Database Users

GPS initial lock problem... Still

Fix applied and still having initial lock issues...
Power off and back on to test initial locking...
Lbstestmode is taking about a minutes to obtain a lock, while maps and gps test is taking up to 15 minutes if used for initial lock.
Once the initial lock is obtained, all is fine until next power, or long sleep
Am I alone?

My gps settings are default except I have changed standalone to MS-based and accuracy to 100. What I do is if the gps isn't locking really fast, I delete GPS data then run a get posistion test for a minute or three. I usually get between 10-14 satellites. Afterwards, my gps locks on very quickly and accurately. The fact that I have to clear GPS data and re-run the posistion test leads me to believe (or should I say hope) that the gps problem is software based.

Chalup said:
My gps settings are default except I have changed standalone to MS-based and accuracy to 100. What I do is if the gps isn't locking really fast, I delete GPS data then run a get posistion test for a minute or three. I usually get between 10-14 satellites. Afterwards, my gps locks on very quickly and accurately. The fact that I have to clear GPS data and re-run the posistion test leads me to believe (or should I say hope) that the gps problem is software based.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If I power off/on, I also have to run the get position test for several minutes, then all is fine. I'm not sure if power is what causes it to loose its data, or time plays a factor...

dalepa said:
If I power off/on, I also have to run the get position test for several minutes, then all is fine. I'm not sure if power is what causes it to loose its data, or time plays a factor...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea I have the same problem. Time definitely plays a factor, because when I go to sleep and wake up I have to clear the data then run the position test. But once I run the position test, the GPS locks on very, very quickly and accurately, which makes me feel hopeful that an OTA update could fix the problem. But since I bought the phone off contract I have 30 days to return...so if Samsung doesn't official release a statement by then I may have to return this amazing phone

Chalup said:
Yea I have the same problem. Time definitely plays a factor, because when I go to sleep and wake up I have to clear the data then run the position test. But once I run the position test, the GPS locks on very, very quickly and accurately, which makes me feel hopeful that an OTA update could fix the problem. But since I bought the phone off contract I have 30 days to return...so if Samsung doesn't official release a statement by then I may have to return this amazing phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I installed flixster and it tried to locate me via gps and couldn't...after I closed flixster, the gps was still open (still trying to get a signal) and sucking my power... Looks like it may mainly be an issue indoors
The gps initial locking issue needs to get fixed soon! My wifi only iPad locates me every time in about 2 seconds
It's going to suck if this great phone is flawed by gps

JI2:Enable MS-Based mode for a faster lock

For me, my GPS problems have been mostly fixed with the latest firmware.. however the lock still takes about 15 seconds.
To enhance (not fix, it's not a fix) this..
Install AnyCut (not in the market for some reason), select "new shortcut" and go down to LbsTestMode.
Open it, select MS-Based mode and back out of it. Don't change anything else as you're liable to make GPS worse.
Now you should get a lock in 1-3 seconds, very quickly. If your phone is not getting a lock disable WiFi.
http://hotfile.com/dl/69783008/f2fffb0/anycut.apk.html
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

heygrl said:
For me, my GPS problems have been mostly fixed with the latest firmware.. however the lock still takes about 15 seconds.
To enhance (not fix, it's not a fix) this..
Install AnyCut (not in the market for some reason), select "new shortcut" and go down to LbsTestMode.
Open it, select MS-Based mode and back out of it. Don't change anything else as you're liable to make GPS worse.
Now you should get a lock in 1-3 seconds, very quickly. If your phone is not getting a lock disable WiFi.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And much better tracking as well. My Tracks did much better when I turned it off standalone to MS Assisted.
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=201142930973527917117.00049060180af6659398c

wow. First lock after flash was great, then after the days go it gets worse, basically back to before. Changing this, I opened my front door, pointed the phone out, turned on gps and opened gps test. Instantly like 5 seconds I got 6 satellite locks.
Awesome, obviously will see after a few days how it works. So far that helped alot.

