Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

they've completely BROKEN location services

V

vegas-steven

macrumors regular
Original poster
Nov 14, 2007
200
0
a giant step backward.

Now when you launch an app that requires location services you must EXIT the app and then
Go into settings, tUrn them on and
Then return to the app.

Wow stupid.
 
Once it is turned on it still works right? If so it's not broken...just a little less convienient. I think they did it this way to pevent the apps themselves from turning it on, leaving it on, and draining the users battery.
 
I just tried the "Locate Me" in maps, and you are right. It does pop up and tell you that Location Services are required, but hitting "ok" doesn't turn them on. It just takes you back to the screen. If you hit the settings button, it takes you to the switch in the settings menu. You then have to flip the switch and go back into maps. I wonder who wrote that use-case for their QA department? Not very "useful" at all!
 
Can someone edit the totally garbage thread title.

This might scare folks that want 2.1 into not upgrading because of the gross over statement of the Location Services situation.

Thanks.
 
GRN99EX said:
I wonder who wrote that use-case for their QA department? Not very "useful" at all!
Click to expand...
I'm guessing that 99%+ of iPhone users don't monkey around with manually turning off Location Services, so why would they bother putting this scenario in their use-cases?
 
apologies for the. Bad title. But it isn't just a little incomvenient.
If you are deep into an app like yelp writing a review of whatnot and you need to turn them on you can't easilly go back t where you were.

This is a way to force users to manually manage location devices by making them throw a switch. And yes that is a way to increase battery life but not a good way.
 
Rat-Boy said:
Can someone edit the totally garbage thread title.

This might scare folks that want 2.1 into not upgrading because of the gross over statement of the Location Services situation.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Agreed...but moderators don't ever seem to edit/move threads here unless you click the "report post" icon in my experience.
 
vegas-steven said:
apologies for the. Bad title. But it isn't just a little incomvenient.
If you are deep into an app like yelp writing a review of whatnot and you need to turn them on you can't easilly go back t where you were.

This is a way to force users to manually manage location devices by making them throw a switch. And yes that is a way to increase battery life but not a good way.
Click to expand...

Why would you need to turn on location services for a review? That is the whole point of this style of turning them on. An app that needs it will direct you out of the app to turn on location, one that doesn't really need it you just hit "okay"
 
Something is not BROKEN if it has to be turned on before it can be used.

Take a TV, for example: you have to turn it on first to see the pretty pictures.
 
I agree. I see what they were trying to accomplish with this change, but IMHO this is a huge backward step...more like Windoze now. Lousy change, I wish I could revert to the previous behavior.
 
Why doesn't Apple just prompt the way they used to if an app needed to use location services, then turn them back off when the app closes (or better yet, see what state the location service was before the app requested it on/off, then set that state back again when the app is closed).

- James
 
jamesarm97 said:
Why doesn't Apple just prompt the way they used to if an app needed to use location services, then turn them back off when the app closes (or better yet, see what state the location service was before the app requested it on/off, then set that state back again when the app is closed).

- James
Click to expand...



The answer is simple and complex at the same time.

By forcing users to turn the services on and actually flip the switch themselves as opposed to just hitting ok on the old os they make more ppl aware of the fact they are on and they may turn them off this improving battery life. At least that is my theory
 
Terrible step backwards in my opinion. Why have the prompt come up and ask to use if it clicking OK does nothing?

Guess this answers what "Significantly better battery life for most users" means. "Most users" were dumb enough to turn on Location Services w/o realizing it and left it on, draining their batteries.

Why they can't set it to automatically switch off after the app closes is beyond me. I'm with the thread starter here. NOT a fan of this "improvement"
 
vegas-steven said:
The answer is simple and complex at the same time.

By forcing users to turn the services on and actually flip the switch themselves as opposed to just hitting ok on the old os they make more ppl aware of the fact they are on and they may turn them off this improving battery life. At least that is my theory
Click to expand...

Exactly. Many people don't take the time to look through their settings, and most don't even know what Location Services is or that it relates to GPS. I don't know why they didn't name the function GPS. But yea now it prompts people to go to that place to turn it off now, other than just turning it on for them without knowing how to turn it off. Its annoying though, there should be an option to revert back to the old feature if you want to, because i always remember to turn it off. But you know what would be good is that if an app uses location services it tells you that its still on before you exit the app so it will remind you after rather than before.
 
If they don't time out and turn off automatically after a certain amount of time not being used, that is the part that is broken.
 
PNutts said:
Agreed. How about a title that they FIXED location services. I normally keep mine turned off and I don't want applications turning them on the master switch.
Click to expand...

that was never the case. You would have to ok it for the application to turn it on. The new way is retarded.
 
What?

I do not have this happening here. I have location services turned on under Settings. When going to maps it never prompted. Urbanspoon asked and I chose allow and it just worked. Are your problems when you have LS turned off in Settings and launch an app?
 
crees! said:
I do not have this happening here. I have location services turned on under Settings. When going to maps it never prompted. Urbanspoon asked and I chose allow and it just worked. Are your problems when you have LS turned off in Settings and launch an app?
Click to expand...

Yes.

How the Maps app works when you have location services turned off has changed.

It used to ask if you wanted to turn them on and you could push OK to turn them on.

Now, you have to hit Settings and then it goes to the settings where you can turn them on and then you have to go back to maps.
 
jcmeyer5 said:
mine is NOT as accurate. It used to pinpoint my house, now it just Fonda my town...
Click to expand...

Is this when standing outside or when you are inside? In any case my GPS using Google Maps was pretty accurate at my house before AND after 2.1 update. I just checked and after only about 4 or 5 seconds the little blue ball marking my location is just outside the window on the Satellite view of the room I am in my house. If I leave it running sometimes it will move around but it is usually within 50 feet or less of my current location.

There are other issues that could affect how accurate it is including where you are standing (if I am at work in my building it has a hard time giving my an exact pinpoint but it is accurate within the block I am in) and the weather and other factors. So as far as I can tell 2.1 hasn't made the GPS any less accurate than it was.
 
I actually leave location services on all the time and don't notice any significant battery drain unless I've got Google Map open.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back