Methods and systems may provide for determining a status of a mobile platform, wherein the status indicates whether the mobile platform is stationary, and adapting a detection schedule of one or more location sensors on the mobile platform based at least in part on whether the mobile platform is stationary. Additionally, one or more location updates may be generated based at least in part on information from the one or more location sensors. In one example, a location request is received, wherein the detection schedule is adapted further based on quality of service (QoS) information associated with the location request, and wherein the one or more location updates are generated in response to the location request.