GPS minimum time setting doesn't work

alanh925 · December 07, 2013, 03:08:43 PM

Hi,

I'm a paid user for Oruxmaps and I've been using it for some time and really enjoy it.

I've however noticed that with my Samsung S3 mini, the GPS minimum time setting doesn't seem to work. No matter which time (default 2 seconds or any other time) I set to the GPS will still remain active all the time instead of going to sleep and wake up again...

I've never had this issue with my old phone (HTC Desire S). I'm not sure if it has to do with my phone or the version. Please assist? Much appreciated.

Alan

orux · December 14, 2013, 01:09:33 PM

~~Quote from: "alanh925"~~Hi,

I'm a paid user for Oruxmaps and I've been using it for some time and really enjoy it.

I've however noticed that with my Samsung S3 mini, the GPS minimum time setting doesn't seem to work. No matter which time (default 2 seconds or any other time) I set to the GPS will still remain active all the time instead of going to sleep and wake up again...

I've never had this issue with my old phone (HTC Desire S). I'm not sure if it has to do with my phone or the version. Please assist? Much appreciated.

Alan

Hi, Alan;

I think it is working fine (sg4, android 4.3 and others).

If I select 30 seconds, for example, the gps icon desaparears for this time from the android status bar.

orux

alanh925 · December 14, 2013, 02:55:28 PM

Hi there,

Thanks for the response. I just tried to configure to 30 seconds and it also works fine (i.e. GPS status goes off for 30s before it comes back on attempting to get GPS fix). However, it seems like anything lower than 30s (8s, 4s and 2s) doesn't work (i.e. the GPS status remains on constantly at status bar after a GPS fix has been achieved). Would it be possible for you to confirm this from your side? Thanks, much appreciated.

Alan

orux · December 14, 2013, 03:49:39 PM

~~Quote from: "alanh925"~~Hi there,

Thanks for the response. I just tried to configure to 30 seconds and it also works fine (i.e. GPS status goes off for 30s before it comes back on attempting to get GPS fix). However, it seems like anything lower than 30s (8s, 4s and 2s) doesn't work (i.e. the GPS status remains on constantly at status bar after a GPS fix has been achieved). Would it be possible for you to confirm this from your side? Thanks, much appreciated.

Alan

Hi, Alan;

OruxMaps tells android when it wants the next gps fix (2, 4, 8, 30,... seconds) and it is android who decides whether to turn off the gps. In the beginning (android 1.5 and before) android always turned off the gps, but I think now, because the gps consumes less, it may be using another algorithm.

orux

alanh925 · December 14, 2013, 04:05:22 PM

Thanks for the response. So in another words there's no way that you can resolve this from your side? Can you confirm whether my experience on the 2s, 4s, 8s also occurs on your side?

Alan

~~Quote from: "orux"~~
~~Quote from: "alanh925"~~Hi there,

Thanks for the response. I just tried to configure to 30 seconds and it also works fine (i.e. GPS status goes off for 30s before it comes back on attempting to get GPS fix). However, it seems like anything lower than 30s (8s, 4s and 2s) doesn't work (i.e. the GPS status remains on constantly at status bar after a GPS fix has been achieved). Would it be possible for you to confirm this from your side? Thanks, much appreciated.

Alan

Hi, Alan;

OruxMaps tells android when it wants the next gps fix (2, 4, 8, 30,... seconds) and it is android who decides whether to turn off the gps. In the beginning (android 1.5 and before) android always turned off the gps, but I think now, because the gps consumes less, it may be using another algorithm.

orux

skibum218 · December 14, 2013, 04:52:34 PM

I just tried this on my S4. For me, the gps stays on wi th anything 4 seconds and below. It turns off with anything 8 seconds and above.

Sent from my Galaxy S4 using Tapatalk

alanh925 · December 14, 2013, 05:15:24 PM

~~Quote from: "skibum218"~~I just tried this on my S4. For me, the gps stays on wi th anything 4 seconds and below. It turns off with anything 8 seconds and above.

Sent from my Galaxy S4 using Tapatalk

Thanks Skibum218 for the additional info. I use Orux a lot when I go on hiking trips of several days so I need my battery to conserve relatively well but still provide good accuracy... Hence I need the 4s or at least 8s measurements...

Orus developers, you guys have been doing a great job, is it possible to find out what's behind this and correct this issue in the next release? Or at least let Samsung/Google know if the fault is their side?

Maki · December 14, 2013, 08:05:45 PM

My bet is that Android doesn't shut down the GPS for short periods of time because it knows beforehand that getting a new fix will need more time than the chosen interval and/or getting the new fix would actually drain the battery more than keeping it active all the time.

If you are concerned with battery life but still want accuracy IMHO you are better off getting a spare battery or a bluetooth external GPS.

alanh925 · December 15, 2013, 11:11:52 AM

~~Quote from: "Maki"~~My bet is that Android doesn't shut down the GPS for short periods of time because it knows beforehand that getting a new fix will need more time than the chosen interval and/or getting the new fix would actually drain the battery more than keeping it active all the time.

If you are concerned with battery life but still want accuracy IMHO you are better off getting a spare battery or a bluetooth external GPS.

Yeah I've also thought of using an external bluetooth GPS, but then decided it's too much hassle and one extra gadget to carry around especially during days of hiking and camping out. Guess I'll just settle for extra phone battery and live on a lower tracking resolution (30 seconds GPS interval)...

Orux developers, just out interest sake, will you guys be able to confirm what exactly is the issue here? Is it really result as how we speculated here on Android not shutting down GPS for shorter periods? Why is it then it works on other versions of Android? Has there been GPS behaviour changes on the different Android version? (I'm running Samsung S3 mini).

orux · December 15, 2013, 04:55:14 PM

~~Quote from: "alanh925"~~
~~Quote from: "Maki"~~My bet is that Android doesn't shut down the GPS for short periods of time because it knows beforehand that getting a new fix will need more time than the chosen interval and/or getting the new fix would actually drain the battery more than keeping it active all the time.

If you are concerned with battery life but still want accuracy IMHO you are better off getting a spare battery or a bluetooth external GPS.

Yeah I've also thought of using an external bluetooth GPS, but then decided it's too much hassle and one extra gadget to carry around especially during days of hiking and camping out. Guess I'll just settle for extra phone battery and live on a lower tracking resolution (30 seconds GPS interval)...

Orux developers, just out interest sake, will you guys be able to confirm what exactly is the issue here? Is it really result as how we speculated here on Android not shutting down GPS for shorter periods? Why is it then it works on other versions of Android? Has there been GPS behaviour changes on the different Android version? (I'm running Samsung S3 mini).

Hi,

No issues; Android evolves, the gps chips also consume less than before. Android developers have decided that the gps should not be turn off if the frequency with which positioning data are demanded is less than xx seconds.

In recent betas I added 15 seconds as a new option. Try this value, I think it is a good option to save battery.

http://www.oruxmaps.com/foro/viewforum.php?f=4">http://www.oruxmaps.com/foro/viewforum.php?f=4

orux

alanh925 · December 15, 2013, 05:24:38 PM

~~Quote from: "orux"~~

Hi,

No issues; Android evolves, the gps chips also consume less than before. Android developers have decided that the gps should not be turn off if the frequency with which positioning data are demanded is less than xx seconds.

In recent betas I added 15 seconds as a new option. Try this value, I think it is a good option to save battery.

http://www.oruxmaps.com/foro/viewforum.php?f=4">http://www.oruxmaps.com/foro/viewforum.php?f=4

orux

Awesome, thanks, will definitely try it out!