WhatsApp’s live location sharing feature allows users to share their real-time location with contacts. This can be useful for meeting up or letting loved ones know you’re safe, but some users worry it drains their phone’s battery quickly. In this article, we’ll look at how the live location feature works and whether it noticeably impacts battery life.
How WhatsApp’s live location sharing works
When you opt to share your live location in WhatsApp, it uses your phone’s GPS and data connection to track your location and send it to your selected contacts. Here are some key points about how it works:
- You can choose to share your location for 15 minutes, 1 hour or 8 hours
- The location updates are sent in real-time, so your contacts can track your movement
- It uses GPS to pinpoint your coordinates and data connection to transmit
- Your phone screen does not need to be on for it to work
- You can stop sharing the live location at any time
So in summary, it relies on both GPS and an active data connection to operate. This enables accurate real-time tracking, but has implications for battery usage.
Factors that affect battery drain
There are a few main factors that influence how much battery power the live location feature uses:
Length of sharing session
The longer you share your live location, the more battery will be used. A 15 minute session uses less power than an 8 hour session. This is because it is actively tracking and transmitting your GPS coordinates over that whole timeframe.
Signal strength
A weak cell signal means your phone has to work harder to transmit data, using more battery power. If you are in an area with poor signal during a live location session, it will likely have greater battery drain. Good signal strength leads to lower battery usage.
Background usage
Having other apps running activities like downloading or streaming media in the background during a live location session will also use more juice from your battery overall. So the live location feature itself may use a consistent amount of power, but total battery drain will be greater with background processes occurring too.
Phone model and battery health
Newer phone models with improved power efficiency tend to have lower battery drain across the board, including when using live location in WhatsApp. Additionally, batteries degrade over time, so an older phone with worn battery may see greater power usage from the same activity.
Screen on vs off
You can share your live location while your phone’s screen is off and locked. This uses less power than having the screen active during the session. However, it’s important to note the live location sharing still functions normally even when the screen is off. The GPS and data transmission carries on, so battery is still being used in the background.
Tests and examples of battery drain
To demonstrate the battery usage in real-world usage, some tests have been conducted using WhatsApp’s live location on different phone models. Here are some examples:
OnePlus 7 Pro
- Newer flagship phone with 4000 mAh battery
- Shared live location for 1 hour with screen off
- Battery drained from 100% to 92%
- Relatively low 8% battery usage over 1 hour
iPhone X
- Flagship 2017 model with 2716 mAh battery
- Shared live location for 15 minutes with screen on
- Battery drained from 54% to 50%
- Moderate 4% drain over just 15 minutes
Samsung Galaxy S7
- 2016 flagship with 3000 mAh battery
- Shared live location for 1 hour with screen off
- Battery drained from 80% to 62%
- Significant 18% drain, likely due to older hardware
These examples demonstrate that battery drain can vary substantially based on phone model and usage conditions. Newer phones with improved efficiency see the least impact.
Estimating battery drain
Based on reviews of WhatsApp’s battery usage in Android settings and tests, some approximate estimates can be made for how much battery life the live location feature uses:
- 15 minutes sharing: 1-5% battery
- 1 hour sharing: 5-15% battery
- 8 hours sharing: 15-40% battery
Of course, this can vary depending on the factors discussed earlier. But in general most phones should fall within these battery usage ranges for the different live location durations.
Tips to minimize battery drain
If you want to use WhatsApp’s live location feature but are concerned about battery drain, here are some tips to minimize the impact:
- Use for shorter durations when possible (15 mins instead of 1 hour)
- Share when you have good signal strength
- Close background apps to reduce other activity
- Turn your screen off while sharing
- Use a newer phone model if possible
- Make sure your battery is healthy overall
Following these best practices will help reduce the battery impact. Also be sure to charge your phone before starting a sharing session, especially longer ones.
Comparisons to other live location apps
WhatsApp is not the only messaging app with live location sharing. How does its impact compare to alternatives?
WhatsApp vs Google Maps
Google Maps also has a location sharing feature. In testing, battery drainage appears fairly similar to WhatsApp’s implementation. Both apps have to actively track and transmit GPS data in real-time, so comparable battery usage is expected.
WhatsApp vs Snapchat
Snapchat’s location sharing uses less battery than WhatsApp’s live location feature. This is because Snapchat only shares your location sporadically, not continuously in real-time. It just provides occasional snapshots of location rather than a constant live feed.
WhatsApp vs Facebook Messenger
Facebook Messenger has similar battery drain to WhatsApp when using location sharing. They are both apps from Facebook, using comparable technology for real-time location tracking and transmission between parties. Overall battery usage depends on sharing duration but is generally similar.
Conclusion
In summary, while WhatsApp’s live location sharing capability does use battery life due to the constant GPS and data usage, it’s not excessive for short sharing sessions. Factors like duration, signal strength, phone model and usage conditions have the biggest impact on battery drain. For longer sessions, it can use significant battery, so it’s best used sparingly or when you can charge your phone. Following some best practices around minimizing background activity can help reduce the battery impact as well. Overall, WhatsApp’s live location feature is comparable to other options like Google Maps and Facebook Messenger in terms of battery usage.