Android power saving, Bixby and the weather app

Optimist

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Jul 28, 2021, 5:25:06 AM7/28/21

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I came across an interesting video on how to extend the phone's battery life by keeping the location
setting off except when needed https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0hyK9B0yN0. It involves instructing
Bixby to switch the location feature on when an app is launched then switching it off at exit.

It worked fine for Google Maps I decided to do the same thing for Samsung Weather to avoid having to
switch the location feature on and off manually. But this app is not in Bixby's list so I am stuck
on what to do next.

Any ideas please?

Woody

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Jul 29, 2021, 2:53:54 PM7/29/21

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On Thu 29/07/2021 18:51, Anthony R. Gold wrote:

> My idea is that if you installed a screen widget for that weather app then
> you will need to keep the location permission on.
>

Another of those strange things. If you use an Android app called Wifi
Analyser it will draw you a graph of the signal strengths against
channels of any wifi around you. Yes? No, it will only draw the graphs
if location is switched on - and this is a Google requirement.

Why for heavens sake - unless they are watching you........

Theo

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Jul 29, 2021, 5:30:05 PM7/29/21

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Woody <harro...@ntlworld.com> wrote:
> Another of those strange things. If you use an Android app called Wifi
> Analyser it will draw you a graph of the signal strengths against
> channels of any wifi around you. Yes? No, it will only draw the graphs
> if location is switched on - and this is a Google requirement.
>
> Why for heavens sake - unless they are watching you........

Because there are databases that correlate wifi access points to locations,
given most access point are static. If you can find out the the access
point name and/or MAC address, you can look that up and turn it into a
location. If that were not protected you could trivially bypass blocking
location permission from an app that could scan the wifi.

Google has one of these databases - when an Android phone with location
turned on senses/connects to a wifi network it will phone home the network
information and its GPS coordinates to Google. And hence Google has a map
of where all the access points are, and so your phone has a pretty good idea
where you are without even starting GPS (and is used to hasten first lock
when you do use GPS).

Theo

Optimist

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Jul 30, 2021, 2:43:32 AM7/30/21

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On Thu, 29 Jul 2021 18:51:05 +0100, "Anthony R. Gold" <not-fo...@ahjg.co.uk> wrote:

>On Wed, 28 Jul 2021 10:25:01 +0100, Optimist <curmu...@mailinator.com>
>wrote:
>

>My idea is that if you installed a screen widget for that weather app then
>you will need to keep the location permission on.

The Weather Widget asks for location permission which I revoke afterwards.

Optimist

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Jul 30, 2021, 6:47:37 AM7/30/21

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On Fri, 30 Jul 2021 10:45:43 +0100, "Anthony R. Gold" <not-fo...@ahjg.co.uk> wrote:

>On Fri, 30 Jul 2021 07:43:28 +0100, Optimist <curmu...@mailinator.com>
>wrote:

>My re-phrased idea is that if you installed a screen widget for that weather
>app and you wish that widget to work then you will need to keep the location
>permission on.

I think you are right - the widget runs all the time, rather than starting when you click on the
blob and stopping after you have finished as other apps do.

Optimist

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Jul 30, 2021, 5:03:51 PM7/30/21

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On Fri, 30 Jul 2021 12:27:48 +0100, "Anthony R. Gold" <not-fo...@ahjg.co.uk> wrote:

>On Fri, 30 Jul 2021 11:47:34 +0100, Optimist <curmu...@mailinator.com>

>A shortcut for that app might better meet your needs.

I did go to the Weather Widget settings and found an option to put a shortcut (blob) on the
homescreen. I then found I could set up a Bixby routine for it. Clicking the blob gets you to the
weather, but it doesn't set the location permission, perhaps because the app is running all the time
anyway.

But I do find when I go to the Weather Widget it asks for location permission, but if I decline it
still works anyway, which is OK as long as I haven't moved out of the area since I last consulted
the Weather Widget.

The wonders of Android...

Anyway, many thanks!

MB

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Jul 31, 2021, 5:14:05 AM7/31/21

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On 30/07/2021 22:03, Optimist wrote:
> But I do find when I go to the Weather Widget it asks for location permission, but if I decline it
> still works anyway, which is OK as long as I haven't moved out of the area since I last consulted
> the Weather Widget.
>
> The wonders of Android...

They do some strange things in their desire to collect as much
information on you as possible and give various spurious excuses.

I always leave Location off when not needed (which is most of the time).

I have never understood why things like Photo Gallery need access to
Location and Contacts.