Missing options in Settings on Galaxy S7

[Willum08]

Hi,

On my Galaxy S7 my OS is Android ver. 8.0.0 with patch level 1 March 2020.

I am trying to access the Privacy and Safety > Location option in the Settings Menu. However, that option is missing from the list. I have looked at the S7 User Manual and it states the following information :

Locating Method
Before using any features that require location assistance, you must enable your device's location services.
1. From a Home screen, tap Settings > Personal.
2. Tap Privacy and safety > Location.
3. Tap On/Off to turn on Location services.
4. Tap Locating method to select how your location is determined

Location Services
Google uses Location History to store and use your device's most recent location data. Google apps, such as Google Maps, can use this data to improve your search results based on places that you have visited.
1. From a Home screen, tap Settings > Personal.
2. Tap Privacy and safety > Location.
3. Tap On/Off to turn on Location services.

Neither the "Privacy and safety" or "Personal" options are present in the Settings Menu !

How can I get these options to show ?? 

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[AntS]

Hi @Willum08!

Any joy with Home > Settings > Connections > Location?

[Willum08]

No solution yet.. still can't access these settings.. they are just missing....

[TessM]

How odd! Were you able to access this before following this path? Have you recently made any changes on the phone? 

[Willum08]

Hi and thanks for your reply. I'm not sure when these options became unavailable since I've only recently needed to access them. The reason I want to access them now is due to a really annoying pop-up which has just started to appear on my Galaxy S7...

The pop-up is as follows and appears every few minutes when I'm using my phone and is really "doing my head in" !! and I can't get rid of it.

Quote:  Improve location accuracy
Help apps find your location more quickly and accurately using Google's location service. Google may collect location data periodically and use this data in an anonymous way to improve local accuracy and location-based services. 

This service is active when location is on and High accuracy, or Battery saving mode is selected.
DISAGREE     AGREE

End of Quote.

I click on the DISAGREE option but it just keeps coming back.... I refuse to click on AGREE....

I don't like the idea of Google 'possibly' collecting my location data - there is more than enough snooping on our privacy without adding to it by agreeing to more....

There are many other reports of this particular intrusion on the internet, going back to 2018, and most advise taking the actions outlined in my original post. However, I am unable to take these recommended solutions because the options do not appear in my Settings menu... hence my cry for help...

Apologies for the lengthy posting.....

[AndrewL]

@Willum08: Are you accessing an application that requires Location data, such as Google Maps? If not, you can swipe from the top of the screen to the bottom and disable Location in the Quick Settings menu, and the pop ups should stop. The prompt itself does state that data will be used periodically and anonymously, however if you're concerned then you may wish to contact Google directly for further clarity on their data protection policies.

[Willum08]

Hi AndrewL,

Thanks for your reply. I'm not accessing Google Maps, Google Earth or any other app. that I am aware of which requires my Location. If my phone is just open on any app. other than my home screen, the popup activates.

If I swipe down to reveal the menu, there is no mention of 'Location' , in the list or the other options as mentioned in my original post. If I turn off the WiFi link to the internet, the 'pest' never appears, but immediately I turn WiFi back on, up it comes....

I've done some further searching in the 'pull-down' settings menu and within the 'Connections' option at the top of the list, there is a 'Location' option which states " Allow apps and services to determine your location." if I turn this Off and wait a minute or two, the popup appears and would you believe, turns ON the 'Location' again !!  Unbelieveable !!! So, GOOGLE NOW HAS CONTROL OVER MY PHONE'S SETTINGS !! This is really beyond a joke....

In the Settings menu, I accessed 'Notifications' and disabled notifications on all the listed apps. but that did not stop the popup...

I only had my email, messages and whatsapp enabled so none of these apps. are responsible for allowing this popup...

[Willum08]

Forgot to say.....

The popup states "This service is active when location is on and High accuracy, or Battery saving mode is selected."

I checked these settings and the Location is set to 'Phone Only' and the Battery saving mode is OFF.