General Questions

How can I donate to this project?

I am just one person contributing a lot of my free time to this project. With the termination of Google Latitude, I am no longer even an
active user! Donations, therefore, are greatly appreciated and can be made here through PayPal. There is also a menu item on the main
screen for Backitude, towards the bottom. Thanks in advance!

Can Backitude still be used to update my Google location for Google Latitude, Google+, Google
location history?
This application was originally designed to integrate with Google Latitude/Location history and send efficient and accurate location values
to Google. With the closing of the Latitude API in August of 2013, Backitude was forced to redefine its purpose. Backitude is said to still
improve Google location history by polling the device location at a set interval, which will be captured by the Google location systems also
running on the device.

What is the purpose of this application?

The purpose of this application is still to poll the device location. How, Why, and What it does with this location value is completely
configurable.

Where can the application store or send location data?

There are a number of options that can be configured in the settings.

Custom Server: create your own server back-end or send values to an existing server. A number of Backitude users have already
implemented their own implemenations. Go here for more information.
Local memory: location values can be automatically exported to device storage as KML or CSV files.
Friends: the SMS reply function can automatically send your location back to a friend via SMS when triggered
Local database: Offline storage allows you to store location values in an application database until a back-end is available to
export to.

What is KML?
KML (Keyhole Markup Language) is an XML notation for expressing geographic annotation and visualization within Internet-based, two-
dimensional maps and three-dimensional Earth browsers. Basically, it is XML representing your location values.

What do I do with these KML files?

Android apps such as Earth (by Google) and Maverick (by Code Sector) can open and display KML data. Google Earth is also available for
desktop PCs.

How and when are the KML files stored to device memory?
If KML export is enabled, Backitude will build the KML and store the location values in real-time as a (.current) file. KML will not open until
the tags are closed. The file will be date-specific and once a new day begins and a new file is created, the application will close the tags
from the previous day and re-name the file as (.kml). At this point, the (.kml) file can be opened and used in another third-party
application.
How do I create my own server back-end for Backitude, like a Latitude replacement?
A number of users have already created solutions of a server-side location storage system. Go here to browse their solutions or find out
more infomration.

What other systems are currently available to integrate with?

GPSies.com is able to receive Backitude locations by creating an account and configuring your custom server settings as outlined on their
website.

Configuring Backitude

What does "Variable" mean for the Minimum Change in Distance option?
Setting the option value to "Variable" means that the minimum required change in distance to accept a new location value will vary based
on the accuracy of the new locations. The minimum change in distance required equals twice the value of the accuracy of the new location.
This means that if your new location value has an accuracy of 4 meters, the minimum change in distance required is 8 meters. If you have
a temporary drop of GPS signal, or loss of GPS signal altogether, and your new current location value has an accuracy of 1000 meters, then
a change in distance in order to use this new location is 2000 meters. The option is designed for users who may be in and out of GPS
signal, and want to be more restrictive about uploading inaccurate values. When locations are based on triangulation and network
locations, values may "bounce" around a little even though your device is not moving. A minimum change in distance filter, especially a
"variable" one, helps to eliminate these (realistically, duplicate) values.

What does selecting Fire Update do?

By clicking the Fire Update option, the application will perform a one-time location poll according to the configuration settings and send
accordingly. It can be triggered while the timed service is enabled or while disabled. There is also a Fire widget to perform the same
operation.

What is the Location Polling Timeout setting?

When polling for a location, especially while using the GPS, the device is consuming battery power.  In the event that a GPS signal is not
easily acquired- ie, while indoors or amongst tall buildings or trees, the application has a timeout value to stop the location polling after
this amount of time has passed.   It basically prevents location polling from running indefinitely when a location value cannot be
obtained.  Finding a sufficiently accurate value will be based on Minimum Accuracy settings.  What the application does in the event an
accurate value cannot be found will be determined by a number of settings, Accuracy Filter and Timeout Fallback Options to name a few.

How do you define 'accurate location' in reference to the option for the Accuracy Filter
option?
An sufficiently accurate location is judged by the availability of the various location providers. If GPS is enabled, the application is striving
for a value that is as accurate as the Minimum GPS Accuracy requirement as configured in the options. If GPS is not enabled, the
application is striving for a location as accurate as the Wi-Fi Minimum Accuracy requirement.

What is the purpose of the Minimum Interval setting?

Minimum Interval can be used to bypass the Minimum Change in Distance restriction and repeat your last detected location at a secondary
interval regardless of change in distance.

