Maximizing Battery Life - Running Android: Using Your Phone and Tablet for Work and Play - page 207

Quick Settings, activated by swiping down from the top of the screen with two fingers,
gives access to commonly-used settings. The available settings vary between devices
GPS
Android uses up to three different services to determine your location, the Wi-Fi network,
the cellular network if you have an LTE Nexus, and GPS. Even though GPS uses a receiver
only, it uses the most power of the location services, so turn GPS off if you don't need pre-
cise location.
The reason GPS uses so much power is that the system uses very weak radio signals from
satellites orbiting 12,000 miles above the Earth to determine your position. The GPS re-
ceiver in the Nexus is a sensitive receiver that uses a lot of power, and calculating your
position uses a lot of processor power.
The GPS icon appears in the Notifications area at the upper right corner of the screen when
GPS is in use. While most apps use GPS only when they really need it, some apps leave
GPS on even when the app is running in the background. If the GPS icon stays on for long
periods of time, you may want to disable GPS to extend battery life. Or you can change the
GPS settings in the app itself.
To turn off GPS, open Settings, then tap Location. You can turn all location services off or
on, or you can set Location Mode to High accuracy (uses GPS, Wi-Fi, and LTE), Battery
saving (uses Wi-Fi and LTE only), or Device only (uses GPS only).
Google Maps is an example of an app that turns off GPS except when finding your location
or navigating to a location. Backcountry Navigator Pro, on the other hand, tends to keep
the GPS on even when the app is in the background. If you're just viewing maps and not ac-
tually navigating with GPS, you can turn GPS off in Backcountry Navigator. Tap the Menu
icon at the upper right corner, then Settings. Then tap Keep GPS On to toggle this setting.