Please, can you explain in some basic use case scenario, why would I ever need location service ( other than gps)? Normally I know my location but if I need navigarion there is gps. Why would privacy aware person ever need network location services? This “privacy” assumes that it does not want other to track his location. Thx!
The Location function is actually a source of confusion for me. I mean for navigation GPS is the most accurate. You don’t need anything else. Navigation does not work with Location off so I assume that shuts off GPS hardware, but I don’t know for sure.
Then there’s additional location services, especially with stock Android. Given the option I set those to off because I don’t see how they’re going to provide location data any better than GPS.
It’s confusing to me why additional location mechanisms are there to begin with other than to spy on me. Is it to supplement location data when GPS can’t communicate? There’s no indication of that.
Having used lots of GPS devices in my time I can say loss of GPS comms is a rare occurrence. I mean it can happen under certain conditions, but then you’d lose all other comms too.
@xlionjuan, this is actually wanted behavior from point of privacy. If I want others to track me I would use google services.
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Mostly when devices are in indoor or places that GPS signal isn’t too strong, you can get approximately location when needed, please note that GPS cold start can take at least 30 seconds to fixed the location, it will be longer or never if the GPS signal is week or indoor, I think no one want to wait 30 seconds or even not able to get approximately location when setup the navigation program
The second is for devices that don’t have GPS chip, like tablets and laptops, you need approximately location to get some basic functions done, like auto timezone, auto night light setting, or you want to check maps when using laptops.
It is very easy to get into the situations that you can’t get fixed GPS location.
I find the opposite. GPS for me is very unreliable. Especially walking in dense urban areas with many towers, such as the centers of London, Birmingham and Manchester.
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Your reasoning is perfectly fine for person which uses google certified rom but not e/os/.
When I am in building i know exactly where am I.
I need navigation in car or sometimes while walking. Gps is perfectly capable for that without any network location. So your reasoning is to use e /os/ which have limitations due google forcing certified roms, so some conveniences you need to sacrify for privacy as some app will not work. But you will use network location service due to time zone not set automatically or similar stuff??? and of course loose privacy as any organizaion knows where you are and indirectly who you are. As said network location services is for others to know your location and more info indirectly. Why do you use e /os/ , assuming you do?
Is that so?
You are in a huge building for the first time (think a really big mall or an administration complex difficult
to manoeuver through), and you might want to orientate yourself for whatever reason, perhaps to get to an exit located nearest to where you want to go next, or perhaps just to feel a bit more comfortable in this moment.
Of course you can be stubborn about this, we’ll see how far this advances the cause.
Unless it is disrupted.
Consider yourself blessed if you don’t have to think about this.
/e/OS will continue to be a compromise giving users options other users would consider bad to have, in more regards than one 
.
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You’re ignoring lots of users that they don’t have stable GPS signals or indoor users.
Obviously yes that most people know where they are, but it is very annoying when you need to “find or search” your location when checking maps.
Again, checking maps for navigation plan indoor is very common before you leave the building.
You’re still ignoring the devices that don’t have GPS chips, or laptops(which isn’t related to /e/ OS).
This is OPTIONAL feature, and it ABSOLUTELY needs by lots of people for 100%, you can just not using it, instead of criticizing people that don’t agree your values.
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If you have concerns and have constructive suggestions about BeaconDB, feel free to create an issues.
You have completely missed the point. Technically usage of network location service makes using e /os/ almost pointless. If you or someone need this feature, as you claim, why don’t you/ he/she switch to officaly google certifed rom? Why using e/os/? with all limitations it have if main purpose privacy is lost?
Again, you don’t need doesn’t mean other people don’t need it, if you just don’t like this kind of services, JUST DON’T USE IT, no body forcing you using it, and STOP forcing your values on others, if you have any concerns about BeaconDB, please create an issues.
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This is why we have BeaconDB.
I think you’ve severly misunderstood the goal of /e/ os and would be better served by one of the other Android image alternatives which are hyperfocused on security. Rather than one that gives a nuanced compromise between privacy, ease-of-use and utility.
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I think you are mixing privacy and security. e os is not secure at all neither have goal to be secure, neither I state anything about security. But it has goal to be private. It compromises privacy to get basic usability as google is forcing their services. Still beside some weakness, It enhanced privacy enough that some people found ratio between limitations vs privacy good enough to use it.
Network location services makes e os pointless.
You can install google services also but make no sense if you do.
Not only that your location is known via NLS but indirectly your identity as well. Location + fingerprinting makes you identified known fast. I wonder where where e os is going? First they silently introduced MDM which has full control over your phone like google services ? Code is not open source! Also claiming it is optional but likely can be activated remotely. And people , including me, found this feature active in some extent. Of course easiest is to claim it is bug. The same did google when i found them controling my phone remotly. They can not claim bug if feature does not exist at all. You can not claim bug which need thousands line of code to make it.
And now we are talking about network location services instead feature going toward fingerprinting resistance is OS level what would be natural feature for privacy rom.
I wonder what is happening with e os ?
Are they pressed by goverments so server failure was just to show murena what will happen if they not comply? Anyhow I still waiting them to publish mdm code. They might remove it but they must show mdm code to gain trustback. NLS is not going to enhanced trust either but the opposite.
The location services that is being talked about in this thread isn’t anything to do with Google though.
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Any network service is going to have potential for security or privacy concerns. The difference is the services utilized by /e/os are vetted. It’s the services provided by Google that are a problem and avoiding those is the primary objective.
Google is so bad about privacy that any service you use that’s not Google is likely going to have better privacy, especially if it’s open source.
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Yes, and I as said earlier, beacondb data is public domain, allowing for people to self host, or even set up a local-only offline service, should anyone want to. (Once they make the data set available)
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You could just install LineageOS and change NTP server and captive portal URL to something else, and don’t install MicroG, no more Google, WiFi geolocation, MDM etc…