Table of contents:
- Use of location.
- Location history
- Recent location request
- Choose which applications you want to use your location
- Safety tips for your location
The location on our Smartphone is essential. Surely, almost all the applications that we have on our device use our location (possibly some, or even need it), all or almost all Google services use our location. Also, directly, to use Google Maps, for example. Or indirectly. Many users do not use this feature correctly, we do not know which applications use it, nor the battery consumption and performance it entails. But it is really important to have a control. Here are some tips and tricks to correctly configure the location on your Android device.
Use of location.
If we go to Settings ”“ Personal, we will see that there is a section called ”˜” ™ Location ”™” ™. From there we can control practically everything related to the location of our device. There is an option to turn it on and off. Normally, once the device is configured, it asks us to activate it permanently, but you have to know that it can be deactivated.
The second option we find is the location mode. This characteristic is very important, it allows us to choose which precision we want for the location, the highest one makes better use of our location, being practically exact. The bad thing? It consumes a lot, a lot of battery. Specifically, they are these three modes.
High Precision: It allows us a better location; makes use of the GPS of our device, the WI-FI, Bluetooth and mobile networks. By using so many services (especially GPS) and by constantly giving such accurate information, it consumes more battery and performance.
Battery saving: As its name suggests, this mode allows us to save battery, using the location by WI-FI, Bluetooth or mobile networks, without GPS. Also, the precision is not that exact.
Device only: It only uses the device's GPS, the location is good, but by not using all the services, it costs a little more.
The most useful really is the high precision mode. It is recommended to use services such as our map application. But for other services, such as, for example, Instagram, which also makes use of the location. We don't need that much performance, and the correct thing to do would be to change the mode. Fortunately, there is an option to do it without having to go to settings all the time. It is adding a Widget. We access the Widgets drawer of our device and select the Settings widget. Once placed on the home screen, a list with the shortcuts will appear. We mark location. Now, we just have to click on the icon to access the location mode.
Location history
This feature may seem a bit abusive. The first thing you can think of is that Google uses a history of your locations, as if it were the search history of your browser. But save the locations for a utility, and that is to obtain better results based on the places you have been or visited. Or even traffic predictions etc. And how could it be otherwise, we can manage the history, even delete it.
If we go into the option, we can see the devices that use our location history. If we press the button to manage activities, we can know the daily history of locations.
Recent location request
Here it will show us a list of the applications that have used your location recently. As well as the ones I use the most. Of course, we can choose whether or not we want the application to use our location. That brings us to another point.
Choose which applications you want to use your location
Yes, there are many applications that use our location, even if we do not realize it. Instagram, for example, uses location to show us related stickers, location of images or stories. Twitter does something similar with the location of Tweets, even the camera application can allow our location. At home application setting we can allow (or not) use the GPS service of our device. We just have to go to the application from Settings ”“ Applications and select the Permissions option. If that app requires a location, it will appear in the list, and we can activate or deactivate the location.
Safety tips for your location
Finally, we give you some safety tips related to the location. First of all, don't give every app permission to require your location. Some of those apps, you don't have to use them.
On the other hand, if you are not going to need the location, it is advisable to deactivate it. This way you will save more battery and be more protected against applications that use your location, and not precisely to improve the application experience. Beware of location apps; In the Google application store we can find a multitude of applications for our location, apps to improve it, to give false locations, etc. It is better to avoid those applications.
