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Is Google Maps causing your iPhone battery to drain fast?

I have no hard evidence, yet after downlaoding and launching Google Maps today, my iPhone 4s battery dropped to 17% in about 2 hrs. I checked with my wife about her iPhone 4s and she too reported a larger drop in battery than usual and she too had downloaded Google maps today. Does anyone have some data or a way to track individual app power usage? Are there some settings in Google Maps that can be turned off to limit the battery drain? It's nice to have a Map app that is more accurate, unless it kills your battery while you are using it so you end up with nothing after only a few hours.

iPhone 4S, iOS 6.0.1, Google Maps

Posted on Dec 14, 2012 5:16 PM

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10 replies

Dec 15, 2012 7:20 AM in response to mrpicasso

I haven't seen many posts on this question, but my phone's battery has drained a bit faster the past couple of days, coincident with installing Google Maps. But my battery drain is very variable from day to day, and I also installed another app in the same time period. I can't say that this is outside of the normal range of variation yet. I'll continue to watch it, however.

Dec 15, 2012 7:35 AM in response to Michael Black

Michael Black wrote:


A couple of things to alter and see what affect they have.


If you are signed into a google acocunt, try signing out so you are not connected.


If under the terms of privacy settings, you have the "Loacation data collection" setting "ON", try turning it off.

Of course, if you turn off location data for a mapping app the app isn't going to work.

Dec 15, 2012 10:01 AM in response to Lawrence Finch

The switch I mentioned in the Google App privacy settings has nothing to do with how the app functions. It is determining whether or not you allow the transmission of your location tagged useage information to be transmitted to a google or not (for their internal use).


This is equavalent to the privacy settings for Apple's own location data collection. The privacy setting can readily be set "OFF", google maps continues to work just fine, but it will not be periodically doing a data dump back to Google.

Dec 30, 2012 1:10 PM in response to mrpicasso

YES! I never had a problem with battery drain on my iPhone 4S until installing Google Maps. I uninstalled it and shut my phone all the way down. It did not have an immediate effect for whatever reason, but things were back to normal soon. I decided to load Google Maps again about two weeks later in case something else was causing the problem. The battery drain didn't seem as bad as the first time - that is until I picked up my phone to find it dead within 3 hours of using the app (from about 75%)...and I really needed my phone. The battery was dead even though I ended the route and closed the app. When it charged to about 7%, I turned off location services and the battery charge is back to normal. I hope more people give feedback if they do notice the problem, so it can be fixed.

Dec 30, 2012 5:56 PM in response to iTonya

I used Google Maps heavily on a recent trip, and yes, it did run the battery down pretty fast. But then again I was USING it pretty constantly, so I'm not surprised. I solved the battery life problem with a MyCharge 6000. It's a rechargable portable power pack that can fully charge an iPhone 4 times between charges of the device itself. And it supplies 1 amp, so it charges fast. (I have no connection with the company that makes it, other than as a satisfied customer).

Jan 24, 2013 3:52 PM in response to mrpicasso

Last but not least, force-quit the app if you're not using it. Unlike others, GPS apps have the "feature" of keeping alive even if behind the scenes, so they don't lose track of where they're at. Just like the music that keeps on playing.


Double-click on home so the list of loaded apps show up as a strip on the bottom. Drag to the left if not immediately visible on the strip. Hold finger against its icon till it starts wiggling and a red minus pops up in a corner. Press red minus icon, and the app's gone from memory and truly NOT running. Click on home to exit the "kill the app" mode.

Is Google Maps causing your iPhone battery to drain fast?

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