Database Users

Thoughts on why swapping Vibrant would solve issues?

Howdy...
So I have a dilemma...
First of all, overall I LOVE this phone, and have had very few issues with it. The only "issues" I HAVE had have been the "too-long-to-get-a-fix" GPS and the stuttering/inaccurate compass in G-Maps. Sure the occasional lag-spike but every phone gets that. I performed the GPS-fix and it gets a fix MUCH faster now... so I'm happy there. Only problem left is the stuttering compass.
Now my question... I've seen threads about how people have swapped their phones and fixed the issues... my question is HOW? Why would swapping make a difference? I doubt it's a "new batch" off the line, and it sure as hell isn't new software, so why the difference?
Any ideas? Thinking about doing this but not sure if it's worth it or if I should just wait and see about a potential software fix from Samsung.

I think people are just quick to assume. Its the same phone with the same firmware. I just swapped mine today and yeah the GPS and Compass worked fine at first. Now im back to the same issue. Same with laggin. I tried to not install a Task Killer and at first it was cool. But after about 5 hours of heavy use.....lagging was back. Installed task killer and now everything is cool.
SO in short....no swapping WILL NOT fix the issues.

I don't know why people are sure this works. If new phones were shipping with new software, it would have been released. I think, anyways.
Swaps of hardware would work for hardware defects if the manufacturing date is indicative of new hardware configs.
So I don't know. I'm going to call T-Mobile soon anyways. Their online chat isn't working for me at all.

You wouldnt think it would solve anything. I did a swap and both mine had the same date on the box but the second one is a bit better. It takes better night mode shots and loads quicker than my first one did out of the box. Perhaps I just had a faulty one to begin with. GPS does work better on my second one but not great and the compass is still wacky.
A swap really shouldnt fix anything but I figured why not, it's worth a shot. Worked out ok for me but I'll see in a week.

I have the home key issue and I think that swapping will help that. Seems to me that the handset has lower than normal build quality. Its possible that is why there seems to be such a difference in how the handset performs out of the box.

I am not sure why it might exactly help out with the GPS issue but guess what! I just swapped mine about 10 mins ago. It locks on near instantly now. Maps work inside my house as well so awesome.

Just to help clear up (you know, working in customer care at T-Mobile and all) the firmware on exchanged devices is Identical, so if you are having a software issue such as the several clearly discussed and posted issues, exchanging the device won't solve a thing, since the phone you will get is Identical.
You basically have two choices, either return the phone and wait for a firmware update, or enjoy the amazing phone until Samsung releases an update. (Mind this doesn't mean don't complain, by all means complain, make your voices heard, things get fixed faster if you voice your discontent.)
Since this is a flagship Samsung device and essentially is the only phone worth mentioning (including all variants) that they've had released for a while I'm sure they will support the device with timely updates. The thing is that they have to actually fix the problem, and test the fix on multiple devices, then they have to test the fix on a limited number of devices over the air, to make sure they aren't bricked, then they roll out a tiered update to all subscribers using the device, this takes at minimum a few weeks and on average 6-8 from my experience. More if your company is named Motorola.
They are usually pretty careful about this stuff especially since bricked phones cost the company a lot of money in exchanges. They want to get it right when they send the updates.

Aphotix said:
Just to help clear up (you know, working in customer care at T-Mobile and all) the firmware on exchanged devices is Identical, so if you are having a software issue such as the several clearly discussed and posted issues, exchanging the device won't solve a thing, since the phone you will get is Identical.
You basically have two choices, either return the phone and wait for a firmware update, or enjoy the amazing phone until Samsung releases an update.
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A very reasoned analysis. But it does beg the question a bit by assuming that there is no hardware issue implicated as all or part of the root cause of the very serious GPS problem. Right now it is only speculation that a firmware update alone can solve this problem. Meanwhile, the clock is ticking.
It does seem that another option for a customer with defective phone is to return it for a refund during the 14-day period -- or the new 14-day period that resets with the replacement phone that still doesn't work right -- and wait to see what concrete solution emerges. Or just keep requesting replacements every 14 days until there is an actual fix.

