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Has anyone come up with a reason Maps runs all the time yet?

So it's 2014 now. Was wondering if anyone has figured out why Maps always runs 100% of the time? It has nothing to do with other apps, this is a clean factory install of 4.1. I have no other apps on here yet. None. I have all locationing services turned off, I have never opened navigation or any of the apps that use maps and I have never clicked on a map link on the browser. Not once. Ever. This phone was running Maps right out of the box and it hasn't quit once. So, has anyone got a real answer as to why? Why Maps needs to run 24-7 and use up resources and battery (up to 20% some days)?
 
Something must be using it. I dont know what though. It isnt in my running apps and the fact that its using a huge chunk of your battery life means somethings going mad mith it.
Try installing GSam Battery Monitor, do a discharge with that running and see if it can shed some light.
Maps is safe to disable but it would be better to find the cause. Another app must be using it
 
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Are you using any task manager? Task managers that are configured to kill apps tend to confuse the Android OS.

I recommend you just update Maps if you haven't done so. Then just launch the app and make sure you close it down by pressing the back button until you exit. Then wait a couple of days to see if it is still draining your battery.

Another thing you can do is power off your phone. If your phone has a removable battery, take the battery out, wait about 30 seconds and put the battery back in. Then power on your phone again.

Maps doesn't run on my phone. I checked my running apps as well as my battery stats. I don't use Maps. I use Waze.
 
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Are you using any task manager? Task managers that are configured to kill apps tend to confuse the Android OS.

I recommend you just update Maps if you haven't done so. Then just launch the app and make sure you close it down by pressing the back button until you exit. Then wait a couple of days to see if it is still draining your battery.

Another thing you can do is power off your phone. If your phone has a removable battery, take the battery out, wait about 30 seconds and put the battery back in. Then power on your phone again.

Maps doesn't run on my phone. I checked my running apps as well as my battery stats. I don't use Maps. I use Waze.

Fresh factory phone. No apps downloaded.
 
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Here's the best explanation you're going to find.

I develop Android apps so I though I'd explain why a task killer isn't needed on an Android system.

Activities
Android apps use activites to preform tasks. For example, if you use a file manager to send a picture via email, the file manager calls the send activity within an email app, passes the file name to it and the email app sends the picture.. not the file manager. This will result in seeing the email app as "running" even though the user didn't actually launch that email app.

Smaller apps
Using activites helps developers design smaller apps. A file manager app that contains every bit of code needed to do everything a file manager does would likely be so large that no one would want to install it. Developers know that an android phone more than likely has an email app so there is no need for the developer to include email code in his/her file manager to send a picture when he/she can call an activity in an existing email app to do the job. This results in a smaller file manager app since there is no need to include email code or any other code for an activity that can be done via an app that is already present on the phone. This also alleviates redundant code. When you install an app outside of the android market, also known as sideloading, the file manager app calls the package installer (already present in Android) to install the requested app.

Running apps vs. cached apps
The "Manage Applications" list included in many android devices lists running apps as well as cached apps. Cached apps don't use any CPU or battery, they're cached so they will load faster the next time you need them. Killing cached apps results in those apps requiring more time to load the next time they are launched.

System management
By default, every android application runs in its own Linux process. Android starts the process when any of the application
 
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OP, I get the impression that you're fairly new to Android. The OS is based on Linux, which is designed in a way that's very different from most people's frame of reference which is Windows. With Windows, anything that's in RAM is open AND running (which uses power/electricity/battery). With Linux, open and running are two DIFFERENT things. An app that's just open is not consuming power from your battery, and is ready to be used without loading fresh, and again isn't using battery until you give it reason to, like loading the app and viewing it on the screen. This is how the OS is designed, so the behavior can't really be altered. Now what I believe will happen as you use the handset (and put more apps on it) is that the other apps will be kept open, and Maps will likely be closed down to make room for them if you're using the other apps and neglecting Maps. You really need not worry about it being open. It's functioning as designed.
 
