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Comment on Google killed Maps Timeline, so I self-hosted a better one [OnTracks]

How exactly does it work from your phone’s perspective? Does it hook into Google Play Services location data? Do you need to install a different low-level application that replicates that functionality? (If so, what’s the battery life impact like?) Does it need a foregrounded app?

I’m really interested in this, because like the author I’m really upset at Google killing yet another incredibly useful feature. But the article is a little light on details.

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jlow@discuss.tchncs.de ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago
It (theoretically) works without PlayServices. I’m on CalyxOS with MicroG enabled and while I was testing OwnTracks I think MicroG was using the Gplay Location services or something? I’ve since turned something off in MicroG location settings that was phoning home to Google and GPS is pretty bad now, not sure if OwnTracks would still be usable.

I think the official app tries to not be killed by Android woth the usual tricks (permanent notification, disabling battery optimisation):

f-droid.org/packages/org.owntracks.android

You can (theoretically) control how often locations are tracked and sent but for me was using the location service constantly and draining battery quite a bit.

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- Zagorath@aussie.zone ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago
  
  the official app tries to not be killed by Android woth the usual tricks (permanent notification, disabling battery optimisation)
  
  …
  
  You can (theoretically) control how often locations are tracked and sent but for me was using the location service constantly and draining battery quite a bit.
  
  Ah. Those are exactly what I was worried about. It’s not able to just happen entirely in the background the same way Google’s feature does, then? Kind of automagically?
  
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  - jlow@discuss.tchncs.de ⁨14⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
    Mmmh, I don’t think the app ever got disabled by Android during my days of testing (I actually reinstalled yesterday and having a look again, battery drain seems a bit better now so far … ). But obviously a system service is always gonna be prioritised higher than a user app. But as I said I didn’t have this problem with this app (actually the only one I can think of is Syncthing and with that I’m not sure if it’s not the app going to a sleep mode or something by itself).
    
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scrubbles@poptalk.scrubbles.tech ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago
The article said there’s a phone companion app

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- Zagorath@aussie.zone ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago
  But not exactly how the app works. If it’s a Strava-like app you have to remember to run in the foreground, the value is a lot lower to me than something that either uses or replicates GPS’ automatic background behaviour.
  
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