It's never gone to what it was like before (ever) but I've noticed some bugginess with aGPS.
Over WiFi it won't download new information & lock. I've had to disable WiFi for it to lock on a position.
Sometimes when going from 3G to E, it will lose the lock. Is this horrible? No. Can it be corrected? Yes.. can the Vibrant accurately track our location? Yes.
MS-Assisted is only good for stationary locks quick one time fixes but not actual tracking. MS-Based is for tracking..
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=e...22653250295432.00049063685873acbe8e0&t=h&z=14

heygrl said:
It's never gone to what it was like before (ever) but I've noticed some bugginess with aGPS.
Over WiFi it won't download new information & lock. I've had to disable WiFi for it to lock on a position.
Sometimes when going from 3G to E, it will lose the lock. Is this horrible? No. Can it be corrected? Yes.. can the Vibrant accurately track our location? Yes.
MS-Assisted is only good for stationary locks quick one time fixes but not actual tracking. MS-Based is for tracking..
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=e...22653250295432.00049063685873acbe8e0&t=h&z=14
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could not get a lock on MS Based. It saw 6 sats and they were all at the same position way off the compass on GPS status. Let it run for 10 minutes on 3g and it lost all but 2 sats. Change it back to MS Assisted and I get 10/10. Maybe I need to clear data.

At this point I am pretty sure that the settings in lbstestmode only affect the tests in lbstestmode. All other applications appear to use the settings in gps.conf or somewhere else.
Changing the settings in lbstestmode appears to affect other apps temporarily due to hot start mode but after reset the phones are going back to default anyway.

snowdogging said:
At this point I am pretty sure that the settings in lbstestmode only affect the tests in lbstestmode. All other applications appear to use the settings in gps.conf or somewhere else.
Changing the settings in lbstestmode appears to affect other apps temporarily due to hot start mode but after reset the phones are going back to default anyway.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well you can test it yourself. It's too soon to say much of anything. It takes time to determine anything with this phone. If nothing changes it will be noted in a day or two when the hot fix is lost.

heygrl said:
Well you can test it yourself. It's too soon to say much of anything. It takes time to determine anything with this phone. If nothing changes it will be noted in a day or two when the hot fix is lost.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah it is just plain buggy. Sometimes lbstestmode seems to change gps.conf but not always. The use SSL setting doesn't seem to be changed but sometimes it does change the SUPL host.
Another strange things in test mode is turning on MS Based and then clearing GPS data. Sometimes when I do that and then run the get position test I can see my 3G turns on and it pulls the list of satellites. 10 satellites found in a couple seconds...great. If I then go back and clear the GPS test data again and go back to the same test it sits at zero satellites and never pulls a new list. WTF...completely unpredictable behavior....sigh.

Just drove about 5 miles. Locked instantly and very well.
My track. http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=203177861999786056973.0004906582f910d2e8a53
Too early to tell yes but Ms based doing me good for sure. http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=203177861999786056973.0004906582f910d2e8a53

DII8 - back to GPS issues.

Anyone having major GPS issues? Seems like it was worse than before. Took forever to get a lock while I was driving, had to stop and turn off GPS/back out of Google Nav, go back in. It got a signal for about 10s then lost it.. with full bars. Anyone else having this problem?

Mine still doesn't work at all. -_-

No problems here ... I usually have it off but whenever I need it, I've always gotten a lock immediately and flawless navigation using Google Maps. Absolutely destroys battery though

Took me 15 min to get a lock on a clear day outside on a fresh reboot and still was off on my location. My touch pro 2 never had this problem.. I could use it inside a building full of metal and still get a lock.. I love the Epic but I would not use the gps in its current state of function for navigation purposes..
Sent from my SPH-D700 using Tapatalk

I think for many, it's still having problems on cold boots. Once it locks, it seems to be fine. I never experienced this though, I only have problems getting GPS signal inside buildings.

nimaim said:
I think for many, it's still having problems on cold boots. Once it locks, it seems to be fine. I never experienced this though, I only have problems getting GPS signal inside buildings.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No the opposite is true, the problem people are reporting, including those above, are on warm starts where, on occasion, old expired ephemris data is in cache and causes problem getting a lock in otherwise good conditions.
This is much tested and there is a good workaround. By setting the Epic to cold start you overcome this problem, it is stickied as the workaround on the large epic forums elsewhere:
Enter GPS debug/settings application by typing *#1472365#
click "Setup" tab
click "position mode"
Click "starting mode
Enable "Cold Start"
Back out.

