Low Power Mode on iPhone and Battery Saver on Android don’t turn off GPS, and Apple doesn’t list location among the things Low Power Mode reduces. They can still cost you distance, though. They limit what apps do in the background and lock the screen sooner, and a tracking app that stops getting fixes leaves gaps in your route. The bigger accuracy trade-off usually comes from inside tracking apps: “battery saver” recording modes that take fixes less often and cut corners.
This page is about what those modes do to your numbers. If the problem is simply that the phone doesn’t last the trip, speedometer app battery drain fixes covers the screen, heat and charging side.
What does Low Power Mode change on iPhone? #
According to Apple, Low Power Mode does things like:
- Limit 5G on the models that support it
- Set Auto-Lock to 30 seconds
- Reduce display brightness
- Limit the refresh rate on ProMotion displays
- Turn off some visual effects
- Pause iCloud Photos
- Turn off automatic downloads and email fetch
- Turn off Background App Refresh
Location Services isn’t on that list, so GPS keeps working. Two items matter for tracking, though. A 30-second Auto-Lock means the screen goes dark quickly, and some apps stop getting location when it does. Background App Refresh being off can affect apps that rely on it, although dedicated workout and navigation apps normally track through a separate background location mechanism.
What does Battery Saver change on Android? #
Google describes Battery Saver as turning on Dark theme and limiting or turning off background activity, so some features, network connections and apps may be delayed. Exactly what it restricts depends on the phone’s manufacturer, and many phones add a stronger mode that limits you to a handful of apps.
Recent Android versions also have a per-app battery setting (often labelled Unrestricted, Optimised and Restricted). A tracking app set to Restricted may be stopped or delayed in the background whether Battery Saver is on or not. If an app is meant to record with the screen off, set it to Unrestricted.
How can a battery mode cost you distance? #
Gaps when the screen locks or the app is paused #
When a tracking app stops getting fixes, it has two choices when they return: join the last point to the new one with a straight line, or drop the gap. Either way, the bends in between go missing. A few seconds on a straight road costs almost nothing. Several minutes on a winding road costs real distance.
The cost is easy to underestimate. A phone that locks for four minutes at 50 km/h has missed 3.3 km of road. If the app bridges the gap with a straight line you lose only the bends; if it drops the gap, as apps that refuse long jumps do, you lose the lot.
Apps that record less often #
Many fitness and tracking apps offer a battery-saving mode that stores a point every few seconds instead of every second. Fewer points mean longer straight lines, and longer straight lines cut more off every curve:
| Time between fixes | Driving 90 km/h on a 300 m radius curve | Running 12 km/h round a 20 m radius bend |
|---|---|---|
| 1 second | 0.03% short | 0.1% short |
| 5 seconds | 0.7% short | 2.9% short |
| 15 seconds | 6.4% short | 24% short |
Those losses only happen while you’re on the curve, so a whole trip loses less. On a mountain road or a winding trail, though, you’re on curves most of the time. For more on this, see why GPS trip distance varies by sampling rate.
Approximate location #
On iPhone, turning off Precise Location for an app gives it only an approximate position, which is far too coarse for speed or distance. It’s a privacy setting, not a battery one, but it’s easy to switch off by accident. Check it under Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > the app.
How Speedometer GPS handles this #
Speedometer GPS has no battery-saving recording mode, by design. While it’s open, it asks the phone for its best navigation accuracy with a fix every second, and it filters out poor fixes (anything worse than ±20 m) rather than recording less often.
It only uses location while it’s on screen, so the screen matters. By default it keeps the screen on while you’re tracking a trip, which overrides Low Power Mode’s 30-second Auto-Lock. If you turn that setting off to save battery and the phone locks, the app stops getting fixes and your distance stops counting until you unlock it, and when the fixes return it won’t bridge a jump of more than 200 m. The honest way to save battery with this app is a charger, not a setting.
Best settings for accurate distance on a long trip #
- Plug in if you can. Then no battery mode is needed at all.
- If you can’t, lower brightness before you lower the recording rate. The screen usually costs more than GPS, and dimming it doesn’t hurt accuracy.
- Use Low Power Mode or Battery Saver freely, but make sure your tracking app either keeps the screen on or is allowed to run in the background.
- Record every second if the app gives you a choice, especially on winding roads and trails.
- Keep Precise Location on for any app that measures speed or distance.
- Check the route afterwards. Straight lines slicing across corners mean the app missed fixes.
If a route still looks short against your car’s odometer, why GPS trip distance doesn’t match your odometer walks through the other likely causes.
Frequently asked questions #
Does Low Power Mode turn off GPS? #
No. Apple’s list of what Low Power Mode reduces doesn’t include Location Services, so GPS keeps working. It does shorten Auto-Lock to 30 seconds and turn off Background App Refresh, which can affect some tracking apps.
Does Android Battery Saver affect location accuracy? #
It doesn’t reduce the accuracy of a GPS fix itself, but it limits background activity, which can delay or stop apps that track with the screen off. The details vary by manufacturer. Setting your tracking app’s battery usage to Unrestricted avoids most problems.
Why does my recorded route have straight lines across corners? #
The app didn’t get fixes for a while, because of a tunnel, a lost signal, a locked screen, a background restriction or a battery-saving recording mode. It joined the points on either side with a straight line, and the corners in between were lost.
Is it better to record GPS every second? #
For accuracy, yes, especially on curves. The extra battery cost of one-second recording is usually small next to the screen’s. If you have to save power, dim the screen first.
Does Speedometer GPS have a battery-saving mode? #
No. It always uses best navigation accuracy with a fix every second while it’s open, and it doesn’t track in the background. To save battery, plug in, lower the screen brightness, or close the app when you don’t need it.