Reduce location frequency because of privacy dots

[wary glen]

https://discord.com/channels/330944238910963714/1445892783805038753

Google recently added a blue location privacy dot to pixels in the latest update (march 2026), and it shows up like the mic/video ones do, whenever an app is 'using location' (whether it is in foreground, background, actually getting GPS data or just checking if it's on WiFi, it always shows, no matter if it's the AOD or a fullscreen app).

This is really annoying, and whilst I'll still get it from other apps every 5 minutes or so, home assistant seems to use it the most, often around every minute. Is there any way to reduce this frequency? I don't have the high accuracy setting on in the companion app, and the location update frequency should be about 5 minutes. Every time it shows, it's there for around 20 seconds or so. My theory is it's checking if I'm on my home network so it could connect over LAN instead of through my domain, which android then takes as a location check...

Any way to reduce this or do I just have to accept the impending blue burn-in in the top right of my screen, and the really annoying popup no matter what I'm doing every 30 seconds?

[brave tide]

personally speaking im shocked google added this apps like tasker even googles own apps are always at the top now. For the HA app it really depends on how many sensors you have enabled and yes the app does a lot of wifi checks around sensors but it also (and always for many years) requests fused location updates every 1-3 minutes. Changing that default will impact every users automations. Ideally google removes this as its not necessary. Its helpful to konw when active gps is on but so many apps get location updates, in fact the HA app itself gets passive location updates anytime another app gets location so that blue dot is a bit meaningless unfortunately. Also widgets have a check when the screen comes on so yea it will feel like its always on or never turning off. the phone has so many things going on at once.