How did my device know where I am located even though my GPS was turned off?

Question

So I was testing some functionality levels with Facebook Check-In feature on an Android device (Galaxy S2) and I noticed something strange. Even though my GPS was turned off, When I Checked-In on the Facebook App it showed my current location (along with a pop-up asking me to turn on GPS for more accurate reporting).

Why and more importantly how did my device know where I was located with my GPS being turned off?

Also relevant is How does Google Maps estimate my location without GPS? — eldarerathis, May 19 '13 at 00:46

score 0 · Answer 1 · answered May 18 '13 at 22:29

0

either through trianglation or through Wifi if you where connected

trianglation - sends ping requests to Access Points

Wifi - In window 8 it can give a location based on surrounding Wifi network althought I am not awear of android using this

answered May 18 '13 at 22:29

Sam Stephenson

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How did my device know where I am located even though my GPS was turned off?

1 Answers1