What are "Steals" in reference to location updates?

The concept of "stealing" locations came about to more accurately and frequently store location history without the additional
consumption of battery power attributed to GPS polling. When another application (such as Google Navigation, Google Maps, or even a
web browser) is active and already polling your location, Backitude will "steal" this value and use it to add to your history. In the event a
qualifying value is acquired, Backitude also restarts your time interval and prevents the location detection service from having to waste
battery life on unnecessary location polling that is already occurring.

Can someone use Push Updates feature to force an update on my device even though they do
not have Backitude or even have an Android smartphone?
Yes, if enabled, triggering an update via SMS can come from anyone as long as the same message text is sent and it is delivered as an SMS
(the method will not work for MMS). The SMS can even be sent from email, if appropriately addressed and sent as an SMS using the
following addresses:

AT&T - cellnumber@txt.att.net
Verizon - cellnumber@vtext.com
T-Mobile - cellnumber@tmomail.net
Sprint PCS - cellnumber@messaging.sprintpcs.com
Virgin Mobile - cellnumber@vmobl.com
US Cellular - cellnumber@email.uscc.net
Nextel - cellnumber@messaging.nextel.com
Boost - cellnumber@myboostmobile.com
Alltel - cellnumber@message.alltel.com

If I push an update from email, can SMS Reply send back the location value of the device?
Not at this time. SMS Reply can only reply to SMS messages sent from a phone number. Standard text only.

How can I disable the status bar notification that displays everytime Backitude polls a location?
This is surprisingly one of the most frequently asked questions.  The status bar notifications can be configured in the Status Bar Icon
setting found under Additional Settings to never display or only display under certain conditions.

Is there a limit on the number of offline location values that can be stored for future sync, or
an expiration when these values will be deleted automatically?
No. There is no application limit on the number of offline storage records that are allowed to be saved. The actual limit will really depend
on available storage on your device, but should never be an issue considering the size of each location record is minimal.  Offline records
do not expire and will never be automatically deleted unless application data is deleted.

Advanced Settings

How can I prevent Backitude from using the GPS entirely but still track my locations?
The primary attraction of Backitude is the controlled and timed use of GPS in the background to track device location. For those who are
not typically within reach of GPS satellites but still want to take advantage of Backitude's control and battery efficiency, can disable GPS
use altogether within the application. Under Advanced Settings > Set Priority, the location providers can to restricted to completely
disregard GPS by selecting "Wi-Fi only" or "Wi-Fi with Tower Triangulation backup".  Under one of these configurations, GPS will not be
activated by the application even if Stand-alone GPS use is enabled for the Android device.

Is there a way to disable GPS use when Wi-Fi location discovery is available?
Under Advanced Settings > Set Priority, the location providers can be prioritized or omitted as desired.  Use any of the "Wi-Fi"-first*
options to omit or stop GPS polling when Wi-Fi locations are discovered.

*Itis recommended to prioritize Wi-Fi as the highest provider in general because typically if Wi-Fi locations are available, the device is
indoors where it will not be able to acquire a GPS fix anyways. This will prevent the device from needlessly polling the GPS to the extent of
the timeout value.  Also, when outdoors and the Wi-Fi location is not available, the GPS will still continue to poll as normal.
My device does not always have the best GPS reception or access to Wi-Fi networks, however I
do not want my location to fallback on inaccurate cell tower location triangulation methods.
Can I prevent the use of cell tower location triangulation values?
Under Advanced Settings > Set Priority, the location providers can be prioritized or omitted as desired.  Use any of the options that do not
include "Tower triangulation" and location detection will be forced to conform to the requirements set in the GPS and Wi-Fi minimum
requirements settings in order to update with a new location.

Will this application keep my system awake?

No, this application will not keep your system awake nor drain any unnecessary battery power. When sleeping, Backitude does have the
ability to wake the system to perform the location update. Waking the system is required in order function properly during this time.
However, there are options under Advanced Settings to turn this off if desired. The downside is obviously that your device will not update
your location when sleeping.

Tips and Suggestions

How can the concept of a "steals-only" mode be acheived? (meaning that Backitude will never
poll my location, but will still update Latitude when a location value is available)
A "steals-only" mode can be achieved by selecting "None" for the Standard-Mode Settings > Time Interval Options and enabling Steals. 
However, it means that the Backitude location polling will not run at a timed interval, and will simply wait until it acquires "stolen"
locations with which to update Latitude.

