Another question is, does it need to locate you as accurately as it does? The answer is, probably not. Limit the accuracy a little and benefit from extended battery life on your phone.

Your phone could be working hard to determine where in the world you are down to the nearest few meters, but is this just a waste of processing power and battery life? Most of the time, the answer is yes.

When you need accurate location

When you need to use the navigation facilities of Google Maps, Waze or some other route-planning app on your phone, and you need turn-by-turn directions to get somewhere, then the device needs to work out your current location to a high degree of accuracy. You could easily miss a turning when driving if it is not working out the precise location, for example.

When you are out running or cycling and using an app on the phone to map the route you take, measure the distance covered and record the time taken, you need it to be accurate. Sloppy mapping just won't do.

When you don't need accurate location

The rest of the time you have your phone in your pocket, which is probably the majority of the day, your phone does not need such accurate location information. Does it really need to know exactly where you are when you are sleeping in bed at night? When you are sitting at your desk at work all day, does the phone really need to know which desk you are sat at or is it sufficient to know which building you are in?

By reducing the accuracy of the location information you can reduce the workload on the phone and this extends the battery life. I will use a Samsung phone running Android 7 as an example, but other Android phones should be similar. Different versions of the OS have slightly different menus, but the location settings are usually easy to find.

Reduce location accuracy, extend battery life

Pull down from the top and tap the gear icon to open the Settings app or whatever the procedure is on your phone. Press Connections and then there is a Location switch. This is a master on/off switch that can be used to stop all methods of locating you, either for privacy or for saving battery life. Use it when the battery is low. You can see that I have it set to Battery saving.

Instead of pressing the switch, press Location to open the location settings. The master on/off switch is repeated and you can see a list of apps that have recently requested your location. What we are interested in is the Locating method and Improve accuracy.

Press Locating method and three options are provided. High accuracy should be used when you need maps navigation features or when using running, cycling and other apps. However, this uses the most battery life, so when not engaging in these activities it is best to select Battery saving for the locating method. It does what it says and saves battery power.

Your phone can still tell where you are well enough for most apps and services and you will still be able to tell roughly where you are and where the nearest pizza takeaway or coffee shop is located. Why waste battery power if you don't need to? It is hard enough to get through the day without recharging without wasting power.

Return to the previous screen and press Improve accuracy. Your location can be determined by looking at the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth networks around you. If you are at a cafe or hotel for example, or even just walking past, the phone can take a quick look at the Wi-Fi and use it to work out roughly where you are.

These two scanning options are independent of the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on/off switches. Even if Bluetooth and Wi-Fi is turned off, the phone will temporarily turn them on to check for networks.

The advantage of turning on these two switches is that your location is determined more easily and accurately. The disadvantage is that turning on these networks, even if only for a short time, uses battery power. If you do not need to know exactly where you are, turn off the switches to extend battery life.

Don't forget to switch back to high accuracy when you need turn-by-turn navigation directions or when you are about to set off on a run.