Live location sharing is a useful feature on smartphones that allows you to share your real-time GPS location with friends and family. However, constantly broadcasting your location in the background can quickly drain your battery. In this article, we’ll look at how live location impacts battery life and provide tips to minimize the battery drain.
How Live Location Draining Works
When you enable live location sharing, your phone is constantly using the GPS radio to pinpoint your location and the cellular or WiFi radios to transmit that location data. This constant use of multiple antennae and background processing puts extra strain on your battery.
Specifically, live location draining works like this:
- The GPS antenna activates periodically (usually every few minutes) to get an updated location fix.
- The processor calculates your coordinates from the GPS satellite data.
- The cellular/WiFi antenna sends your updated location to the server and app you are sharing with.
- The screen wakes to show your location updating in real-time.
All of this activity can drain the battery quickly, especially if location sharing is enabled for long periods.
How Much Battery Drain to Expect
The exact battery drain from live location sharing varies considerably based on these factors:
- Phone model – Newer phones with efficient GPS chips and modems drain less power.
- Signal strength – Weaker cellular/WiFi signal causes more battery drain trying to transmit data.
- Location accuracy – High accuracy mode drains more as it uses more antennas.
- Frequency of updates – Faster live updates require more GPS/modem activity.
- Screen on/off – Screen on uses more battery to display the map.
- Battery health – Low battery capacity and old batteries drain faster.
As a general guideline, here’s how much extra battery drain to expect from live location sharing:
| Usage | Extra Battery Drain |
|---|---|
| 30 minutes per day with screen off | 5-10% |
| 1 hour per day with screen off | 10-15% |
| 2 hours per day with screen on | 15-25% |
| 4+ hours per day with screen on | 25-40%+ |
As you can see, the battery impact ranges from moderate to severe depending on your exact usage. Using live location for short periods is generally okay, but prolonged usage especially with the screen on will require charging your phone more often.
Tips to Minimize Battery Drain
If you want to use live location sharing but are concerned about battery life, here are some tips to minimize the drain:
Only share live location when needed
Turn sharing on right before you want someone to track your trip and off when you arrive at your destination. Constantly broadcasting your location in the background drains the most power.
Use screen off mode
Having the map screen active uses extra battery. Let the location share happen silently in the background.
Set longer update intervals
Updating every minute isn’t necessary in most cases. Change to every 5 minutes or longer to reduce GPS and transmission activity.
Reduce location accuracy
Low accuracy mode uses less battery than high accuracy. If you don’t need your exact coordinates, switch to low accuracy.
Update apps and phone OS
App and system software updates sometimes include battery life optimizations. Keep your apps updated.
Turn on battery saver
Battery saver modes often reduce background activity including live location. This helps but may impact functionality.
Get a battery case
Battery cases provide extra juice to counteract live location drain. They are a bit bulky but helpful for prolonged sharing.
Bring a portable charger
A pocket power bank lets you top up your phone on the go. Helpful if you’ll be sharing your location over a long day.
Replace an old battery
A battery that has lost capacity will drain much faster. Consider replacing batteries over 2 years old.
Apps that Use Less Battery for Live Location
Some apps are optimized to use less battery when sharing live location. Good options include:
- WhatsApp – efficient background location sharing
- Google Maps – customizable update frequency
- Life360 – options to limit battery usage
- Apple Find My – optimized sharing on iOS
- Facebook Messenger – lower power mode available
The native Find My Friends/Find My Device apps on iOS and Android also tend to be energy efficient for live location sharing between system users.
Alternatives to Save Battery
If live location sharing is draining your battery too quickly, some alternatives to consider include:
Location check-ins
Manually sharing your location at certain points conserves battery vs constant sharing.
Location snapshots
Occasionally sending your static location saves power compared to live updating.
Scheduled sharing
Only turn on live location at preset times when you know someone wants to track you.
Passive location sharing
Some apps passively share location without constant GPS access. These use less battery but are less accurate.
Conclusion
Live location sharing provides important safety and coordination benefits for many users, but it can noticeably reduce battery runtime, especially with prolonged usage. following the tips in this guide, choosing optimized apps, and leveraging alternatives when possible can help minimize the battery drain. With some adjustments, you can enjoy live location benefits without sacrificing too much battery life.