GPS Mode setting does not persist after device reboot

[salmancuso]

Description

First, thank you to all the developers working on this project! The mesh networking capabilities are fantastic, and I really appreciate the work you're putting into MeshCore.

I'm experiencing an issue where the GPS Mode setting resets to "Disabled" every time my device reboots or powers back on. While I understand this might be intentional behavior based on the description in the UI, it creates a frustrating user experience that requires manual intervention after each reboot to restore GPS functionality.

Device Information

• Hardware: RAK WisBlock 4631
• Firmware: 1.9
• App Version: iPhone version 1.31.0. Apple MacBook Version 1.31.0

Steps to Reproduce

1. Open Position Settings in the MeshCore app
2. Enable "GPS Mode"
3. Confirm GPS is enabled and position updates are working
4. Reboot or power cycle the device
5. Check Position Settings after device comes back online

Current Behavior

The GPS Mode setting reverts to "Disabled" after every device reboot. The UI even notes this behavior: "When your MeshCore device reboots, GPS will be disabled."

Expected Behavior

The GPS Mode setting should persist across reboots. If I enable GPS, it should remain enabled until I explicitly disable it. This is the expected behavior for most device configuration settings.

Impact

• Users must manually re-enable GPS after every reboot/power cycle
• Reduces the utility of GPS position broadcasting for mobile or remote deployments
• Creates potential for missed position updates if users forget to re-enable GPS
• Counterintuitive UX that differs from standard settings persistence patterns

Suggested Solution

Persist the GPS Mode preference to non-volatile storage (EEPROM/flash) so it survives reboots, similar to how other device configuration settings are handled.

Additional Context

This behavior seems inconsistent with other settings that do persist across reboots. Is there a technical reason for this current implementation, such as power consumption concerns or GPS initialization issues? If so, perhaps a compromise could be a user-configurable "GPS startup behavior" option?

Thanks again for your work on this project! Happy to provide any additional information or testing if needed.

[liamcottle]

Hey there! I believe GPS state restoration was recently added for repeaters, sensors and room servers in #890, however this is still in the todo list for companions.

[tgaguy]

Hi, New Meshcore user. Today I have reflashed a brand new ThinkNodeM1 with 1.9.0. The ThinkNodeM1 GPS switch seems to have no effect. No message on the screen when the switch is changed, nothing in the debug log about GPS activation when the switch is changed.

Perhaps this is related?

My app GPS Mode remains Enabled between device restarts and app restarts.

[salmancuso]

The issue appears to be device-specific and doesn’t seem to affect devices like the LILYGO T-Echo.

[catslab]

Hi, New Meshcore user. Today I have reflashed a brand new ThinkNodeM1 with 1.9.0. The ThinkNodeM1 GPS switch seems to have no effect. No message on the screen when the switch is changed, nothing in the debug log about GPS activation when the switch is changed.

Perhaps this is related?

My app GPS Mode remains Enabled between device restarts and app restarts.

Same here. I’ll try to dive into the code and debug why the gps is never started. The debug should show gps start and stop.

[csrutil]

Hey guys, I created a pr for the request #1156. Cheers🍻

[luigi311]

Thanks csrutil, tested the latest dev build that includes your PR and can confirm on the t-echo if i enable gps and reset the device, gps is still enabled when booted up.

[BlueSnake830]

This will be also persistent for the T1000-E, then, correct? I observed that GPS is also being disabled after every reboot.

[liamcottle]

This will be also persistent for the T1000-E, then, correct? I observed that GPS is also being disabled after every reboot.

The T1000-E is still using the ui-orig which wasn't updated in PR #1156.

Will need to add the logic to save to prefs in that as well.

[BlueSnake830]

@liamcottle understood, thank you very much for your quick reply. Shall I create an issue or is this already on the todo list?