“Location” Replaces “GPS” in Android KitKat: Annoyingly, Not One, but TWO Consent Screens!

“Location” replaces “GPS” in Android KitKat

A couple of weeks ago, I had some trouble going on with my location-based services on my Android phone. Now, I’ve occasionally been having some issues with my GPS while driving (which is incredibly frustrating!), but it became a serious problem all of sudden and I couldn’t figure it out. I then realized that I had recently updated my system and that – in lieu of the “GPS” setting, it had now become “Location”. Okay, just a difference in name, right?

The first of two “Location Consent” screens in Android KitKat

Wrong: when one presses “Location” to turn it on, up pops up a “Location consent” notification, which informs the user: “Your phone can share its approximate location with apps and services like maps, shopping, and weather.” Great! Thank you. It continues: “Apps and services that use your location should inform you. Read the privacy policy of any app or service provider you are considering to understand how they collect, use, and share your location information before you use them.” Okay, thanks for the warning…. It then finishes off by saying: “Determining your location will use the mobile network. Data usage will apply.” Okay….

Then, if you don’t press “Agree” or if you do press “Disagree”, then you can’t use Location. If you press “Agree”, up pops a second “Location consent” notification. Really? The first one wasn’t sufficient?! It reads: “Allow Google’s location service to collect anonymous data. Some data may be stored on your device. Collection may occur even when no apps are running.” Well, thanks.
If you press “Agree”, then you get to use the location services. If you press “Disagree”, not only can’t you use the location services, but also “Location” is still on for battery-draining….

The second of two “Location Consent” screens in Android KitKat

Another annoying aspect is that whereas previously, one could leave “GPS” off and check in, using Foursquare, for instance, merely by wi-fi. Now, that is no longer an option if “Location” is off.

A further annoying aspect is that the second “Location consent” notification doesn’t always immediately pop up. So, if, for instance, you just want to quickly check in somewhere using a location-based service (e.g. Foursquare, Yelp, Facebook, etc.), you have to wait until that notification pops up. Also, sometimes you may want to get back to the home screen – well, that pushes down this second “Location consent” and you lose your opportunity to agree to it; you end up having to turn off “Location”, turn it back on, agree to the first “Location consent”, then wait again for the second “Location consent”. Remember when you only had to tap “GPS” to turn it on to get your location?

The last annoying thing (of which I can think as of now) about the new “Location consent”s is that there is no option presented to the user of always agreeing or of never having to see those “Location consent” notifications again. So, it’s always a three-tap process and you don’t know how long you have to wait for that second “Location consent” notification to pop up.

There is significantly more time involved with this new “Location” process. I am hoping that this process is temporary and that Android gets their act together and makes it easier once again to get one’s GPS operable.