Whats the difference between warm start and hot start

mine shows me and my wife in texas half the time and we live in florida, never did it before this update. seems to be picking it up from the wifi I use in my house, as thats ATT and they are SBC and i believe they are in texas, but i never rehooked her phone up to wifi and lattitude shows her in texas at different times and the thing shows me in texas as well, its like cell triangulation doesn't work worth a damn.

nimaim said:
No problems here ... I usually have it off but whenever I need it, I've always gotten a lock immediately and flawless navigation using Google Maps. Absolutely destroys battery though
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
^ Same for me. Never an issue and even locks indoors. Yes it eats batteries for lunch though.
Sent from my wrist watch calculator

The GPS is worthless and can not be relied on. Yes, on occasion it does work and on that rare occasion, it seems to work well. However, on the five occasions that I have NEEDED it, it has failed me completely, NEVER locking on my location. These occasions have been outside with clear sky. When I use GPSStatus, it shows 9 sats but 0 lock. I just don't understand how it can see 9 sats and not lock at all. I have a >10 year old POS handheld GPS that with no network, no maps, no anything locks every time within one minute. Samsung must have actually had to try to f--- this up.
Yes I have applied the cold start "fix" and it has made no difference, sometimes the GPS works and most of the time (especially when I NEED it) it does not.

Using the cold start method posted by aero1, my GPS.... sometimes works. Sitting in my car on a clear day with full signal, the GPS can take up to 5 minutes to get a lock. If I'm moving, It will sometimes lock onto me but still say "searching for GPS" so it won't give me driving directions... even though it can see where I am.
In cases when it does work, it lags a LOT. Sometimes it won't update my position for a minute... which is useless if I have a turn coming up that I don't know about. It is always jumping to where I am every few seconds. Google nav on the EVO was perfectly smooth. It stuck with me around turns and never lagged. Always perfectly accurate. It is the only thing I miss from the EVO.
I've completely given up on the GPS and use my Garmin (/wrists) whenever I need something reliable

hydralisk said:
Using the cold start method posted by aero1, my GPS.... sometimes works. Sitting in my car on a clear day with full signal, the GPS can take up to 5 minutes to get a lock. If I'm moving, It will sometimes lock onto me but still say "searching for GPS" so it won't give me driving directions... even though it can see where I am.
In cases when it does work, it lags a LOT. Sometimes it won't update my position for a minute... which is useless if I have a turn coming up that I don't know about. It is always jumping to where I am every few seconds. Google nav on the EVO was perfectly smooth. It stuck with me around turns and never lagged. Always perfectly accurate. It is the only thing I miss from the EVO.
I've completely given up on the GPS and use my Garmin (/wrists) whenever I need something reliable
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same results I'm having now. Using the workaround (cold start) it's hit or miss whether I get a lock or not regardless of how many sats my phone sees.

I put it to "cold boot" and am still getting shaky results. I used it to find my way back to my apartment but it kept putting me on the road NEXT TO the highway and jumping back and forth. Did this again when I was returning from work during lunch just to see if it happened again. Yep, gonna have to lug around my Garmin from now on.
Just sad.

Try this, weird but is working for me.
I installed an app from the market called GPS test to test my GPS signal strength.
Whenever I launch GPS test and then run google navigation it locks on within 10 seconds. If I don't launch GPS test after a cold boot then it takes forever to lock on.
So far this has been working for me for a couple of days. Might be a fluke though.

othan1 said:
Same results I'm having now. Using the workaround (cold start) it's hit or miss whether I get a lock or not regardless of how many sats my phone sees.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've got three epics which allow me to do extensive controlled testing.
before applying the cold start fix my results were as follows on all three when in perfect sat condensations:
a) about 75% of the time no problem with locks
b) about 20% of the time I was getting many sats seen and none locked (expired ephemeris);
b) 5% or less I was getting few sats seen where they should be seen (bad almanac)
I applied cold start method to one Epic and for several days never experienced a failure to lock. I applied cold start to second Epic and now both Epics with cold start applied have gone over two weeks without a single failure to lock. I am now testing some other methods of flushing out cache
Top me this points to main problem being cache which for me ahs disappeared with cold start -- although there are other GPS problems on epic)
Other issues -- not addressed by cold start fix -- are inherent low SNR, SNR thresholds, samsung hacking the difference between fine and coarse results (30 meter hardcoded), these can all cause problems with GPS.
That said there is absolutely a repair of the main cache problem with cold start, I now see my 3g light up every single time I invoke GPS, with non net based applications, reflecting an objective and factual assistance data download --and without cold start I often would see no data usage on invoking GPS meaning failure to pull assistance data.

