Help GPS in airplane mode?

[mightyoak]

One of the things that I've missed in my last few Droid phones is the ability to use GPS in airplane mode. While I'm able to turn Wifi and bluetooth on after I've enabled airplane mode, I haven't been able to turn on the GPS.

This is actually an important feature for me since I use my phone's GPS with topo maps on all day hikes where I have little or no reception. I want all network features except GPS off to maximize battery. My girlfriend's S5 can turn on GPS in airplane mode but I've never been able to do it with Motorola phones which waste power looking for a signal out of airplane mode. But enabling airplane mode also disables GPS.

I'm very seriously considering the Turbo but this feature is kind of a deal-breaker for me. If any Turbo users could report back to me on this, I'd appreciate it. Thanks!

 

[doogald]

I have a Droid Maxx, the previous generation phone but with an almost identical android build, and I can confirm that turning on airplane mode does *not* turn off the GPS radio. Location services stays on and stays in high accuracy and I am located precisely in Google maps, which nonetheless idiotically prompts me to turn on the wifi radio for beter location (but you can ignore it, of course).

Hopefully somebody with a Turbo can conform it's the same, but I'm almost completely certain that it is.

 

[Thom]

Welcome to Android Forums.

This is apparently the app you care about running in airplane mode on my Turbo.

I suggest (since it is a deal breaker) that you visit a Verizon store, install the app on a Turbo, and test to see that it operates the way you want when in Airplane mode.

... Thom

 

[Digital Controller]

As far as I know GPS / Wifi can still work in airplane mode.

 

[oldssn]

I just put my Droid Turbo in airplane mode and then opened the "GPS Status" app, it shows me the sats and my location.

 

[mightyoak]

Thanks, guys. I've been limping along with my Razr Maxx and am ready to modernize. I had some success by faking airplane mode by turning off wifi and bluetooth and then setting the network to GSM (which Verizon doesn't use in the US). Seems to work sometimes but the accuracy varies quite a bit during use. If you enable the CDMA/LTE network again, the accuracy is great, even if there is no signal/coverage nearby, but the battery is drained. Seems like a bug to me.

Sounds like Motorola has figured out that airplane mode should only turn off functions that transmit.