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Google App Update Brings Location Notification Bug, Almost All Launchers Affected: Report

Google App Update Brings Location Notification Bug, Almost All Launchers Affected: Report

By Tasneem Akolawala | Updated: 5 November 2018 13:36 IST

Photo Credit: Android Police

Google app's latest update brings along an unusual bug

Highlights

Google latest app update v8.39.6.21 brings a location-related issue
This constant location access notification has affected most launchers
Nova, Pixel, Android One home screen are reportedly affected

The latest update of the Google app has brought along a weird bug related to location notification. Apparently, after you update the Google app to the latest version 8.39.6.21, the smartphone constantly starts showing that the location is being accessed in launcher. This issue is reportedly affecting most launchers out there, and rolling back to the previous version is a temporary fix. Even the latest beta user is reporting of the same issue, which means that Google is either not aware of the issue, or hasn't figured out a fix yet.

After updating the Google app, several Android users have taken to Reddit to complain about the weird bug. Android Police was the first to report on the issue, and it looks like the bug affects most launchers out there. The publication ran tests on many launchers, and all of them start producing a location icon in the status bar when you tap the home button. They tested this issue on the Nokia 7.1, OnePlus 6T, and the Pixel 3, and found out that the similar issue persists on all of them. Users on the Pixel Launcher, stock Android One home screen, Nova, and Rootless Pixel Launcher seem to be affected. Some devices that have Android system notifications enabled also see an alert that indicates that Play Services is using your location.

The workaround for now is to roll back to the previous version, and wait for Google to roll out a fix before updating to the latest version of the Google app. Even the latest beta version 8.44.2.21 has the same issue, and some users suggest turning off location access for the Google app till the tech giant rolls out a fix. Given the software nature of the bug, the annoying issue should get fixed with an update by Google soon.

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