System Services

[ale4529]

Yikes! What are these?

Under Location services, there's "system services," which when you open looks like the attached image. I understand Apple needs info, but -1 person won't make a difference. I don't like to send people information, and if so, I'd like to at least know the 'real' purpose of these features. I have an iphone 5.

Question 1- What do all these do? Not what Apple tells the public they do. (which they don't)
2- Does my phone save battery by turning them off?
3- Does my phone function fine without them?

Thanks guys

 

[Zcott]

1. Cell Network Search most likely checks your location to see where the nearest towers are.

2. Compass Calibration will measure where you are relative to a few towers, and probably triangulates your location and then what direction you're heading.

3. Diagnostics and Usage probably makes a dump of everything running on your phone - GPS status, bluetooth, wifi, compass, etc., and other hardware so that Apple can see what's crashing if something goes wrong.

4. Genius For Apps may offer you apps based on your location, for example, an art gallery app if you're near an art gallery. I'm not sure.

5. Location-based iAds, again, ads based on your location. For example, an ad for a theatre show in London won't show up on a phone in NY.

6. Setting Time Zone needs your location to see what time zone you're in.

7. Traffic is anonymously reported back to Apple's servers. They don't know it's you but know that an iPhone is travelling along Road A with three other iPhones at similarly slow speed so there must be traffic, which gets reported to you via Maps.

Draw your own conclusions, but I leave all these things on.

 

[white4s]

i have them off turned off. phone and apps work fine

 

[ale4529]

Interesting... Kinda sketches me out but hey