Why is Google maps rubbish at tracking?

[Bluevanman]

I've been walking a bit lately,just within a 3 mile radius of home.Inevitably ,when I look on my timeline the journey doesn't resemble where I've been and the timings are off also.
I've just installed the Mapmywalk app and that got my journey 100% correct.It's still using my phone's gps so that must mean it Google maps that's the culprit.
That's pretty rubbish from Google isn't it.
Incidentally before anyone pipes up saying it's my settings, location permission is always allowed as is physical activity, it's the way the apps are interpreting the data that's different I feel

[paulrockliffe]

I think there's two permissions for location, whether they have access and then whether they can use GPS for accurate location.

Generally I think you would not be using GPS for general background location because it rinses the battery. The default is only to use GPS when you're deliberately tracking an activity. You can change it in settings if you want.

[Bluevanman]

paulrockliffe said:

I think there's two permissions for location, whether they have access and then whether they can use GPS for accurate location.

Generally I think you would not be using GPS for general background location because it rinses the battery. The default is only to use GPS when you're deliberately tracking an activity. You can change it in settings if you want.

Which I said I've done.The walking app uses the gps / location services data correctly, Google maps doesn't, that's what I'm trying to say

[Riley Blue]

I've never found Google Timeline accurate and it seems to be a recurring problem judging by the number of queries, complaints and improvement hints that can be found:

https://timeero.com/reviews/google-timeline-review...

By comparison, 'Map My Walk' is excellent; far more accurately recording position and time.

[Bluevanman]

A few days ago timeline said I left home at 1 minute past midnight and walked for over 11 hours to a retail park .This retail park is about 30 minutes away on foot.I did go there but I was in bed til 8am and my phone was in airplane mode until 7.30 and I didn't leave the house til 10.30.
It's rubbish.

[rodericb]

You probably have to be a corporation paying big bucks for that type of information..... Heck, Timeline is probably so st at it to make people think they're not being tracked up the wazoo!

[CLK-GTR]

Google Maps will be requesting a location every half an hour or something like that. Your specialised app will be requesting one every 10 seconds. Use it over the course of the day and see how quickly the battery runs down.

[Scrump]

I use Google maps as satnav in the car and the location is accurate then.

[Aunty Pasty]

Background location tracking is done infrequently and does not use GPS unless there is another app using GPS that it can piggy-back onto. This is primarily to keep battery usage down.

[Shiv_P]

Your battery life would be 0 if it had a ping every 30 seconds or so, let alone proper navigation style GPS tracking

[Griffith4ever]

Its not " rubbish" , it's just not meant to do what you think it's meant to do.

[Riley Blue]

CLK-GTR said:

Google Maps will be requesting a location every half an hour or something like that. Your specialised app will be requesting one every 10 seconds. Use it over the course of the day and see how quickly the battery runs down.

Google Maps tells me to re-route within seconds if I deviate from the route so surely it must be more frequent - or am I being really dense this sunny Monday morning?

[knk]

You could use google fit to track your walks in the same way as mapmywalk does. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com....
Timelines will not do the same thing as it is only pinging GPS intermittently.

If you are using it in navigation mode (with a route and destination set) it will continuously monitor GPS (and the timeline will also be more accurate).

[Aunty Pasty]

When Google maps is running in the foreground it is actively using GPS data so it is accurate and updates frequently for when using it as a navigation aid.
The other use case is the Google timelines feature which tells you where you've been through the day. This is not using GPS and the checking is much less frequent and probably inaccurate.

It's essentially just spot checking where you are every now and then and compiling a list of your visited locations.

[Bluevanman]

Griffith4ever said:

Its not " rubbish" , it's just not meant to do what you think it's meant to do.

Explain my post above,my phone switches to airplane mode between 11pm and 7.30am.The phone didn't move from my home yet Google reckons I was walking to a retail park 2 miles away

[dundarach]

I've found it 'dead on balls accurate' for the many years I've used it.

I often find myself going back several years to see where I was on a date, or the last time I visited a place!

[CLK-GTR]

Riley Blue said:

Google Maps tells me to re-route within seconds if I deviate from the route so surely it must be more frequent - or am I being really dense this sunny Monday morning?

Google Maps doesnt do GPS itself, it uses the phone's own location software. The phone will only use constant GPS if an app is open and asking it to, otherwise it will get less accurate periodic updates from WiFi networks, network providers, intermittent GPS pings and so on. If you have Google Maps open it will be asking the phone for a continual GPS location. If it is running in the background it will just be getting the periodic updates.

If you have Mapmywalk it will probably be requesting a continual GPS location, at least when it detects movement, which will run the battery down far quicker than the Google Maps method.

Edited by CLK-GTR on Monday 13th May 10:28

[Granadier]

Bluevanman said:

Explain my post above,my phone switches to airplane mode between 11pm and 7.30am.The phone didn't move from my home yet Google reckons I was walking to a retail park 2 miles away

are you sure you don't sleepwalk without realising?

[Riley Blue]

CLK-GTR said:

Riley Blue said:

Google Maps tells me to re-route within seconds if I deviate from the route so surely it must be more frequent - or am I being really dense this sunny Monday morning?

Google Maps doesnt do GPS itself, it uses the phone's own location software. The phone will only use constant GPS if an app is open and asking it to, otherwise it will get less accurate periodic updates from WiFi networks, network providers, intermittent GPS pings and so on. If you have Google Maps open it will be asking the phone for a continual GPS location. If it is running in the background it will just be getting the periodic updates.

If you have Mapmywalk it will probably be requesting a continual GPS location, at least when it detects movement, which will run the battery down far quicker than the Google Maps method.

Edited by CLK-GTR on Monday 13th May 10:28

Thanks, the penny has finally dropped.

[Arkose]

Riley Blue said:

CLK-GTR said:

Riley Blue said:

Google Maps tells me to re-route within seconds if I deviate from the route so surely it must be more frequent - or am I being really dense this sunny Monday morning?

Google Maps doesnt do GPS itself, it uses the phone's own location software. The phone will only use constant GPS if an app is open and asking it to, otherwise it will get less accurate periodic updates from WiFi networks, network providers, intermittent GPS pings and so on. If you have Google Maps open it will be asking the phone for a continual GPS location. If it is running in the background it will just be getting the periodic updates.

If you have Mapmywalk it will probably be requesting a continual GPS location, at least when it detects movement, which will run the battery down far quicker than the Google Maps method.

Edited by CLK-GTR on Monday 13th May 10:28

Thanks, the penny has finally dropped.

But also check back on your google timeline for the duration that you used MapMyWalks... it should be accurate if I remember ...