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Asked: 2026-05-15T18:01:42+00:00

I have noticed that applications like GPS Status get a fix pretty quickly. When

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I have noticed that applications like GPS Status get a fix pretty quickly. When I try to get a fix within my own application it takes more time. Does anybody know why is this happening? Do they use a hidden part of the API to force the GPS to connect faster?

Here’s what I use

LocationManager loc = (LocationManager) context
            .getSystemService(Context.LOCATION_SERVICE);
loc.requestLocationUpdates(LocationManager.GPS_PROVIDER, 0, 0,
            listener);

I want the GPS to give results as frequent as possible because I need it for an AR app 🙂
Although I putting settings like 1000 ms and 1 m for the update frequency with no perceivable difference in speed of fix.

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1 Answer

  1. Editorial Team

    Could be one of several approaches:

    • Using LocationManager.getLastKnownLocation (which, given how many apps use location data, should generally be ‘close enough’ if not dead accurate.)
    • Using LocationManager.NETWORK_PROVIDER instead of LocationManager.GPS_PROVIDER to get an immediate rough fix, then refining with GPS (if available).
    • Running a service in the background that periodically gets the latest position and caches it (basically the same as LocationManager.getLastKnownLocation, but doing it yourself)
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