System Services use locations 24/7

[Hummalte]

Hi there,

I am experiencing some issues since the latest release (10.1., the just recently released minor as of 10/31/16 update didn't change anything)

Some of my system services are constantly using my locations, which seems to drain my battery heavily. It does not matter at all whether I am outside or my iPhone 6s is plugged in or just lying around somewhere.

All other services are disabled, but those service I consider mostly as helpful and some of them seem to use my location constantly:

Motion Calibration & Distance
Location based Alerts (though no app is currently using this, there is no geofencing symbol)
Frequent Locations
Traffic

Now, I am well aware that at least the last three do check on my location regularly, but the symbol is now always on and they never change from purple to grey.
Deactivating the symbol is not an option, as I like to know, which apps actually use my location. There, no app is using my location constantly.

Is anyone else experiencing this issue or anything similar? I was also thinking if this could be an issue with my first gen apple watch, but couldn't find anything there…

Thanks a lot!

 

[Armen]

Hi there,

I am experiencing some issues since the latest release (10.1., the just recently released minor as of 10/31/16 update didn't change anything)

Some of my system services are constantly using my locations, which seems to drain my battery heavily. It does not matter at all whether I am outside or my iPhone 6s is plugged in or just lying around somewhere.

All other services are disabled, but those service I consider mostly as helpful and some of them seem to use my location constantly:

Motion Calibration & Distance
Location based Alerts (though no app is currently using this, there is no geofencing symbol)
Frequent Locations
Traffic

Now, I am well aware that at least the last three do check on my location regularly, but the symbol is now always on and they never change from purple to grey.
Deactivating the symbol is not an option, as I like to know, which apps actually use my location. There, no app is using my location constantly.

Is anyone else experiencing this issue or anything similar? I was also thinking if this could be an issue with my first gen apple watch, but couldn't find anything there…

Thanks a lot!

I have all location services enabled including system offices and do not see any impact to battery. For what it's worth none of my arrows are purple. Have you tried restarting your phone or going into Airplane mode and out again?

 

[Hummalte]

Thanks for your reply!

Yes, I already tried several things:
- simple shutdown & restart
- forced restart
- turning all system services to off and then restart
- save battery mode
- airplane mode (the symbol stays when I activate the mode)

As you probably can imagine, nothing worked.

 

[addamas]

All you need is only Find my Phone.

• Do you need to count your steps ? If not disable motion calibration.
• Do you need adding your data to Apple Maps traffic status - if not disable Traffic
• Do you need ads ? Disable Location based Alerts
• Need map of your places you visit (maybe a bit helps with Apple Maps )? If not disable Frequent Places

On my SE the most running system location settings were Frequent, Motion (have Mi Band so no use of it ) and compass calibration + wifi.

So to sum up only Find my Phone is needed at all - others are just Big Data collectors

 

[C DM]

All you need is only Find my Phone.

• Do you need to count your steps ? If not disable motion calibration.
• Do you need adding your data to Apple Maps traffic status - if not disable Traffic
• Do you need ads ? Disable Location based Alerts
• Need map of your places you visit (maybe a bit helps with Apple Maps )? If not disable Frequent Places

On my SE the most running system location settings were Frequent, Motion (have Mi Band so no use of it ) and compass calibration + wifi.

So to sum up only Find my Phone is needed at all - others are just Big Data collectors

For ads it would be the Ads setting rather than the Alerts one.

There are also various other ones beyond all those that might be useful to someone, with quite a few of them not having anything to do with data collection.

 

[Hummalte]

Thanks for your feedback!

Indeed, those activated are of use to myself. Even when turning "Traffic" off, there was no change at all.… :/

 

[I7guy]

I think it could be frequent locations. I have it on also and notice it seems to come on frequently. At least when the phone is unlocked.

 

[Hummalte]

Yeah, that is actually the issue, though: My locations are used all. the. time. They never come off.

 

[C DM]

Yeah, that is actually the issue, though: My locations are used all. the. time. They never come off.

So which service has the arrow next to it as the one that is constantly using location services?

 

[mazdamiata210]

There's absolutely no reason to have any of those on except for find my iphone

 

[C DM]

There's absolutely no reason to have any of those on except for find my iphone

Well, depending on what someone uses there can be reasons to have some of them on, but there are certainly a good few of them on that don't really need to be on at all.

 

[mazdamiata210]

Well, depending on what someone uses there can be reasons to have some of them on, but there are certainly a good few of them on that don't really need to be on at all.

Definitely not any good reason for anything except find my iphone and now sos

 

[C DM]

Definitely not any good reason for anything except find my iphone and now sos

Except plenty of things like getting location based alerts (like reminders, for example), or traffic notifications, or better location accuracy with compass calibration, or some home automation with HomeKit, or sharing ones location, etc., etc., etc.

 

[Hummalte]

All the system services I switched on are services I like to use. Besides, there is no point in fixing a problem by switching it off.

These four have the arrow constantly set on purple
Motion Calibration & Distance
Location based Alerts
Frequent Locations
Traffic

I just checked with my brother's new iPhone 7. He has the same services activated but is not experiencing at all the same issues I'm having.

 

[rjcchan]

All the system services I switched on are services I like to use. Besides, there is no point in fixing a problem by switching it off.

These four have the arrow constantly set on purple
Motion Calibration & Distance
Location based Alerts
Frequent Locations
Traffic

I just checked with my brother's new iPhone 7. He has the same services activated but is not experiencing at all the same issues I'm having.

On my SE with 10.1 the same 4 are constantly set to purple. I do not experience unusual battery drain. I also have compass calibration, Waze, "Traffic" by Inrix, Dark Sky and Cortana which constantly have a purple arrow. It may be that location tracking is not the cause of your battery drain.

 

[alexberry]

I think this is possibly a bit of a red herring with regards to battery concerns... Surely the iOS records your location as a singular function and then shares that data with any app or service that requires it and has been authorised to receive it. Having more apps/services receive location data doesn't, in itself, mean that the phone is identifying its location more often (assuming that there are enough desirable apps/services requesting the info anyway, that it's pretty much under constant demand.) So if you've got find my phone constantly keeping tabs on the phone's location, having compass calibration use the data too doesn't add additional burden to the location service.

Just a thought.

 

[Populus]

Hi, I have a TSMC iPhone SE, With the same A9 Chip as the OP.

I'm currently having this issue, location is enabled and on for 24h a day, and it is all because the damm Motion Calibration service. I thing something is wrong with my SoC, so I'm thinking on a refund, so I'm in my 14 days period. What do you guys think?

 

[addamas]

Motion is related to Health App.

 

[Populus]

Motion is related to Health App.

That's what I thought, that's why I disabled everything fitness and health related. I deleted almost all apps, and stopped the background refresh. But it doesn't solve the problem.

Only thing that stops the Motion Calibration being 24h active is disabling location, then re-enabling it. But after a while it starts again.

 

[addamas]

Wait a minute.
Have you disabled motion calibration in system location services in privacy ?
As well as privacy -> motion and fitness -> fitness tracking ?

 

[Populus]

@addamas I've disabled Fitness Tracking, but I didn't disable Motion Calibration because it is supposed to work correctly. If I disable it, and the sensor is damaged, I'll keep a damaged iPhone, and provided I'm in my 14 day trial, I'll probably exchange it for another that doesn't have that Motion Calibration thing corrupted.

Yes, easy way would be to disable Motion Calibration, but it should just work, the amount of time necessary to calibrate and then, go back to sleep. If it is constantly running the Calibration thing it is because there is something wrong.