How can the concept of a "docked-only" mode be achieved (meaning only run location polling
when my device is plugged in and charging the battery)?
A "docked-only" mode can be achieved in essence by checking Docked-Mode Settings > Docked-Mode Enabled, and also selecting "None"
from the Standard-Mode Settings > Time Interval Options.   By doing so, Backitude will only poll GPS when the device is docked, but also
"steal" locations at any point if that function is enabled as well.

What are some tips for minimizing Backitude's power usage?

GPS polling is a battery-intensive function.  This is why Google Latitude purposefully omitted GPS use from their background location
detection.  For those who downloaded Backitude and want the functionality regardless, there are some tricks to make the most out of your
battery life. Try any combination of the following to meet your needs:

Turn off Latitude's location detection*

Select a longer, less frequent, Time Interval for polling your locations. The GPS will run less and less battery power will be
consumed.
Select a shorter Location Polling Timeout so when polling your location, it will run the GPS a shorter length of time if a fix cannot be
acquired.
Try disabling Location Steals so the application isn't constantly listening for locations.
Use the Android Power Control widget, or similar, to disable the GPS when indoors.  All apps, not just Backitude, will be more
efficient if it is not wasting power trying to detect a GPS location it will never be able to acquire
Try the configuration concept referred to as "docked-only" mode as mentioned above.
Disable wake locks under Backitude Advanced Settings. This will prevent your device from waking up from sleep mode to perform
location updates. The downside is obviously that your device will not update your location when sleeping.

*Ifpower consumption is an issue, it is recommended that you turn off the location detection within the Google Latitude app.  This will
give you complete control of your location updates via Backitude and allow you to completely manage battery consumption and location
updating.  Go into Maps > Latitude > Menu > Location settings > Background location reporting > Set your location.   Manually select an
arbitrary location on the map, which will then be overwritten and updated by Backitude from this point forward.   It is important NOT to
select the option for "Do not update your location" because this will hide your location from all of your Latitude friends.  Disabling Latitude
location detection may also alleviate the need to use Backitude's Re-Sync Rate. Turn Re-Sync Rate to "None" and save even more battery
power.

How to integrate with Tasker, Llama, Locale type applications?

Backitude now exposes many preference values for you to alter on command.  Users have figured out a way to Send Intents as an Action in
their power-user applications.
In theory, there are multiple Extra textboxes on the "Send Intent" action, so multiple settings can probably be tweaked with one action.

Action Name: com.gaugler.backitude.SEND_INTENT_ACTION_CHANGE_SETTING

Extras:

Description: Manually set location value.

Values

latitude:[decimal]

longitude:[decimal]

*Both long/lat values are required to manually set your location to a specific point. This is achieved by putting one value in the first
Extra textbox, and the other value in another Extra textbox.

Description: Change the standard mode polling interval value.

Value

interval:[0, 15000+] *integer in milliseconds

Description: Change the Location Provider priority option.

Value

priority:[1-9]

Description: Change the enabled status of the application.

Value

enabled:[0,1] *0 for disabled, 1 for enabled

Description: Change the docked mode enabled status of the application.

Value

docked:[0,1] *0 for disabled, 1 for enabled

Description: Change the docked mode polling interval value.

Value

dockedInterval:[15000+] *integer in milliseconds

Description: Change the offline storage sync option value.

Value

sync:[1-3]

Description: Change the Timeout exceeded Fallback option value.

Value

fallback:[1-4]

Other:

Action Name: ON_OFF_ACTION_WIDGET_UPDATE_FROM_WIDGET

Toggles the enabled status of the application.

Action Name: FIRE_ACTION_WIDGET_UPDATE_FROM_WIDGET

Fires a one-time polling update.

Action Name: REALTIME_ACTION_WIDGET_UPDATE_FROM_WIDGET

Toggles the docked mode enabled status of the application.

Notice the missing "com.gaugler.backitude" from the action name. This is on purpose, because these action names have been around
since before this new functionality was introduced.

How can I donate to this project?

Donations are not expected as this project is my way of giving back to the Android community which has given me many free apps for so
many cool things. However, donations are always welcome and sent through PayPal. There is a menu item on the main preference screen
for Backitude, towards the bottom. Thanks in advance!

Contact

Where can I ask additional questions about the application?

The first place to ask or look for further assistance is the online forum, where I can quickly respond or others can in my absence. Also, the
answer you seek might have already been answered searching through the existing posts, available here: http://forum.xda-
developers.com/showthread.php?t=1599791.
Where can I report bugs or submit feature requests?
All bugs and feature requests can be reported to backitude@gmail.com