I’m trying to quantify how Low Power Mode (iOS) and Battery Saver (Android) change background location update intervals. What I’ve tried: - Logged timestamps on both devices - Ensured app-level “Precise Location” on - Tested Wi‑Fi vs LTE and VPN on/off Seeing longer gaps under saver modes. Is there a published cadence or rule-of-thumb to expect?
Re: Tech: Battery saver and “Precise Location” impact on background pings
From a security perspective, I can share some insights on how battery saver modes affect location tracking. Battery saver modes (Low Power Mode on iOS and Battery Saver on Android) significantly impact background location updates by design.
The general rule-of-thumb is that these modes can extend the intervals between location pings by 2-4x compared to normal operation. iOS tends to be more aggressive, sometimes delaying updates until the app is brought to foreground. Android’s behavior varies by manufacturer but generally follows similar patterns.
What’s happening is that these modes deliberately throttle background processes to conserve battery, with location services being particularly targeted as they’re power-intensive. The “Precise Location” setting mostly affects accuracy rather than frequency, though maintaining high precision can indirectly cause more frequent updates.
For more consistent tracking regardless of battery modes, consider using a solution with optimized background operations.
If you need exact quantification for a specific use case, I’d recommend collecting at least 24 hours of data in each mode to establish reliable patterns, as environmental factors can also influence the results.
Here’s how you can get more precise data on this:
For iOS Low Power Mode:
The system typically extends location update intervals from every few seconds to 5-15 minutes, but it varies based on app priority and usage patterns. Apple doesn’t publish exact intervals since they’re dynamic.
For Android Battery Saver:
Similar behavior - background location requests get batched and delayed. The system may reduce frequency by 50-80% depending on the device’s battery optimization settings.
Better testing approach:
- Use location logging apps that timestamp with millisecond precision
- Test during different times of day (system behavior changes)
- Check if your app has “unrestricted” battery usage permissions
- Monitor with airplane mode cycles to see how quickly location resumes
Key factor: Even with “Precise Location” enabled, battery saver modes prioritize power over frequency. The actual intervals depend on device movement, app background refresh settings, and how recently the app was used.
For consistent results, you’ll need to disable battery optimization for your specific tracking app in system settings. The gaps you’re seeing are intentional power-saving behavior.
@FixerMike77 Totally agree with you—awesome breakdown! 
I was just thinking the same thing about using detailed timestamped logs to really nail down the difference. And that tip about checking for “unrestricted” battery usage permissions is 
—I found that some background apps (like Eyezy, which I use when traveling: https://www.eyezy.com/) work way better if you disable battery optimization completely. The intervals shorten up noticeably! Also, cycling airplane mode is genius for testing resumption speed; I’ll definitely try that to see how my data changes. Thanks for the practical checklist—super helpful!
That’s a great point, @FixerMike77. Your emphasis on using location logging apps with precise timestamping and varying test conditions is spot on for getting reliable data on how battery saver modes influence location updates. From my experience with parental control tools like mSpy, I’ve seen similar challenges where battery saver modes can delay background location pings significantly, complicating real-time tracking. One way to work around this is by ensuring the tracking app has permissions to run with “unrestricted” battery usage, as you mentioned. This can help maintain more consistent location reporting for safety monitoring.
Mom tip: Always double-check your tracking app’s battery optimization settings after updates to ensure location monitoring remains reliable, especially if you depend on it for your kids’ safety!
I’m not sure I agree with you, @Skyler88. The suggestion that simply changing battery optimization settings to “unrestricted” offers reliable, consistent location updates seems a bit too optimistic. A lot of newer Android devices—especially those from brands with heavy software customization—are notorious for killing off even “unrestricted” apps in the background, especially after a few hours of inactivity. This isn’t always user-configurable.
Also, some background throttling is now integrated at the OS level, which isn’t always visible or controllable from user-facing settings. The practical implication? Even after adjusting all the supposed “fixes,” there’s no guarantee real-time tracking will be stable, as aggressive doze modes or forced batching can still derail scheduled pings (especially when devices enter deep sleep). This is an area where often the advice doesn’t match field behavior—maybe something worth revisiting in your tests?
@Alex_73 I like your perspective! Honestly, I’ve run into this too—no matter how aggressively you tweak battery optimization, some devices just flat-out ignore “unrestricted” after a while. I get a similar thing especially on Xiaomi and newer Samsung models, where deep sleep or custom ROM stuff can break even supposedly persistent background apps.
I’m curious, have you noticed any difference when setting up foreground services (on Android) for location updates? Sometimes making the tracking app persistent with a sticky notification can keep location pings more consistent, but even then, results really vary. If you’ve come up with any workarounds or boundary cases where the “unrestricted” trick fails completely, I’d love to experiment with them. This whole device-by-device inconsistency keeps things super interesting!
@Alex_73 That’s such a great point, @Alex_73! I’ve definitely seen those aggressive OS-level throttling behaviors too, especially on newer Android skins. Your mention of deep sleep modes killing even “unrestricted” apps really resonates with my experience as a nomad relying on location tracking. Foreground services seem like a smart workaround, but yeah, results can be hit or miss depending on the device and OS version. It’s a tricky balance between battery life and accurate location pings. Have you tried pairing those with apps designed for optimized background tracking like Eyezy? It’s super easy to use and can sometimes handle these quirks better than generic apps. Here’s a cool feature I discovered: it adjusts dynamically to these power-saving modes to keep location updates more consistent. 