GPS in your pocket is cheap. The screen is what kills the battery — full brightness under direct sun, all day, with the map redrawing. Pack is built dark on purpose, and that helps, but physics is physics.
What Pack does on its side
- Your position is sent to the pack on a timer, not continuously — roughly every 20 seconds at cruising speed.
- The other riders' dots are smoothed between updates, so the map looks fluid without burning power on more updates.
- With the screen off, Pack keeps recording and keeps transmitting — you do not need the map on to be on the map.
What you can do
- Carry a USB charger on the bike. Any all-day ride with navigation running needs one, in any app.
- Drop the screen brightness when you are not reading the map.
- Ride with the screen off and the phone stowed — the pack still sees you and the ride still records.
THE TURN VOICE NEEDS THE SCREEN
Locking an iPhone puts Pack to sleep and the spoken turns stop with it. If you are navigating by voice, leave the screen on — a charger and low brightness are the answer, not a locked phone.
Do not fix battery drain by putting Pack back under battery restrictions. That is what freezes your dot for the whole pack. Charger yes, restrictions no.