Anyone Else Having Issues with Locale?

[DGalt]

Sometimes it works and other times it bugs out and doesn't know where I am.

Anyone else having issues with it? Is there an ETA on an update?

 

[v-6 nolo]

i uninstalled it, it was not working correctly. I think someone said like a ton of other apps it is having growing pains in 2.0

 

[punkzanyj]

Sometimes it works and other times it bugs out and doesn't know where I am.

Anyone else having issues with it? Is there an ETA on an update?

That's actually a device issue.

Locale gets it's location information from the device. If the device doesn't know where you are, neither does locale. The program is actually a bit ahead of it's time as wireless location technology isn't quite ready to handle that feature. If you go into the basement, if you go into a subway tunnel, if you go anywhere that a wireless tower or GPS can't go, then you loose location information, and then locale can't do it's job.

If you're going to use the location-based profiles, here are some tips:

-Set up the location profile when you are AT the location, so you can see on the map where your device (and therefore Locale) thinks you are.

-Make sure you make the blue bubble around the location nice and big, like a couple blocks wide.

-Along with the last one, make sure you do locations that are far enough apart. You can't set up a living room profile and and a bedroom profile, not unless you own a gigantic mansion and they are hundreds of feet away from each other and you've got skylights throughout the mansion so that GPS can see you, and you have 3 cell towers on your property. The tech is just not quite there yet, and it's mostly everything else except Locale that's the problem.

 

[DGalt]

well both my Google maps and the actual locale map show me in the correct spot. It's just that it decides to do the wrong thing for those spots.

 

[drum365]

I'm having problems, too. (Totally Adroid newbie, BTW)

Last night, I switched on GPS, took my Droid outside and tried to have Locale find my location. The Maps application found it right away, but after about 20 minutes, Locale still displayed the Western Hemisphere map and said, "Determining Current Location." This morning, it found a location about a mile and a half from where I actually was. Maps was still within a few feet.

I assume this is either something to do with the new Droid hardware or the new Android 2.0 OS?

I also note that the name "Locale" is in italics in my app drawer. What does that signify?

 

[enemkay]

not a droid owner, but i ended up using the locale time condition instead of the location condition.

 

[Wingforce]

I am having the same problem with Locale 0.692 beta and my Motorola Droid. GPS works properly on Google Maps, but on Locale, my location is always about a half mile or so off from my current position.

 

[Roroco]

My GPS knows where I am and locks me to that place when I lose GPS signal. It has been pretty accurate so far. Locale doesn't know exactly where I am, but it is within a mile, but when I lose GPS signal it freaks out and puts me way out. I know turning on Wifi can help, but I am trying to avoid the battery drain.

Any news as to if Locale is going to synch up better with the GPS?

 

[Wingforce]

I sent a message to the Locale support group and they said they are aware of issues around Android 2.0 (and Droid) and working to resolve them. They also said I should be using WiFi for location as it is more battery efficient.

 

[personalt]

dumb question but how do I tell where locale thinks I am?

I know last night when I set up my two locations it showed where locale thought I was. But now when I run the program I see the buttons to manually pick either of the two locations but never of them get lit up automatically.

Stupidly I cant find a menu that has locale display where it thinks I am.

google maps with gps turned off has me well within the area that I set up in locale.

I am running this on Moto Droid.

 

[enemkay]

i use a different background for each locale profile, so i always know which one it's using.

 

[joneee]

i use a different background for each locale profile, so i always know which one it's using.

You're a genius. I don't know why I never thought of that...

 

[personalt]

that background idea is good..

If you were trying to answer my question though, when I pull up local it doesnt have either location marked. What I am trying to do is determine if locale thinks I am outside of one of my two marked areas or if the problem is something else. Is there a way to put up the location that locale thinks you are in?

 

[craiglester]

dumb question but how do I tell where locale thinks I am?

I know last night when I set up my two locations it showed where locale thought I was. But now when I run the program I see the buttons to manually pick either of the two locations but never of them get lit up automatically.

