Backitude for Google Latitude app fixes problems how GPS is handled, adds functionality
Backtitude is an app designed to fix problems with how Google Latitude gets and updates its location data. Backtitude runs in the background and will update your GPS location internally at specified intervals and will set your Google Latitude position at those times. If you’ve ever used Google Latitude to find your friends, you know exactly how useless a 54-minute-old location update can be, and this should fix that.
One of Backtitude’s unique features is its ability to “steal” locations from other apps that request a GPS lock and plant that location in Latitude. If you’ve just checked in on Yelp or FourSquare, the GPS location will be already in your Latitude with no need to open it.
If you want to give certain friends the ability to request an update of your location, you can allow them to text Backitude which will initiate a forced update of your Latitude location. It’s quite useful if your phone’s in a locker while you’re at the gym, or on silent because you’re in a movie.
The app also will prevent Latitude/Maps from draining your battery by constantly attempting to grab a GPS lock when there’s no signal. It additionally can store location data for when you have no cell signal. I’m not entirely sure how this would be useful to anyone other than hikers, but it’s probably useful to them.
Your usage of Latitude may vary, but I find it comforting that a select few of my friends can know where I’m at and vice versa, and that if I don’t answer the phone for any amount of time my wife can look and see that I’m at the gym, or at a site where I have next to no cell reception I also like that I can check on a computer whether I left my phone at work or in the car. In my opinion, Backitude finally makes Google Latitude a useful tool.
Download: Google Play