GPS Fix!

It seems that the majority of people have absolutely no GPS issues. But I notice every time that I factory reset, I can't get a GPS lock, which is absolutely weird. I can't acquire location on GenieWidget either initially. If anyone else out there is having GPS issues or Location issues then try this.
How to fix for both:
1. Download GPS Test from the market (the free one)
Run it, and leave it running until the GPS On light turns green and it has satellites in use and tells you the meters accuracy. That means a lock. This can take a few minutes.
After this happens, GPS locks very quickly even after reboots, very weird.
Now even after this, GenieWidget still can't acquire location.
2. Turn on WiFi, but don't connect to anything, you don't have to.
When WiFi is on, go back to the GenieWidget and hit refresh.
It'll find your location even though you're not on a WiFi network.
Now disable WiFi and it'll be able to acquire your location every single time.
Weird stuff.

damn... sounds like Samsung is STILL failing with LBS. It's very frustrating on my Captivate.

I turned it on before and got a fix in about 45 seconds. About the same time as my Slide.

skinien said:
damn... sounds like Samsung is STILL failing with LBS. It's very frustrating on my Captivate.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's a one time issue though it seems. I think actually it all depends on getting that 'first' lock. The phone will go to sleep if you wait on maps too long. So I just use that app, go into settings, and hit Keep Awake then leave it sit til it locks. After that, I can get a lock in 1-5 seconds every time after reboots upon reboots.

It locks just as quick as my Evo, 10-15 seconds for me. I use my GPS so much if its not getting a good lock I would return the damn thing over and over until it work how it should. Even 45 seconds is a stretch...my G1 locks faster than that...

Anderdroid said:
It's a one time issue though it seems. I think actually it all depends on getting that 'first' lock. The phone will go to sleep if you wait on maps too long. So I just use that app, go into settings, and hit Keep Awake then leave it sit til it locks. After that, I can get a lock in 1-5 seconds every time after reboots upon reboots.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Quite right. There's a big difference between "cold" and "warm" GPS startup.
When the phone is brand new, or after a hard reset, it will always be a "cold" start. The phone has no clue about where it is in the world, or even if it has the correct time. So the very first thing it does is to look around and try to spot any GPS satellites. Then it tries to download the almanac data.
For GPS to lock, quite a lot of data needs to be downloaded from the satellites. This takes between 30-60 seconds uninterrupted view of at least 3 satellites. If you're moving around, the view of the satellites may be interrupted, and the phone will have to start over again. This process can be speeded up a lot with A-GPS.
After the first lock, things go much faster. The almanac data is already on the phone, and the position of the last GPS fix is known.
The thing that confuses most people is that an Android phone will try to navigate by other means when there's no GPS lock. By cell tower, or by WiFi hotspot. Cell tower gives your location instantly, but with a very large margin of error. If your position is way off, then you're not navigating by GPS, but by other, less accurate means.

I actually can't get location from the cell towers >.< But yeah my GPS is locking in 1-5 seconds now.

Still no luck with above... will not turn green just stays yellow

gps is not working

I received my phone yesterday and gps did just fine. I drained the battery and left it off while charging.
Today my gps won't work, I can't seem to get a single fix anymore (google maps, gps test, mytracks, nothing). I don't know what to do to fix it.
Also my battery drains extremely fast (5 hours and it's dead). Screen acounts for 63%.

I am having similar problems.
mainly with the GPS. it won't get a lock onto the satellites.
very dissappointing.
other than that it's a great phone.
hope it gets fixed with a firmware update soon!

Factory reset first step .
jje

Same problem here.
GPS sees like 10 satellites but just won't lock.
Factory reset does NOT solve the problem. rooted - not rooted does not fix the problem.

Me too, see like 10 satlellites but cant get it lock TT

Just curious, are you guys rooted now? Have been rooted before?
What firmware are you all running? i am on XWKDD. today i upgraded to XWKE1 but didn't have to a chance to see if it fixes the GPS issue just yet.

Same problem here, sometimes I have 10 satellites but it just won't get a fix, no root here.

