Location services: What’s the difference between the choices, and which should I pick?

Your phone knows exactly where you are. Is that good or bad?

Android phones come with a few options for location services, and these are useful for map apps, locating nearby shops, restaurants, and the like, but which one is the right one for you to use? Let’s clarify the differences and help you out.

• Accessing location services
• High accuracy
• Battery saving
• Device only

Accessing location services

To find and select your location services:

Tap the Settings button on your Home screen.
Tap Location under the Personal menu.
Tap Mode.

Tap the option you want to use for your location service.

Now let’s have a look at what each of the three options mean.

High accuracy

When you select the High accuracy location service mode, you are allowing multiple networks to pinpoint your precise location (hence the name High accuracy). It calls upon every service available: GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and/or cellular networks in whatever combination avaailable, and uses Google’s location services to provide the most accurate location.

It might feel a bit like Big Brother is watching you, since your phone’s location will be pretty well down to the street corner you’re standing on, or the home address you’re living at or visiting. Some people find it disconcerting, others find it comforting. Regardless, you’ll probably want this mode turned on if you’re looking for turn-by-turn directions.

Battery saving

A sure way to save battery life is to eliminate GPS from the location equation. Battery saving mode uses less battery-intensive location sources (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and/or nearby cell towers) to figure out where you are using Google’s location services.

Granted, this will not be as accurate as using them along with GPS, but you will still get a close approximate location and your maps or apps will still point you in the right direction within a few extra feet of where you are — all while saving valuable battery life.

Device only

Device only mode relies solely on the GPS radio signal built into your Android phone. It works in much the same way that a GPS device for cars does, using the GPS-designated network of satellites to find your phone’s location. This means it will work in places where Wi-Fi and cellular network coverage are lacking, but will also end up using more battery power to determine your location than the Battery saver mode.

It will be a bit more time consuming for the information to reach you, but you’ll get a pretty good idea of what’s nearby; just keep in mind that some app features you might want to use won’t necessarily function without the other networks.

Which one’s right for you?

For the most part, if you’re going to use location services you should leave your phone set to High accuracy. It eliminates guesswork and is the most precise location service you can use, so why not? Sure, switch to battery saving mode if you’re running low but still need to use maps and other services, but High accuracy mode live up to its name when you absolutely need to know where you are and where you’re going.

Mobile World Congress Americas to launch in the U.S. in September 2017

The GSMA group, which runs the annual Mobile World Congress trade show, is teaming up with CTIA to launch Mobile World Congress Americas. It will be held September 12-14, 2017 in San Francisco and will replace the CTIA Super Mobility show beginning that year. The 2016 show will still be held on September 7-9 in Las Vegas.

The joint press release states:

Mobile World Congress Americas will include a conference program featuring C-level speakers and leading industry experts; an exhibition showing the latest mobile technologies, products and services; a regulatory and public policy program; partner events; free seminars and many other activities. Across these elements, Mobile World Congress Americas will emphasize core mobile technologies, consumer and industrial applications in the Internet of Things and the intersection of mobile with entertainment, content and media. It is expected that the inaugural Mobile World Congress Americas will attract 30,000 attendees and 1,000 exhibitors.

The main Mobile World Congress trade show will continue to be held in Barcelona, Spain, with the 2017 edition to be held from Feb. 27 to March 2.

Reach for the sky this Wallpaper Wednesday

Don’t let your home screen fall into a rut — switch out your wallpaper!

You don’t have to pull out a complex new theme like Spider-Man to bring a breath of fresh air to your home screen. A new wallpaper can do wonders, and launchers like Action Launcher can re-theme your entire home screen around a good wallpaper. In our effort to help brighten your device — and maybe your day — we’re compiling some wallpapers for you to try out.

If you’ve got a wallpaper you use everywhere, share it in the comments below! We’re always looking for something new. Now get your wallpaper picker ready and see what’s in store this week.

Clouds Beyond Clouds II by FnKlinedinst

Who hasn’t dreamed of soaring over the clouds? Of leaving the world and all its cares behind and seeing what the sky had to offer? Well, most of us wouldn’t fly off for too long (phone batteries are still only lasting a few days at most), but when we look at this wallpaper, we can daydream about it for a moment before going back to our Twitter feeds.

Clouds Beyond Clouds II by FnKlinedinst

Lightning and Mammatus by Jannes Wessels

Thunderbolts and lightning, very very frightening me

I understand that there are a lot of folks out there who do not like thunderstorms. They think they’re too loud, too brash, and often too sudden if you live in an area like mine. I’m here to tell you these people are wrong, because thunderstorms are awesome. When you got booming thunder that just makes the whole room shake ever so slightly, and a nice deluge on a metal roof… Woo!!

Lightning and Mammatus by Jannes Wessels

Mammatus by Justin Terveen

Mammatus clouds may be my favorite kind of clouds. Sure, cirrus clouds are wispy like cotton candy, and cumulonimbus may harbor my lovely, lovely thunder, but mammatus are a fair sign that things are gonna get fun somewhere soon because they’re often associated with severe thunderstorms. Besides, mammatus is fun to say and even funner to see. (Shut up, it is too a word.)