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Google has huge financial incentives to know everything about you. That's why it's running. It increases their ad revenue. They do backroom deals with our data and their users. You may also want to check their CIA and NSA links. It's not anything you are doing wrong.

I noticed Maps running in the background when signing in to a gmail account for the first time on my first Android phone, and I fully expected this to happen which is why I did this away from home on a separate wi-fi network. I am already welll aware of how Google acts in Chrome (on the Windows desktop) and their numerous privacy breaches. Anyway, Maps was never started by me and all location services were disabled. I noticed this on my first phone. Since then ALL Google apps have been disabled after rooting.

Virtually everything in the OS compromises your privacy in some way, and I still shake my head that people are using their services without questioning them. They have huge wi-fi databases built all over the world and they cross-link and profile their users like crazy. Your Google search history. Emails and basically all communications are archived. YouTube use. Google scripts on websites. Social networking cross-linking. All the major companies are using your data to sell you out and to increase the amount of revenue they get by knowing more about you. It isn't just Google.

My current phone also has zero Google apps running, and I intend for it to stay like this.
 
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Google has huge financial incentives to know everything about you. That's why it's running. It increases their ad revenue. They do backroom deals with our data and their users. You may also want to check their CIA and NSA links. It's not anything you are doing wrong.

I noticed Maps running in the background when signing in to a gmail account for the first time on my first Android phone, and I fully expected this to happen which is why I did this away from home on a separate wi-fi network. I am already welll aware of how Google acts in Chrome (on the Windows desktop) and their numerous privacy breaches. Anyway, Maps was never started by me and all location services were disabled. I noticed this on my first phone. Since then ALL Google apps have been disabled after rooting.

Virtually everything in the OS compromises your privacy in some way, and I still shake my head that people are using their services without questioning them. They have huge wi-fi databases built all over the world and they cross-link and profile their users like crazy. Your Google search history. Emails and basically all communications are archived. YouTube use. Google scripts on websites. Social networking cross-linking. All the major companies are using your data to sell you out and to increase the amount of revenue they get by knowing more about you. It isn't just Google.

My current phone also has zero Google apps running, and I intend for it to stay like this.


If you are that paranoid why are you using an Android phone at all?
 
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If you are that paranoid why are you using an Android phone at all?

By calling me paranoid, are you making the suggestion Google has:
* no links with the CIA?
* no business with the NSA?
* have some valid reason why Maps starts by itself, without you invoking it?

If so, please share.
Google's business is all about location-based data and selling ads based on this. It goes without saying (at least I think it's common sense) for those controlling the OS to be doing this.

I am using Android because I consider it the best of a bad bunch of new wave of OSs selling us all out.

That includes Windows Phone and iOS and Blackberry. Symbian is basically dead, and so too is Windows Mobile. They are barely usable in the modern world. So I personally use the tools I can, while hopefully still maintaining a semblance of privacy and accepting the realities of Google's business and invasiveness and ripping out much of it.

My main phone is still Symbian. Offline calendar, long battery life. However, it's pretty much garbage for watching videos and any sort of multimedia or modern web pages or games.

That's what I use the Google stuff for, but without the garbage Google spyware installed.
 
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Well Google did tell the Feds to back off when they asked it to divulge somebody's GMail password. They had to take Google to a court injunction.

Maps runs in the background when you FIRST sign in because the phone creates account links between all the Google apps. You start asking questions when it still is running a couple of days later (assuming all sync is done or turned off) and after a few reboots.

However, it is true that Google uses location based data for its ads. It will show relevant ads for the country/state you are in. However Google knowing anything about you is pretty easy to circumvent. Just use a dummy Google account and don't link your credit card to it. They just know that person A is receiving this, but they have no idea if any information you are feeding them is correct. Or just root the phone and use one a more secure custom ROM. I think there are those which removed everything Google except for the Play Store.
 
Upvote 0
By calling me paranoid, are you making the suggestion Google has:
* no links with the CIA?
* no business with the NSA?
* have some valid reason why Maps starts by itself, without you invoking it?

