Common questions about Golf Pad 'always on' background location usage

Q: Why does Golf Pad need background location access?

A: Golf Pad requires 'all times' background location permission to provide accurate rangefinder distances without delay. When the option is enabled, Golf Pad keeps phone's GPS sensor active during the round, so location reading is always current and accurate. Whenever you glance at the phone screen to check the distance to the green, you will see the actual correct distance right away. 

If you choose to only grant location access 'while using the app', Golf Pad will continue to work. However it will usually take 5-15 seconds to re-acquire current location whenever you resume the app to check distances during a golf round, and even longer to get the most accurate GPS reading. Additionally, Golf Pad will not be able to update distances on smartwatches, or compute statistics like distance walked.

Q: How to configure location permissions?

A: On Android 10 or newer, please open Android settings / Location / App permissions, then select Golf Pad and choose 'Allow all the time' option. Find more info about location permissions on Android 10 or newer in this article. 

Android 9 and earlier does not have a separate 'all times' location permission - simply enable location access for Golf Pad when prompted.

On iPhone, please enable location access for Golf Pad by opening iPhone settings / Golf Pad / Location and choosing 'Always'.

Q: Does Golf Pad use my background location while I am not playing a golf round?

A: NO! Golf Pad only uses location during a golf round to provide rangefinder and shot tracking functionality. 

Q: I received a system notification saying Golf Pad got my location even when I wasn't playing golf. Why?

A: You might have seen a notification like this:

This is a built-in system notification intended to educate users about which apps have background location access permission. This means the app has a permission, so it MAY use the location. It does NOT mean that the app ACTUALLY USED it.

Unfortunately there is no way to disable the notification, but you can make it less annoying using the instructions in this post.

Q: Does Golf Pad share my location with anyone?

A: We treat our users privacy very seriously. Golf Pad DOES NOT share your location with anyone. Please see our full privacy policy for details. Note, if you use the free version of the app, Google AdMob may use approximate device location to deliver and optimize the in-app ads. This data is not linked to your identity.