Mammatus by Justin Terveen

Sunset by chiakiasuka09

Sunset drags us away from cool blues and hot yellows to a much more romantic palette of reds, pinks, and purples. This far-flung sunset from the Phillipines screams out for a romantic walk with your special someone… or at the very least a nice long walk blasting ‘Can You Feel The Love Tonight’.

Sunset by chiakiasuka09

Sunset by VHHTML

Who said the sky always had to be bright a cheery? This is a sunset that an AMOLED user can love, with deep, dark colors as the sun leaves the sky behind for another night on the other side of the planet.

Sunset by VHHTML

How to save money on roaming fees outside the UK

Using your phone abroad can be expensive — but with a little planning, it’s easy to save a lot of money.

If you’re unprepared, using your phone overseas can add hundreds of pounds to the cost of a trip abroad, in the form of an enormous roaming bill when you return home. Fortunately, international roaming is more affordable than ever. Depending on your network and circumstances, it’s easy to keep costs to a minimum. And even if your phone is locked to a network with unfriendly roaming rates, you’ve still got plenty of options.

Let’s dive in.

Check roaming bundles before you travel

Roaming fees can vary wildly depending on which network you’re on and where you’re going. It can make the difference between being able to use your phone freely as if you were at home, or any data use being prohibitively expensive.

• Roaming on EE (including Orange + T-Mobile)
• Roaming on Vodafone
• Roaming on O2
• Roaming on Three

A few things worth noting:

• Vodafone contract customers will want to check if they’re enrolled in EuroTraveller or WorldTraveller. The former lets you use your UK allowance — including tethering and 4G where available — for £3 per day in certain European countries. The latter lets you do the same in certain countries outside of Europe, for £5 per day. Both could save you a lot of money if you’re a heavy data user.
• Three customers should check if their destination is part of the network’s “Feel at Home” area, which allows customers to use their UK allowances in certain territories at no additional cost — with a few strings attached.
• If you’re an EE grandfathered into the carrier’s “special rate” for roaming, you may get a better deal than the rates displayed on EE’s roaming site. Double-check with the network to make sure.

Disable roaming data entirely and use Wi-Fi

This is the sledgehammer option — completely kill data roaming and only connect to Wi-Fi hotspots while you travel. Settings can vary from phone to phone, but you can normally find the Data Roaming toggle under Settings > Mobile Networks.

There are a few obvious places where you might find free Wi-Fi — hotels, coffee shops, airports, train stations and the like. But if you want to take the uncertainty out of finding Wi-Fi hotspots, you might want to download OpenSignal’s WifiMapper app, which tracks more than 3 million free Wi-Fi hotspots around the world.

Disable background data

Switching off background data will stop apps using cellular data when they’re not open. Go to Settings > Data Usage and hit the menu button (three dots), then select “Restrict background data.” (On Samsung phones, simply find the “Background data” option on the Data Usage page.)

You can then use the Data Usage page to keep track of exactly how much you’ve used while you’re away.

Unlocked phone? Use a local SIM card

If your phone isn’t locked to your network, you can simply pick up a local SIM card from a carrier in your destination country after you arrive. These are often available from airports or convenience stores — and, naturally, from local carrier stores. While this can be a great option if you want to save money on mobile data, bear in mind that you might not be able to make international calls back to the UK from a pre-paid local SIM.

Services like HolidayPhone let you order a prepaid SIM for your destination country before you travel, taking some of the uncertainty out of tracking down a local SIM while abroad. You’ll usually pay a little more for a service like this, however.

SIM-locked phone? See about unlocking

Even if your phone is locked, you could still save money by getting an unlock code before you travel. In many cases, even with the upfront cost of unlocking your phone, you could save money in the long run by using a local SIM abroad.

• All phones sold on Three from the start of 2014 are SIM-unlocked. For older devices, you can use this form.
• O2 will normally unlock contract customers’ phones for free, with a few exceptions. For PAYG customers there’s a £15 charge.
• EE will unlock devices if you’ve had your contract for six months or more, or immediately if you’re on PAYG. Unlocking costs £8.99.
• Vodafone will unlock phones for free if you’ve been on contract for 12 months or more. If you’ve had your contract for less than 12 months, or you’re on PAYG, it costs £19.99.

How do you manage roaming costs while abroad? Share your tips and tricks down in the comments!

Ally Bank debit cards now work with Android Pay and Samsung Pay

If you’re an Ally Bank customer, you can now use your cards with Android Pay and Samsung Pay. Ally added support for both mobile payments platforms, noting that all debit card customers should now be able to add their cards to either platform.

From Ally:

Ally Bank, the direct banking subsidiary of Ally Financial Inc. (NYSE: ALLY), today announced it has enabled Android Pay™ and Samsung Pay® support for its debit card customers, providing fast and secure ways to make purchases with compatible Android™ and Samsung devices.