If so, please share.
Google's business is all about location-based data and selling ads based on this. It goes without saying (at least I think it's common sense) for those controlling the OS to be doing this.

I am using Android because I consider it the best of a bad bunch of new wave of OSs selling us all out.

That includes Windows Phone and iOS and Blackberry. Symbian is basically dead, and so too is Windows Mobile. They are barely usable in the modern world. So I personally use the tools I can, while hopefully still maintaining a semblance of privacy and accepting the realities of Google's business and invasiveness and ripping out much of it.

My main phone is still Symbian. Offline calendar, long battery life. However, it's pretty much garbage for watching videos and any sort of multimedia or modern web pages or games.

That's what I use the Google stuff for, but without the garbage Google spyware installed.

I'm not saying they don't. What I'm saying if you are that worried about what information they may or may not be gathering then don't use a smart phone. That way there is no way they can get information from you.
 
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I'm not saying they don't. What I'm saying if you are that worried about what information they may or may not be gathering then don't use a smart phone. That way there is no way they can get information from you.

If you want to operate in the modern world, it often means buying modern tools. By not doing so you're unnecessarily crippling yourself. I prefer to buy modern tools and get on with it, while throwing out the crap that 99.9% of people run on their phones. All the major vendors want more details from you, not to mention countless third parties with their apps.

I don't put contact info on any Google device, nor my SIM in one. And I prefer to have no front camera. For obvious reasons (can easily be switched on without your knowledge, which is true for laptops too).

If you have an hour or two handy, I recommend How The NSA Hacks Your iPhone (Presenting DROPOUT JEEP) | Zero Hedge

The video discussed here will open your eyes, big-time.
 
Upvote 0
If you want to operate in the modern world, it often means buying modern tools. By not doing so you're unnecessarily crippling yourself. I prefer to buy modern tools and get on with it, while throwing out the crap that 99.9% of people run on their phones. All the major vendors want more details from you, not to mention countless third parties with their apps.

I don't put contact info on any Google device, nor my SIM in one. And I prefer to have no front camera. For obvious reasons (can easily be switched on without your knowledge, which is true for laptops too).

If you have an hour or two handy, I recommend How The NSA Hacks Your iPhone (Presenting DROPOUT JEEP) | Zero Hedge

The video discussed here will open your eyes, big-time.
You certainly make some very valid points; and while I don't completely agree with you I would never say that you are wrong to be on guard. I often worry about my kid and her friends and the ease with which they'll download some mindless crap for their phone or laptop - not caring one whit that its collecting tons of info about them.

I'm often cautious and I read the EULA's. If I can't easy find a good reason for something than I won't accept the terms. If all they want is to send me ads, that's fine. If I love the app I'll use it and ignore the ads or turn on ad blocker.
 
Upvote 0
OP, I get the impression that you're fairly new to Android. The OS is based on Linux, which is designed in a way that's very different from most people's frame of reference which is Windows. With Windows, anything that's in RAM is open AND running (which uses power/electricity/battery). With Linux, open and running are two DIFFERENT things. An app that's just open is not consuming power from your battery, and is ready to be used without loading fresh, and again isn't using battery until you give it reason to, like loading the app and viewing it on the screen. This is how the OS is designed, so the behavior can't really be altered. Now what I believe will happen as you use the handset (and put more apps on it) is that the other apps will be kept open, and Maps will likely be closed down to make room for them if you're using the other apps and neglecting Maps. You really need not worry about it being open. It's functioning as designed.

It was listed under RUNNING APPLICATIONS and was using 10% of my battery. No longer. Maps uninstalled and everything still works just fine.
 
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Just go to Application Manager in Setting, press "Fource Stop" of Maps. I'm sure that Maps will be killed.

Maps is never completely killed as long as it's on your device, just as Google wants it. A 'force stop' is - at best - a temporary measure to stop it and that's only if you've found it to be misbehaving. Most users just don't know when it's running or when this-or-that has been activated on their phones.

Again, just as Google (and its partners) want it.
 
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