iPhone 6 Motion Calibration Always Using Location Services

Today, after one day using iPhone resetting as a new (the motion calibration arrow appears rarely), I tried to reinstall the backup. I don't know why, but it seems that the problem is disappears. 'll check the phone in the coming days....

Resetting the Location and Privacy settings seems to have resolved this issue for me.

I have the same problem, iPhone 6. 8.1 didn't fix it. I think the functionality is the phone's ability to know if you're in a car, walkino, etc. I suspect that the person who said the problem only occurs if an app is using this service has it right, and this is the reason everyone isn't complaining.

Apple support transcript

Hello. On ios8.1 motion calibration is always on in location system services. Can you tell me what this does and is it supposed to be always on using location. What happens if I turn it off

Jeff:
Oh wow! I completely understand, I have been through all those settings myself. I know how important it is to know what they do, I will do all that i can to help you.

Jeff:
In this case Motion calibration is what determines how far yo have traveled when using certain apps like the Health App,

Jeff:
So this is not something that is always needed

Jeff:
You can turn off to help improve battery life.

George:
I turned it off and noticed my steps etc are still being logged. If it's off does it mean the steps/distance are not accurate?

Jeff:
That feature will still work, it will just not be as accurate.

George:
Ok thanks for your help

So yeah, my theory was kinda smack bang on if you read up a couple of posts.

The M8 is always gathering the data; just a case of the calibration making it make sense.

My guess is that this will be less frequent as it is left switched on. But if you never use that info there's no need to calibrate

I've set up as new several times and my iPhone 6 still has this problem. Motion Calibration is using location almost 24/7. I set up as new one more time and installed each app one by one and noticed that Dropbox is the problem. Not sure if it's actually Dropbox or the automatic upload feature in Dropbox, but I definitely got the problem after installing Dropbox. I deleted it and restarted and now Motion Calibration is only used occasionally.

I Think coincidence; the system may have just gathered enough initial data and now only calibrated occasionally. To do with distance traveled while walking.

Dropbox has no acess to motion data.

I've been experiencing the same problem of always seeing the location services icon showing. (I have an iPhone 6, running iOS 8.1, set up from a back-up.) I lose about 10% of battery overnight, sleeping for roughly 7-8 hours. I used to lose 0% or 1%.

Following a suggestion here, I reset Location & Privacy. That seemed to work for a bit, but then the icon re-appeared. So I followed another suggestion and disabled Motion Calibration, and that seems to have helped somewhat.

However, I still see the icon immediately after waking up the phone. (Perhaps this is the phone looking for Wi-Fi? It stays on for about 10 seconds.)

Any other suggestions? And will Motion Calibration being off adversely affect the phone's ability to work its magic?

Thanks!

It's constantly described as a "problem." It isn't a problem, Location Services enable features. Motion calibration is used to calculate your step length, which varies between walking and running. If it is off your distance reported will be wrong. In general having Location Services on is not a problem; it uses minimal battery, and it is essential for many of the features of your phone. Cell network search, for example, SAVES battery, because the phone uses it to connect to the nearest tower instantly, rather than wasting energy searching for signal. Location awareness allows Reminders to be set to remind you when you get home (or to work). It also lets the iPhone tell you how long it will take to get to a known location without actually having to open the Maps app. If you go down the list of Location Services under Privacy you can see what each setting is used for. If you never use a service turn it off if you like, but it won't make any real difference in battery life.

When you wake the phone the location is likely used to check many things at once for a few seconds (the time it takes to accurately pinpoint you)

This could be for frequent locations, local weather, or traffic (to see if you are on the road).

MOtion calibration off will affect accuracy of distance travelled per stride when counting steps, but not the number of steps counted.

I'm convinced it's temporary for a few days

You're absolutely right, Lawrence. Location Services in itself is a great feature of iOS. The problem (for me, at least) is specifically related to the Location Services icon always appearing, which means that the system is constantly working even when it has no reason to be (sitting idly on my desk, for example).

Looking at other iPhones (my girlfriend's, colleagues', etc.) I notice that they do not have the Location Services icon showing constantly.

And yes, for me, it actually is having an adverse affect on my battery life.

I turned off Motion Calibration (which seemed to be the culprit in my case), and so far this seems to have helped. The icon is no longer on every time I wake up the phone.

It's unfortunate, though, since I'd like to have it on. But it seems like it doesn't add too much critical functionality.

Thanks, iZian, that's what I am thinking, too.

Since turning off Motion Calibration, the icon has gone.

I am not too concerned with steps taken, so if that is the only sacrifice, I can live with it. (But I do use apps like Run Keeper to track walks and hikes, so hopefully those will still be accurate. It's unfortunate that I need to turn off a feature into order to keep my battery life reasonable!

I Would give it a week if you could persist. My theory is that, once calibrated, it would track you less.

I Have mine off because I only ever walk to the car

Thanks, iZian.

For me, the icon has been on since I purchased the iPhone 6 and restored from back-up at the end of September. I figure it would have calibrated by now!

The Motion Calibration setting is the one that showed up purple, meaning it was the culprit. (And toggling it off indeed made the icon go away immediately.) So I'll keep it off and see if I notice anything off with other apps.

Same Story here. And my battery life is better if I put off.

If it's only for calibrate why it's not the same time for everybody and Apple Genius haven't the information.