GNSS timestamp handling inaccurate, affects UI and image EXIF metadata #6571
Description
What is the bug or the crash? What were your expectations and what actually happened?
PR #6502 addresses a UI glitch where on startup and there is no GNSS fix, the Positioning Info panel shows non-greyed-out for 30 seconds, then becomes greyed out as expected for no-fix condition. This UI feedback is perhaps subtle but we struggle with non-tech-savvy field staff who must troubleshoot Bluetooth issues over the phone, so every bit of confusion we can eliminate helps.
The previous implementation just faked the GNSS timestamp with the QField host's timestamp, and this propagated into EXIF metadata. Since the EXIF metadata already contains the host's timestamp, this is redundant and slightly misleading. This has been corrected, but if desired, an alternate solution would be to fake the timestamp to maintain the original behaviour. Anyone reading the GNSS timestamp in batch image processing scripts can fall back to host timestamp if they don't already, but fair warning in changelog might be appropriate.
Steps to reproduce the issue
- Select Bluetooth GNSS receiver
- enable Positioning Info bottom panel
- exit QField
- turn off GNSS receiver
- start QField and immediately open a project within 30 seconds
- field labels on Pos. Info panel are black, then grey 30 seconds after starting QField
Version
git master
Operating system name
Linux
Operating system version
Ubuntu 24.04
Reinstall QField
- I have a fresh install of the latest QField version, but the problem persists.
- Problem can be reliably reproduced, doesn't happen randomly.
- Problem happens with all files and projects, not only some files or projects.
Additional context
No response