[Updated] January update breaks GPS control on Sony Xperia XZ1/XZ1 Compact and XZ Premium

Update (February 09):

Sony has officially acknowledged the issue and will be fixing the same in a future software update. The confirmation came from Emir (from Sony Xperia Support) saying

You might experience that GPS icon is visible in the status bar although the location setting is off. This is known and will be corrected in a future software release

Original story:

Last week only, Sony pushed out a January security update (build no. 47.1.A.12.34) to its flagship devices – Xperia XZ1, XZ1 Compact, and XZ Premium. It’s a given that soon after an update gets public, reports about broken functionalities follow, and this update doesn’t seem to be any exception to the rule.

Coming to the point, users of the aforementioned Xperia devices are bringing a new GPS related glitch to light – irrespective of whether the service is on or off, the GPS icon stays glued on the notification bar at the top of the screen.

The following user shared screenshots clearly show the GPS icon staying put despite of the location service being disabled:

Here are some Xperia XZ1 users complaining about the matter in question:

After Updating my XZ1 to 47.1.A.12.34, I am seeing always on GPS in notification bar. I even turned off the location but the icon won’t go away. This needs to be fixed

We all have this issue after the update and even turning off GPS doesn’t remove the symbol

Followed by some of those facing the same on their XZ1 Compact units:

Hi, after latest update to firmware 47.1.A.12.34 GPS icon is always on

I think it’s a bug, as i have seen thos after the recent update in January. Please solve this issue. Though the problem temporarily vanishes after a restart but again problem starts after some times

And some XZ Premium device users as well:

The January update solved some bugs but unfortunately brought another one, the gps icon in the status bar is always on, nevertheless we disconnect the gps. Rebooting the phone solves the problem but for only a few hours or one day but it always comes back. Could not find any solution. Several other users of the same update are facing the problem as posted on XZ1 and XZ1 Compact forum

Same problem for me. Xperia XZ premium – after upgrading to Oreo 47.1.a.12.34 the GPS icon is always on. Restart helps only for a short time and then it is back

Those affected also confirm that all of their efforts to correct this behavior have proved unsuccessful. Rebooting the device removes the GPS icon, but only temporarily, as it starts displaying again after a while – even factory rest and safe mode do not help.

It’s also worth mentioning that one of the Sony forum members said they escalated the problem, but there’s nothing that indicates they are a Sony staff or forum moderator, so it’s difficult to comment whether the matter has actually been brought to Sony’s sight or not.

We would also like to stress that there’s no confirmation on whether it’s only the location icon that cannot be disabled (and not the GPS service itself).

While Sony hasn’t said anything officially yet, the number of complaints are escalating. We hope the company catches hold of whatever is broken in time. Meanwhile, we are keeping a tab on related developments, and will update as and when anything news-worthy occurs.

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