Any way to see which app is currently using location services?

[matttye]

As the topic says, is there any way to see which app or system service is currently using location features?

I have the location icon pop up quite often in the titlebar but I can't tell what's actually using it.

Thanks

 

[Armen]

As the topic says, is there any way to see which app or system service is currently using location features?

I have the location icon pop up quite often in the titlebar but I can't tell what's actually using it.

Thanks

Settings > Privacy > Location services

Any app listed there with a purple arrow next to it has asked for location recently.

Go to system services also. There is a list there too.

 

[matttye]

Settings > Privacy > Location services

Any app listed there with a purple arrow next to it has asked for location recently.

Go to system services also. There is a list there too.

I knew about that, but was hoping to see which app(s) are currently using location services, as when I looked earlier about 5 different things were coloured purple and it's hard to tell if one app/service keeps using location, or if each thing is only using it once.

Thanks!

 

[Armen]

I knew about that, but was hoping to see which app(s) are currently using location services, as when I looked earlier about 5 different things were coloured purple and it's hard to tell if one app/service keeps using location, or if each thing is only using it once.

Thanks!

With a list like yours it would have been nice to know how long of a time frame the purple icon represents. On my phone its usually the weather app (which triggers everytime you open notifications).

 

[swillion]

I knew about that, but was hoping to see which app(s) are currently using location services, as when I looked earlier about 5 different things were coloured purple and it's hard to tell if one app/service keeps using location, or if each thing is only using it once.

Thanks!

Scroll right to the bottom of Settings > Privacy > Location Services.

They've defined each symbol. Screenshot attached.

 

[matttye]

With a list like yours it would have been nice to know how long of a time frame the purple icon represents. On my phone its usually the weather app (which triggers everytime you open notifications).

Opening the notification bar uses location for "frequent locations" on mine too.

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Scroll right to the bottom of Settings > Privacy > Location Services.

They've defined each symbol. Screenshot attached.

Yeah but none of them say which app is currently using location other than in the case of geofencing.

I don't think there is a way. Thanks anyway guys!

 

[swillion]

Yeah but none of them say which app is currently using location other than in the case of geofencing.

I don't think there is a way. Thanks anyway guys!

Hmmm. You got a point there. I understand what you mean. It'll be nice to see statuses of all apps using Location Services in real time.

 

[benji888]

Privacy>Location Services>System Services (scroll all the way down to get to this), scroll down, if Status Bar Icon is "on" then you'll get an arrow when those are using your location also.

If you open notifications the location arrow could come up for updating the weather info. if you have that on.

In any case, see the notes on the three arrow colors at bottom of location services.

About the only way to really know what app is using it is to use the deduction method of turning all apps off (with purple arrow), turn on each app one by one, open that app, etc.

During the betas, I did have an old app I wasn't using that kept that arrow on, and the app wasn't even open, I deleted the app since I wasn't using it, and it wasn't updated for at least a year anyway.

 

[barnetty]

the only way you will see the location arrow go off on the top bar is when you are actually inside an app...if you open Weather and the arrow pops up then Weather is using it...if you are using Instagram then its instagram.

If you are on the lockscreen or homescreen and the arrow is on there are only 2 options:

1) you have weather and traffic on System services and Notification Center is using it.

2) you opened an app lets say Weather and while its loading up you hit the home button inmediately then it will still keep searching for your location.

 

[matttye]

Privacy>Location Services>System Services (scroll all the way down to get to this), scroll down, if Status Bar Icon is "on" then you'll get an arrow when those are using your location also.

If you open notifications the location arrow could come up for updating the weather info. if you have that on.

In any case, see the notes on the three arrow colors at bottom of location services.

About the only way to really know what app is using it is to use the deduction method of turning all apps off (with purple arrow), turn on each app one by one, open that app, etc.

During the betas, I did have an old app I wasn't using that kept that arrow on, and the app wasn't even open, I deleted the app since I wasn't using it, and it wasn't updated for at least a year anyway.

Another way of doing it would be for them to sort the list in order of which apps/services last used location. At the moment it's very difficult to see what uses location the most without a lot of investigative work.

For example, just now the location symbol was up for a couple of minutes, but there are two things with purple arrows next to them in location settings, so it's hard to tell which one it was.

Like you say I could turn each one off, but that's a bit of a pain 😛

 

[barnetty]

Privacy>Location Services>System Services (scroll all the way down to get to this), scroll down, if Status Bar Icon is "on" then you'll get an arrow when those are using your location also.

If you open notifications the location arrow could come up for updating the weather info. if you have that on.

In any case, see the notes on the three arrow colors at bottom of location services.

About the only way to really know what app is using it is to use the deduction method of turning all apps off (with purple arrow), turn on each app one by one, open that app, etc.

During the betas, I did have an old app I wasn't using that kept that arrow on, and the app wasn't even open, I deleted the app since I wasn't using it, and it wasn't updated for at least a year anyway.

beta1 was crazy bad with the Location Services...i had to shut it off completely as that arrow would just stay on forever.

 

[matttye]

the only way you will see the location arrow go off on the top bar is when you are actually inside an app...if you open Weather and the arrow pops up then Weather is using it...if you are using Instagram then its instagram.

If you are on the lockscreen or homescreen and the arrow is on there are only 2 options:

1) you have weather and traffic on System services and Notification Center is using it.

2) you opened an app lets say Weather and while its loading up you hit the home button inmediately then it will still keep searching for your location.

Apps that use 'background app refresh' can use location services in the background too. Although I've turned all of those apps off in that section other than reminders and runkeeper.