Stupidly I cant find a menu that has locale display where it thinks I am.

google maps with gps turned off has me well within the area that I set up in locale.

I am running this on Moto Droid.

If you open locale it'll show you the situations you've set up. one of them will be in slightly bolder text. Thats the one that's applied right now.

 

[enemkay]

all of my profile buttons are bright green, and the one in bold font is the one it's using.

you can also set the background for the "default configuration" and then you'll know when none of the situations is being used.

 

[personalt]

If you open locale it'll show you the situations you've set up. one of them will be in slightly bolder text. Thats the one that's applied right now.

right.. my problem is neither is being applied and I am physically smack in the middle of one of the location circles.

what I am trying to figure out is where in the world does locale thik I am.

 

[enemkay]

right.. my problem is neither is being applied and I am physically smack in the middle of one of the location circles.

what I am trying to figure out is where in the world does locale thik I am.

open google maps and tell it to find your location.

 

[personalt]

ok.. when I go that google maps put me in the middle of where locale should think I am at work... problem is locale has no clue.

Is there a menu inside locale or a debug tool that tells you where it thinks you are and what methods it is using to set that location.

 

[enemkay]

ok.. when I go that google maps put me in the middle of where locale should think I am at work... problem is locale has no clue.

Is there a menu inside locale or a debug tool that tells you where it thinks you are and what methods it is using to set that location.

do you mean the entire radius of your location circle in google maps overlaps with only one of your locale locations? i know that with mine, two of my situations were too close together so locale had trouble distinguishing between the two. but as far as i can tell, the configuration for determining location is global to both google maps and locale.

 

[personalt]

I mean that my locale 'work' situaton has a really large raduis, maybe 20 blocks.

I get on a Bus in NJ then go underground via subway and come up right near my office. So I set the work situation to be a huge section of NYC. Google maps has me well within the area that locale says would trigger work situation. I have no other criteria restricting it thinking I am at work. Work sitatuion is not being triggered.

What I was wondering is if there was a debug tool that could tell me what locale is thinking.


Maybe it is an andriod 2.0 kink?

 

[enemkay]

hmmm. not sure. it's possible something about one of your other situations is conflicting with your "work" situation. try deleting all other situations and see if locale picks your work situation then.

 

[johnlgalt]

Locale has more issues than just location awareness. If I set up a situation based upon times, all is well - but if I go to edit the situation, the times are not what I had them set to.

Happens every time I do this. However, once I set the times and save the situation, it seems to work as I have it saved. It only b0rks when I try to edit it....

 

[enemkay]

from locale faq:

How does Locale determine my location? Does GPS have to be turned on?

Locale uses a number of technologies to determine your location, including cell towers, Wi-Fi, and GPS.
Cell tower locations or "network locations" determine your location by nearby cell towers. This uses very little battery power, although cell tower locations are only accurate to within several city blocks. Wi-Fi locations are very accurate in cities, even indoors, and also use little battery power. GPS locations use a lot of battery power and are very accurate, although GPS requires a clear view of the sky and may not work well indoors.
If Locale doesn't update your location, here are some troubleshooting tips:

1. Wait 10 minutes, since Locale only updates locations every 10 minutes to conserve battery power.
2. Make your locations larger.
3. Make sure that Wi-Fi and GPS are turned on.
4. Open up a new Location condition. The map will center on where the phone thinks you are.
5. To improve accuracy with your own Wi-Fi access point, consider adding it to the location database. Afterwards, it may take a few days before Locale is informed of this update.

 

[personalt]

I think there is a bug for andriod 2.0

If I take my work situation and delete and readd the location it puts me right int he middle (as expected) but doesnt turn that sitaution on. However if I added a new situation and then add location it puts me in that situation and turns it on.

Also when I told locale to change my wall paper to red wallpaper when entering work I got a blue wall paper which was neither what I sent in locale or was my old default walpaper. I just a random new paper. Looks nice, like the ocean but I certainly didnt select it in local or as the default.