If you’re an Ally Bank customer, let us know how your experience goes with adding your card to the mobile payment platforms. And for the full list of supported banks, be sure to check out the Android Pay and Samsung Pay websites for more.

Wherein we welcome Mr. Mobile the only way we know how

So we hired Michael Fisher. Maybe you’ve heard of him. And while hiring is probably the hardest part of running any sort of organization, I can honestly say that without question he’s is one of those people I’d sign on without any sort of hesitation. Do it. And so we did.

Turns out, though, that we had something different in mind for our special snowflake. Something that plays not just to Mr. Fisher’s strengths, but ticks off some of the boxes that we’re still working to fill. It’s exciting as hell.

And dude’s gonna do it everywhere. Hit up all these links ASAP.

• YouTube
• Le web
• Twitter
• Facebook
• Snapchat
• Instagram

So welcome, Mr. Mobile. While he’s not directly working on Android Central, or iMore, or Windows Central, or any of our other sites, our paths most certainly will cross on occasion. Let’s just hope he forgets about that little water joke.

Dropbox is adding several new and improved productivity tools

The cloud file storage service Dropbox announced a large number of new and upcoming productivity features, including creating Microsoft Office documents on mobile devices, a document scanner and more.

The company offered up some details on these new features in a blog post:

• Scan documents in Dropbox: With document scanning, you can now use the Dropbox mobile app to capture and organize scans from whiteboards, receipts, and sketches, so your ideas are right at your fingertips. Dropbox Business users can even search inside the scans.
• Create Microsoft Office docs on mobile: If your idea is better suited to an Office doc than a napkin, you can click the new plus button to create Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel files instantly from your mobile device. They’ll be saved to your Dropbox automatically. “The new plus button in the Dropbox iOS app adds a convenient way to create and save Office documents on the go, helping people work better together, wherever they are,” said Rob Howard, Director of Office Marketing at Microsoft.
• Manage photos from your computer: For Dropbox Basic users who are using their phones to capture memories alongside ideas, we’re also changing the way camera uploads works. You’ll need to connect a computer to your Dropbox account so you can better access, organize, or remove your photos and avoid running out of space.
• Share files and folders from the desktop: We’re cutting steps from sharing and saving you time with our desktop sharing experience. Now when you right-click on a file or folder in your Mac Finder or Windows Explorer, you can share right from the desktop, without redirecting to the web, or copying a link to email.
• Add comments to a specific part of a file: It can be hard to make sense of all the feedback you get within emails, chat, and text. So we’re introducing a feature that’s usually only found in design software: adding comments to a specific part of a file. Give precise feedback by highlighting a piece of text or an image anywhere within a file preview.
• Preview earlier versions: Version history is an easy way to recover old files if accidents happen, or if you just want to revisit an idea. Now you can also preview prior file versions before you restore them, so you know you’ve got the right version.
• Share with more control: Sometimes you just need to work with a select group of collaborators. Our simple, yet powerful new sharing features give you more control. Now you can share a single file with specific people, who will need to log in to see it. And with view-only access for shared folders, now available for all users, you can also let people follow along.

Dropbox adds that this is just the first step in improving its productivity features and “there’s lots more to come” in this area.

Google introduces Android Basics Nanodegree program for those with no experience

Following up on the previous Nanodegree program, Google has introduced an Android Basics Nanodegree program aimed to help complete beginners. There is no experience required for this, and the program will open this fall to all Udacity students. Google will also be offering a chance to win a scholarship for the Career-track Android Nanodegree.

From Google’s announcement:

Upon completing the Android Basics Nanodegree, you also have the opportunity to continue your learning with the Career-track Android Nanodegree (for intermediate developers). The first 50 participants to finish the Android Basics Nanodegree have a chance to win a scholarship for the Career-track Android Nanodegree. You now have a complete learning path to help you become a technology entrepreneur or most importantly, build very cool Android apps, for yourself, your communities, and even the world.

It is great to see Google continuing to help people get started with developing apps and more. Would a program like this interest you? Let us know what you think in the comments.

theScore esports now keeps you up to date with competitive Call of Duty, Starcraft and more

Fans of competitive Call of Duty and Starcraft II will want to check out the latest update to theScore esports. The app now tracks matches from those franchises, along with Blizzard’s Hearthstone digital card game. The app also features a new “spoiler mode” to hides match results and alerts until you’re ready to see them.

Here’s what’s new in theScore esports:

• Call of Duty, Starcraft II, and Hearthstone now have results from the biggest and best competitions!
• Use the new spoiler mode to hide results and push alerts until you’re ready to see them!
• Fixed a bug where hitting “back” after opening the app via an alert closed the app
• Fixed a bug where Twitch links were not opening in the Twitch app
• Design tweaks and performance enhancements.

You can find theScore esports 2.2 on the Google Play Store now.