. I tried turning cpu on for a short time hoping that it will connect, but still no result.
The only possible solution might be turning the screen on briefly at that moment.
If anybody has a better idea, you are more than welcome to share!

alienyd said:
I have the same problem with Wi-Fi connection.
I have a profile to turn Wi-Fi on and try to connect when certain conditions meet and the screen is off in that case.
It seems that the phone has difficulties turning Wi-Fi on and connecting to it when screen is off. Tasker does manage to turn Wi-Fi on but the phone somehow does not connect *reliably* in all cases.
Tasker is excluded from battery optimization, Wi-Fi on during sleep. I tried turning cpu on for a short time hoping that it will connect, but still no result.
The only possible solution might be turning the screen on briefly at that moment.
If anybody has a better idea, you are more than welcome to share!
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Click to collapse
I can certainly say that turning the screen on will enable wifi, as I have resulted to this as well. But unfortunately I do not know any other solutions to try.

loogielv said:
There's a setting in wifi connection settings that you can set to that says "keep Wi-Fi on during sleep"
This same setting is often repeated in battery apps like powernap, naptime, better battery saver etc.
Even though the wording is the same, I don't believe they are all touching the same setting so go find those apps if you have them installed.
Also, disable all native battery savers (including Samsung 2 or 3 different ones,, doze, battery optimization etc etc just to see if your problem goes away.... Which it will. At least you'll know though
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My Wifi is set to always "keep wifi on during sleep"
I'm going to resort to flashing stock rom again and see if that helps. As I am only using doze and amplify to save battery, all settings for that has been adjusted to the guide I found.

HatchetEgg said:
My Wifi is set to always "keep wifi on during sleep"
I'm going to resort to flashing stock rom again and see if that helps. As I am only using doze and amplify to save battery, all settings for that has been adjusted to the guide I found.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Before reflash, just disable xposed and see what you get... I will bet half of this soft taco I'm eating your problem disappears with greenify and or amplify. I'm not saying don't use them at all... Just make sure it works without them. I used to have some serious battery apps, but found after disabling, my battery was IMMENSELY better. And I had no config to deal with. But first things first... IT'S without a doubt, no question, a battery app setting or a system app that's being put to sleep that should be white listed

Wifi bar

Hello
I have recently purchased this excellent phone. However when I enter in the battery usage it shows Wifi has been always on. The wifi bar has no discontinuities. However i turn off the wifi.
Does anyone konw what is happening?
Thanks

Pablete197 said:
Hello
I have recently purchased this excellent phone. However when I enter in the battery usage it shows Wifi has been always on. The wifi bar has no discontinuities. However i turn off the wifi.
Does anyone konw what is happening?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Settings->Wireless&networks->WLAN and turn off the WLAN+

Or the wifi scanning under
Security & Privacy > Location services > menu in upper right corner > scan settings

Strange text on WiFi settings screen

So the other day I noticed strange text in the wifi settings menu. This text is visible in both the mini menu accessed through clicking on the name of the currently connected wifi network on the wifi toggle in the notification menu, as well as in the full settings menu. Please see screenshot attached. Does anyone know what might be causing this? Not a huge issue, but a little annoying and I'd love to make this stuff go away.

What is the text you say is strange? The picture shows the network you are connected to, and a list of all the networks detected, so, what is the problem?

I think he means the text after his active wifi connection. Have a look in settings > developer options > wi-if verbose logging, if it’s on turn it off.

That did the trick! No idea how wifi verbose logging got turned on, but everything is back to normal now. Thank you!

It is in developer settings option. You must activated more detailed ssid option.

margentieri said:
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Thats detailed wifi signal info. You must have turned it on in developer options.

I believe those are the mac address of each WiFi Access Point that is available within the WiFi reception range of your device.