I get a fix within a few seconds of firing up the GPS, every time.
Even in my rucksack the GPS tracked me for an hour and a half, within a few metres accuracy, whilst cycling a few days ago, no problem.

Shocky2 said:
Same problem here, sometimes I have 10 satellites but it just won't get a fix, no root here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I assume you're trying this outside without major obstructions around.
I would turn off: wifi, "Use wireless networks", and "Use sensor aiding". Run GPS Status. Under Settings > Tools > Manage A-GPS state, press Reset, then Download.
See if that helps.

Sensor aiding
samnada said:
I assume you're trying this outside without major obstructions around.
I would turn off: wifi, "Use wireless networks", and "Use sensor aiding". Run GPS Status. Under Settings > Tools > Manage A-GPS state, press Reset, then Download.
See if that helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you explain to me what 'sensor aiding' actually does, as it's not really clear on the settings menu?

robot1000 said:
Can you explain to me what 'sensor aiding' actually does, as it's not really clear on the settings menu?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know anything more than the description it shows under Settings. I've seen theories that it uses the accelerometer, say for instance if you're driving through a tunnel. My experience is it makes my GPS accuracy worse rather than better, so I don't use it. But I'd suggest trying it both ways on the S2 to see if it makes a difference.
I went here:
http://www.google.com/mobile/navigation/
did a search on "sensor aiding" and got zero hits, so it seems Google doesn't want us to know what it is either.

usually over 50% of what people reporting that it isn't working is down to user error.
Have a look at this vid and do what this guy does on his SGS II. And see if it works for you
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZzJyKtPkHw&feature=player_embedded

samnada said:
I assume you're trying this outside without major obstructions around.
I would turn off: wifi, "Use wireless networks", and "Use sensor aiding". Run GPS Status. Under Settings > Tools > Manage A-GPS state, press Reset, then Download.
See if that helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes I've done all that and yes I'm trying this outside, 10/11 sats in view but no fix.

Today i upgraded to XWKE1 and giv it another try. I have to wait around 4 minute and it get gps fix !!

himarmy said:
Today i upgraded to XWKE1 and giv it another try. I have to wait around 4 minute and it get gps fix !!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So, is that the new normal with your phone? Are locks working faster now, or do they typically take minutes? Is the accuracy ok?
It is odd that there are such differences between individual phones. If problems continue I would get it replaced if possible.

dk206 said:
usually over 50% of what people reporting that it isn't working is down to user error.[/url]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really? How did you calculate that number?

Still same problem here. It takes full minutes to get a lock. Not sure what else we can try to fix this.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App

Having problems here too. tested today on the way to the supermarket, got a lock within a couple of minutes and worked fine for the duration of the journey. Didn't get a lock all the way back, GPS was definitely turned on, even stopped halfway home to reboot the phone and try again.
Just taken my wife's iPhone 4 outside which locked within 30 seconds, still can't get a lock at all with my GS2.
I've installed that GPS status application, but doesn't lock on to any satellites (at least not within two or three minutes anyway)
Not impressed

siksik6 said:
Having problems here too. tested today on the way to the supermarket, got a lock within a couple of minutes and worked fine for the duration of the journey. Didn't get a lock all the way back, GPS was definitely turned on, even stopped halfway home to reboot the phone and try again.
Just taken my wife's iPhone 4 outside which locked within 30 seconds, still can't get a lock at all with my GS2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Forget Apple, if you want "real results" grab a Nokia E-Series like the e71 or e72.
You get like 2 second instant lock, and that's indoors!...

ccrows said:
Forget Apple, if you want "real results" grab a Nokia E-Series like the e71 or e72.
You get like 2 second instant lock, and that's indoors!...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This thread, and posts like this, are what make me so frustrated with Samsung over the GPS issue. They never fixed the SGS, and now with their flagship top-of-the-heap phone they still can't get it consistently right. Even the best reports I've seen on the S2 don't match what some other phones are clearly capable of. It's hard to imagine Samsung is truly technically incapable of making GPS work, so I have to conclude it's just not worth the cost to them. They sold 14 million SGS's, with abysmal GPS, so they've apparently decided most don't care if it works well or not. They may be right, but for some of us it's one of the absolute key features. Very disappointing. Maybe HTC will get it right on the Sensation...