How does Android get its location when your not enabled GPS?

Andy From Sligo

Hi there im getting weird Location suggestions lately for my weather widget on main screen and twitter location - it seems to think im in Russia for some weird reason! - im not using GPS, its hooked up by wireless to home broadband by Vodafone at home broadband (ADSL) through the router and the cellular signal which is Meteor - am I getting the false location from vodafone broadband or meteor 2g? - I know I can disable 'use location' in the weather widget and search for my own location and can turn off the location in Twitter and facebook but i am just miffed why the apps think im located/living in Russia!

bugfreebob

Andy From Sligo wrote: »

Hi there im getting weird Location suggestions lately for my weather widget on main screen and twitter location - it seems to think im in Russia for some weird reason! - im not using GPS, its hooked up by wireless to home broadband by Vodafone at home broadband (ADSL) through the router and the cellular signal which is Meteor - am I getting the false location from vodafone broadband or meteor 2g? - I know I can disable 'use location' in the weather widget and search for my own location and can turn off the location in Twitter and facebook but i am just miffed why the apps think im located/living in Russia!

I'll bet that Android has a pretty good idea of where you are from the Mobile and WiFi addresses. It's probably just a bug in the handling of addresses in the weather app.

Have a look at your location in Google Maps - this will prove if Android really thinks you are in Russia.

Andy From Sligo

so ive just downloaded the speedtest.net android app to me phone and done the test and it chose Kharkiv as its server.... thats in Ukraine! - most strange! - im in Sligo Ireland lol

god's toy

Are you using any kind of proxy server, say for Netflix or anything? I find when I logged on the the net from work its all passed into south america!

Andy From Sligo

bugfreebob wrote: »

I'll bet that Android has a pretty good idea of where you are from the Mobile and WiFi addresses. It's probably just a bug in the handling of addresses in the weather app.

Have a look at your location in Google Maps - this will prove if Android really thinks you are in Russia.

have just download google maps and its pinpointed where I am fine using 2G signal and wifi from router - so I dont really know whats going on really.

Andy From Sligo

now ive just done a speedtest.net on my computer and even though im in sligo it chose my nearest server as Carlow - I wonder why. theres no proxy on my computer - shall have to look up how to check proxy settings on an android phone because im not sure how you get to proxy settings on the android.

irishgeo

do you have a vpn enabled?

could be a virus, you install any apps from anywhere other than the playstore?

Andy From Sligo

irishgeo wrote: »

do you have a vpn enabled?

could be a virus, you install any apps from anywhere other than the playstore?

no vpn set - im just downloading AVG Antivirus from the play store now and i will run that and see what happens

Andy From Sligo

well AVG threw up 3 threats . 1 was that the phone is rooted and I knew that because I rooted the phone when I got it 2 was that the USB debugging was enabled and thats ok because my pc suite needs usb debugging to be enabled and lastly 3 is that 'install software from an untrusted source' and i knew that. but no actual virus's found. - It must be getting its false location from either 2g or wi-fi broadband for some reason - but as soon as i can pinpoint whther its wifi broadband (vodafone at home) or 2g (Meteor) then I can contact the relevant one and ask them what the problem is saying that my phone is in Ukraine!

bugfreebob

Andy From Sligo wrote: »

well AVG threw up 3 threats . 1 was that the phone is rooted and I knew that because I rooted the phone when I got it 2 was that the USB debugging was enabled and thats ok because my pc suite needs usb debugging to be enabled and lastly 3 is that 'install software from an untrusted source' and i knew that. but no actual virus's found. - It must be getting its false location from either 2g or wi-fi broadband for some reason - but as soon as i can pinpoint whther its wifi broadband (vodafone at home) or 2g (Meteor) then I can contact the relevant one and ask them what the problem is saying that my phone is in Ukraine!

...but you tested it with Google Maps and it got your location ok. This proves it is not a network or an Android issue. It is more likely related to specific apps. I have seen one of the Weather apps getting the location wrong occasionally. I think it was "The Weather channel", and occasionally it showed me as being in England when I was here!

Andy From Sligo

bugfreebob wrote: »

...but you tested it with Google Maps and it got your location ok. This proves it is not a network or an Android issue. It is more likely related to specific apps. I have seen one of the Weather apps getting the location wrong occasionally. I think it was "The Weather channel", and occasionally it showed me as being in England when I was here!

yeah most strange i cant make that out either. I have alerts pro weather warning app and if i put 'my location' in that it says Kharkiv - then Ive also got transparent weather app and the built in weather widget app says im in Kharkiv also when i press find current location but yes google maps says my location correct - i really dont know where or why some of these apps are saying im in Kharkiv!

Maximus Alexander

If your GPS is not enabled android can derive an approximate location through Wi-Fi, if connected, or through the cell network if not.

Occasionally when using cell towers to derive location you can get bizarre results because, as I understand it, the cell tower IDs can be reused or moved between different providers in different physical locations, and your location provider (Google, for example) may not be immediately aware of this change.

I have had the cell towers tell me I was in Sri Lanka before. I was in Dublin. Possibly because Vodafone and Hutchinson (who own 3) operate there and were up to something.

threein99

Are you sure you're not in Russia ?

sentient_6

In mother Russia phone coordinate you!

Riesen_Meal

If its a Chinese android chances are the GPS is using the MTK processor which is fact a pile of ****e, my birds old one used to tell her we were at sea between Ireland and England, we live in Co Dublin.....

Andy From Sligo

threein99 wrote: »

Are you sure you're not in Russia ?

yep im sure - although Sligo can feel as cold as Russia sometimes

Andy From Sligo

Fieldog wrote: »

If its a Chinese android chances are the GPS is using the MTK processor which is fact a pile of ****e, my birds old one used to tell her we were at sea between Ireland and England, we live in Co Dublin.....

yes but you see its a samsung Galaxy and they dont use the MTK GPS. ... and in any case I am not using GPS when its getting the wrong location because its indoors and i cannot get a GPS signal indoors normally.