Please support uservoice polls for background GPS location (ie. sports apps, ...)

[CameraPro]

Hi,

In Windows Phone 8 it was possible to continuously track the GPS location for 4 hours, even when the app was in background. This is for instance useful for applications which record tracks (sports, navigation, etc.). For new Windows Phone 8.1 apps this feature has been removed making it impossible to develop Windows Phone 8.1 apps with a GPS recording feature.

If you also think that we need this feature again then please post your vote here:

• wpdev.uservoice.com/forums/110705-dev-platform/suggestions/6102994-background-location-tracking-in-windows-phone-8-1
• wpdev.uservoice.com/forums/253374-missing-platform-apis/suggestions/6088960-continuous-background-location-tracking-like-wp8

Thanks!

 

[a5cent]

You might want to take a look at SensorCore. Does everything you want and more.

More info here

 

[salmanahmad]

You might want to take a look at SensorCore. Does everything you want and more.

More info here

But isn't the SensorCore API supported for only a few devices?

 

[a5cent]

True, at least for now, but then again, it depends on what parts of SensorCore you are talking about. SensorCore is available on all x30 devices except the 530. Decide for yourself it that counts for "only a few".

 

[salmanahmad]

True

I had no idea that the newer Lumias made up 95%.

 

[a5cent]

I had no idea that the newer Lumias made up 95%.

It depends on how you frame it. It is available on all devices currently in production except the 530. Also note in the text above the use of "such as".

 

[salmanahmad]

It depends on how you frame it. It is available on all devices currently in production except the 530. Also note in the text above the use of "such as".

"Such as" implies the newer Lumias, the ones with the Snapdragon 400 and 800 processors, if I am not wrong, this would, yes like you said, include all devices in production except the 530.

But the newer devices don't contribute to the marketshare as much as the older ones do, which makes the OP's uservoice suggestion worth a thumbs up.

Unless SensorCore can be leveraged by all Lumia devices, I don't see how it is relevant here.

 

[a5cent]

Unless SensorCore can be leveraged by all Lumia devices, I don't see how it is relevant here.

It's relevant because it's a far better approach. The only way I'd agree with you is if SensorCore remained a Nokia exclusive.

Finally, if you want the 8.0 features, just use the 8.0 API. Where is the issue?

 

[salmanahmad]

It's relevant because it's a far better approach. The only way I'd agree with you is if SensorCore remained a Nokia exclusive.

Finally, if you want the 8.0 features, just use the 8.0 API. Where is the issue?

I frankly find the background GPS detection very useful, it's a feature that wasn't supposed to be removed. I mean why fix something that isn't broken?

Your recommendation was SensorCore, which basically means targeting newer devices that are Nokia only, and add to that the majority of *active* Windows Phone devices aren't capable of taking advantage SensorCore, yet.

If you use the 8.0 API, will you be able to leverage the new features of the 8.1 as well?

 

[a5cent]

I was trying to give the OP one possible solution, and using SensorCore may be one. Another possible solution is to continue to use the WP8.0 API. Those are just two approaches. There are more. So, instead of pretending to be outraged over a change in an OS you don't use, which concerns a feature that was barely feasible in practice, why not try and help find solutions to the OP's problems?

Anyway, tell me exactly which app features you find "very useful" that were based on WP8.0 background location tracking (not background GPS detection BTW), and I'll tell you how they should be implemented using WP8.1, or why implementing that specific feature without SensorCore support was always a terrible idea to begin with.

Seriously, you really think MS just tossed a coin to decide if background location tracking needed to be removed or not? Just the rate at which it chewed through your battery made it pretty useless for most tasks, and it was never a feature MS was all too enthusiastic about providing in the first place.

 

[salmanahmad]

I was trying to give the OP one possible solution, and using SensorCore may be one. Another possible solution is to continue to use the WP8.0 API. Those are just two approaches. There are more. So, instead of pretending to be outraged over a change in an OS you don't use, which concerns a feature that was barely feasible in practice, why not try and help find solutions to the OP's problems?

Anyway, tell me exactly which app features you find "very useful" that were based on WP8.0 background location tracking (not background GPS detection BTW), and I'll tell you how they should be implemented using WP8.1, or why implementing that specific feature without SensorCore support was always a terrible idea to begin with.

Seriously, you really think MS just tossed a coin to decide if background location tracking needed to be removed or not? Just the rate at which it chewed through your battery made it pretty useless for most tasks, and it was never a feature MS was all too enthusiastic about providing in the first place.

Chill. I'm not outraged.

There is an app called Speedometer by Sygic, it's an app I used on my Lumia 520 quite a bit and it relied on background GPS detection.

Say if they wanted to implement Windows Phone 8.1 notifications into their app but didn't want to lose background GPS detection? Is there a way to use the 8.0 and 8.1 API together? If these is, then okay I'll agree that there is no problem.

But for gods sakes if there is no way to use both 8.0 and 8.1 API together, support the OP's user voice suggestion.

 

[a5cent]

Chill. I'm not outraged.
<snipped>
But for gods sakes if there is no way to use both 8.0 and 8.1 API together, support the OP's user voice suggestion.

It's expressions like "for god's sake" that lead me to think you are at least a little bit (unnecessarily) outraged. You might want to re-evaluate who should chill ;-)


Anyway, I like that speedometer app you mentioned, but I don't see what the problem would be in bringing it to WP8.1. I can't find any mention of it even using background location tracking, so it doesn't seem it would lose anything by transitioning to WP8.1. I can't really think of a situation where background location tracking would make sense for that type of app either.