I swapped mine because of a different issue but I will say that the gps worked extremely fast on the first boot. So I also assumed that the new phone made a difference, it however did not. The phone has begun to revert back to the slow gps signal grabbing. Only thing we can do is wait for an update, which is not good business if you ask me.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

boodies-how is the accuracy of your location when it has a fix? What does Maps say about accurate to within X meters?

My opinion is that swapping doesn't fix the problem. I did an exchange anyway just in case, and I'm ending up with the same issues (plus, new phone has a loose volume key). Both phones worked fine at first and then the GPS started screwing up. I've also noticed that GPS works ok after a reboot, but I'm not going to keep restarting my phone so the GPS will work like it should.
Not sure if I'm giving up for now and waiting for a confirmation of the GPS fix before getting another one; or maybe I'll stick it out.

Keslynn said:
My opinion is that swapping doesn't fix the problem. I did an exchange anyway just in case, and I'm ending up with the same issues (plus, new phone has a loose volume key). Both phones worked fine at first and then the GPS started screwing up. I've also noticed that GPS works ok after a reboot, but I'm not going to keep restarting my phone so the GPS will work like it should.
Not sure if I'm giving up for now and waiting for a confirmation of the GPS fix before getting another one; or maybe I'll stick it out.
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well hope you're wrong because so far with my exchanged unit, I can tell it locks on much much quicker and the accuracy goes down below 50m finally. It hovers around 8-9 meters so far. It will even lock inside the house where before it almost never did. maybe it's the exchange, maybe it's a reset that will do it. Either way, mine works now.

its in your head...

boodies said:
well hope you're wrong because so far with my exchanged unit, I can tell it locks on much much quicker and the accuracy goes down below 50m finally. It hovers around 8-9 meters so far. It will even lock inside the house where before it almost never did. maybe it's the exchange, maybe it's a reset that will do it. Either way, mine works now.
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Does it stay working, or does it start to crap out after a while as some have reported?

Spoke to VERIZON about GPS problem!

I spoke to Verizon about the GPS problem. They told me there not responsible for it. So I said So if I buy a Camera Phone with the intention of using the camera...and if the camera doesnt work...your not responsible? They said no the manufacturer is.
I said I purchased the phone with all intention because of the navigation and maps on BING!!!! I emphasized BING. Because If i said GOOGLE maps they would of said well thats 3rd party.
They said sorry we cant help. I asked can I switch the phone. They said no. can You replace the phone with one that works. They said its a known issue there all like that so we cant. We were waiting for a software fix they said. And I said if that fix never comes do i get my $ back....they said NO.
Verizon said there only responsible for data and calling issues...lol If i have a problem with the phone i should contact samsung.

Sounds like a typical response from a csr drone.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App

why is verzion responsible for a problem that is caused by the manufactor?
you have a 30 day period where you can easily replace the phone for htc incredible, droid x, or droid 2..

Ok its simple first I need to say I already put my fascinate up for sale.
Second when I purchased the phone originally I complained about the GPS many times. The issue was confirmed and they swapped it out with a new one. Then when I got the new one the issue was still there. I was told by tech support that the issue is confirmed and that there is no new fix and that there would be a fix released in 2 weeks. So I decided to hold onto the phone after hearing that the fix was being released in that time frame. There was a fix released........but it was not for the GPS.
Now after sometime of no fix. I called verizon explained top them I only bought the phone to use BING maps and without a working GPS of which is advertised it is of no use.
In my history of being with VERIZON any time I had a hardware issue or any issue with there phones I would take it into the store. Tech would look at it and if the problem is confirmed..........warrenty states that they FIX it, or replace it or give my $ back if not solved.
This is THE only phone ive ever had that verizon has told me that they are not responsible. So to have my gps fixed or replaced after the 30 days due to non working GPS id have to speak with SAMSUNG.
You say Verizon is not responsible? Show me a time that anyone has ever gone through the manufacturer for warrenty service. FOR A CELL PHONE.
THE CELL PROVIDER is responsible for the warrenty........how do i know.....I called Samsung and they saids that...And im sure if you call verizon about any other phone they will tell you to go to tech support and have phone fixed or replaced or get a another phone.

