Does sharing your location use a lot of battery?

The GPS itself is relatively cheap. What costs battery is the combination of a screen that is constantly on a map, a radio uploading positions, and background permission that keeps it all running. Background "Always" access is usually the biggest single factor.

Why does my phone die faster at festivals and concerts?

Because a congested network makes your phone transmit at full power and retry constantly. A phone struggling to reach an overloaded tower drains far faster than one sitting on a good connection, which is why crowded events flatten batteries so quickly.

What is the best battery setting for location sharing?

Set the app's location permission to "While using the app" rather than "Always" unless you need background sharing, and keep the map screen closed. Both cut the cost substantially without stopping the app working when you open it.

Does location sharing drain your battery? What actually helps

Location sharing has a reputation for eating batteries. It is partly deserved and often misattributed - the GPS chip is rarely the main culprit.

Here is what actually costs you power, in order.

What really drains the battery

1. A congested network. This is the biggest and least known factor. When a tower is overloaded - a festival, a stadium, New Year - your phone boosts its transmit power and retries constantly. A phone fighting for signal can drain several times faster than one on a clean connection. It is why your battery collapses at events even when you barely touch the phone.

2. The screen. Looking at a map is expensive because a bright screen showing constantly-updating graphics is one of the most power-hungry things a phone does. Checking a map every thirty seconds for three hours costs far more than the sharing itself.

3. Background “Always” permission. An app permitted to track in the background keeps waking the device. This is the one setting that separates a heavy app from a light one.

4. GPS itself. Real, but modest, and modern phones are efficient at it - especially when an app only requests a position after you have actually moved rather than continuously.

5. Cold weather. Not sharing-related, but it makes everything worse and catches people out at winter events. A phone at 40% in the cold can die abruptly.

What actually helps

Set location permission to “While using the app” for anything that does not need background access. On iPhone: Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services → the app. On Android: Settings → Location → App permissions.
Turn off Precise Location for apps that only need a rough area. It is a per-app setting on both platforms.
Close the map. Check it, then lock the phone. This single habit is worth more than any setting.
Turn on Low Power Mode or Battery Saver early, not at 10%. Starting at 60% extends the day meaningfully.
Carry a power bank for any full-day event. There is no software fix for twelve hours at a festival.
Do not leave apps sharing after the event. A forgotten always-on arrangement costs battery every day, indefinitely, for no benefit.

The design difference between apps

Apps vary a lot, and the differences are worth knowing:

Continuous vs distance-filtered updates. An app that transmits only after you have moved a meaningful distance uses far less power than one broadcasting on a timer while you sit still.
Permanent vs session-based. An always-on app runs every day forever. A session that expires costs you for two hours and then stops completely - which, over a month, is not a close comparison.
Foreground service behaviour on Android. Sharing while the app is minimised requires a foreground service. That is normal and necessary, but it is also the thing running in the background.

Where Nearby fits

We build Nearby, so check this rather than trusting it.

Two relevant design choices: it sends a position only after you have actually moved rather than on a constant timer, and a meetup expires, so there is no ongoing background cost once your day is finished. There is nothing left running next week.

What it does do, honestly, is keep sharing while the app is in the background during a meetup - that is a foreground service and it is what makes the map useful when your phone is in your pocket. During a two-hour meetup that is a reasonable trade; it is a very different proposition from an app doing it every day for a year.

The crowded-venue problem is the real battery villain though, and no app can fix it - see why the signal dies in a crowd.

The checklist

“While using the app” unless you need background.
Turn off Precise Location where a rough area will do.
Check the map, then lock the phone.
Battery Saver on at 60%, not 10%.
Power bank for any full day out.
Turn off anything still sharing from last month.

Nearby is free on Google Play, and a meetup ends by itself rather than running forever.