Why can keeping GPS always on prove costly? Concern increased over controversial proposal

By Samira Vishwas On Dec 10, 2025

In the world of smartphones, GPS i.e. Global Positioning System has now become an essential part of everyday life. From getting directions to taxi booking, food delivery and location-based services, almost every digital convenience depends on GPS. But recently a new proposal has given rise to a debate whether it is safe to always keep GPS on in the smartphone? There are serious differences of opinion on this issue between experts and privacy advocates.

Under the new proposal, continuous GPS access is required for some services, which is expected to impact security and privacy. Technical experts believe that continuous activation of GPS not only affects the battery and health of the phone, but it can also put your personal information at risk.

1. Increasing threat of location tracking

The biggest disadvantage of keeping GPS on continuously in the phone is that your actual location gets tracked again and again. Many apps can collect your location history even without permission.
Cyber security experts warn that it could be used for advertising, user profiling and in some cases, even illegal activities.

Privacy advocates say that a citizen’s location information is extremely sensitive and its misuse can jeopardize security.

2. Battery consumption increases manifold

GPS is one of the most battery consuming features.
If it remains active continuously, the phone’s battery starts draining much earlier than the normal time.
Running GPS in the background increases the problem in phones with low battery, due to which the phone can heat up quickly and performance is also affected.

3. Effect of phone on health

Constantly using GPS puts additional strain on the processor.
Technical experts say that its activation for a long time can cause the phone to heat up.
This not only reduces the battery life but also gradually affects the overall performance of the phone.

4. Activity of unwanted apps may increase

Many apps make extensive use of GPS data in the background to conduct their activities.
Such apps also increase the data consumption of the phone and keep sending your location data to the server from time to time.
Because of this the possibility of privacy violation further increases.

5. Security Concerns—Increasing threat from location sharing

If GPS is always on, your phone may start sharing location across different platforms.
In many cases, criminals find out the daily routine and presence of a person through GPS tracking, which is considered extremely dangerous from security point of view.

Why is the new proposal in controversy?

Recently a suggestion has emerged to make continuous GPS access mandatory for some technical services.
Privacy experts and consumer groups say this could raise questions over citizens’ personal freedom and data security.
Many organizations have sought to modify this proposal so that users retain control over their location data.