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Consumer Products => Avast Mobile Apps => Avast Anti-Theft for Android => Topic started by: htim1 on October 15, 2012, 05:20:48 AM

Title: GPS feature
Post by: htim1 on October 15, 2012, 05:20:48 AM

Hi, I've installed Avast recently and I'm confused with the GPS location feature. It says on the menu that you need to root the phone to use this feature, but I don't want to root the phone. Is there another way of using the GPS feature without rooting the phone? I want to be able to go online and detect where my phone is on the map.

I am on Jelly Bean, Samsung Galaxy S3 4G.

Thanks,

Title: Re: GPS feature
Post by: reinhardholzner on October 15, 2012, 01:45:39 PM

where did you read that? GPS does work also on non-rooted phones of course, just ENABLING IT AUTOMATICALLY if it is turned off only works on rooted installations.

Title: Re: GPS feature
Post by: cookies0759 on May 05, 2013, 02:12:21 PM

Hi,  Apologies if this is answered elsewhere but I can't seem to find it.  I have a non-rooted phone (Nexus S) so can't have gps auto switching on.  I've tried Locate on the website with gps off, and get no response.  As soon as I switch gps on manually on the phone I get an accurate location on the web within minutes.  So how can I turn gps on manually on the web or by sms?

Thanks

Title: Re: GPS feature
Post by: Tobias56 on May 15, 2013, 07:11:53 PM

If I remember, you can't unless your phone is rooted or runs an old version of android.

Title: Re: GPS feature
Post by: reinhardholzner on May 15, 2013, 07:29:32 PM

you'll just have to try if it is possible to enable the setting in Anti-Theft. It will block if its NOT possible,and will work if its possible.

Title: Re: GPS feature
Post by: cookies0759 on May 22, 2013, 11:47:45 PM

Thanks for your replies - it seems gps can't be switched remotely on a non-rooted phone.  I imagine Google's logic relates to privacy issues, but it could be a bit of a handicap if the phone is stolen...  As a matter of interest, I think the coordinates I obtained were actually through the mobile network, and it was just coincidence I received these after (manually) switching gps on.  So at least triangulation over the network still works, when there are enough telephone masts near the phone to do that.