Why GPS needed for app pairing/works ?
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After an hour without being able to connect my app, reinstall the application, factory reset, etc. I have read on the PG website that it's necessary to activate the gps to make the application pairing and works properly o_O'
What's the use of the gps in this case (big brother is watching u?!)
Is it mandatory on all android phone or just mine ? (oneplus5)
And can i remove this on my phone ? or why not remove this directly in the app ? -
@gratelz31 It actually seems to be a requirement that was introduced with Android 6.0 and not anything PG is doing needlessly. Location services permissions are required by Bluetooth/BLE in order to scan for nearby devices and not actually 'GPS'. The problem is that most devices only enable the location service if the GPS is also on and this has been a big complaint for a lot of people, but the Android development team do not seem to have any intention of changing this.
Have a look here:
https://developer.android.com/about/versions/marshmallow/android-6.0-changes#behavior-hardware-id
and here:
https://issuetracker.google.com/issues/37060483
It seems this has been an issue for over 5 years now and there's quite a bit of drama over it in the Android developer community.
I typically keep my location service (and thus, GPS) disabled as I don't use it and don't need the battery drain that comes with it. I ran into the same issue as you and the ensuing frustration trying to figure out why the app wouldn't find my Spark.
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@radu7 Ok thanks a lot ! Cristal clear answer
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that's strange, I always have location/gps on my phone off, I never use it.
I had no problems connecting to any of my sparks.