Sherwood1 said:
Ok its simple first I need to say I already put my fascinate up for sale.
Second when I purchased the phone originally I complained about the GPS many times. The issue was confirmed and they swapped it out with a new one. Then when I got the new one the issue was still there. I was told by tech support that the issue is confirmed and that there is no new fix and that there would be a fix released in 2 weeks. So I decided to hold onto the phone after hearing that the fix was being released in that time frame. There was a fix released........but it was not for the GPS.
Now after sometime of no fix. I called verizon explained top them I only bought the phone to use BING maps and without a working GPS of which is advertised it is of no use.
In my history of being with VERIZON any time I had a hardware issue or any issue with there phones I would take it into the store. Tech would look at it and if the problem is confirmed..........warrenty states that they FIX it, or replace it or give my $ back if not solved.
This is THE only phone ive ever had that verizon has told me that they are not responsible. So to have my gps fixed or replaced after the 30 days due to non working GPS id have to speak with SAMSUNG.
You say Verizon is not responsible? Show me a time that anyone has ever gone through the manufacturer for warrenty service. FOR A CELL PHONE.
THE CELL PROVIDER is responsible for the warrenty........how do i know.....I called Samsung and they saids that...And im sure if you call verizon about any other phone they will tell you to go to tech support and have phone fixed or replaced or get a another phone.
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Are you people ever going to do a search? We have a workaround for the GPS - the GPS Status application in the market. Whenever you're about to use GPS, go to GPS Status, hit the Menu key, Settings, GPS & Sensors, Manage A-GPS state, Reset. Then go back to the main GPS Status screen and wait for locks in the lower right hand corner. If there are no locks (only satellite's detected) after about a minute, drag down your notification bar and turn off your GPS for about 10 seconds, then turn it back on and watch the magic happen.
Geez.

There were several people that had HTC fix their TP2s, both VZW and Sprint that I've seen. Usually, the carriers just deal with it themselves and save you the hassle.

Did i really buy a phone for a work around like that?
I bought it to work. And from what people are saying .... 2.2 does not fix the gps on the vibrant.
Either way ... just wanted to say what i was told.
I already packed mine up.
Let me know when your camera doesnt work......ill come up with a work around. lol

Personally, I can wait a minute for it to get a gps lock. I'm never in that much of a hurry that I can't wait a few extra seconds for a lock. I also have found that leaving GPS enabled all the time will result in faster locks than if it's turned on/off as needed. GPS Status also helps, though isn't as needed when GPS is always on. I've used a TomTom and it gets a GPS lock as fast as the Fascinate, and it's a dedicated GPS device, so I won't complain about a minor detail.

My .02, I get a lock in less than 30 seconds on an untouched fascinate. Usually it's 8-10 sats in view and locked on 4 or more in that 30 seconds with 6 locked in another 15 seconds. Seems its a hit or miss problem.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App

Sherwood1 said:
Did i really buy a phone for a work around like that?
I bought it to work. And from what people are saying .... 2.2 does not fix the gps on the vibrant.
Either way ... just wanted to say what i was told.
I already packed mine up.
Let me know when your camera doesnt work......ill come up with a work around. lol
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Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App
Since you have a faulty phone with your GPS issue you should have a cheap price in mind right? Shoot me a PM on what you want for it...

takes about an hour for my gps to lock

From what I've seen, gps status trick just runs a gps cache clearing script. So to me this just seems like a direct link to samsung's clusterfu*k of a data filesystem.

You should have sent your ninjas. Sorry, I couldn't resist.

My Ninjas are deadly

GPS Booster on the market seems to work for quite a few people.

Daswolven said:
GPS Booster on the market seems to work for quite a few people.
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Yup. Even though it says it fails, it clearly does not fail with 6 sec. locks.
good day.

azturbomini said:
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App
Since you have a faulty phone with your GPS issue you should have a cheap price in mind right? Shoot me a PM on what you want for it...
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icwudt . . .

Daswolven said:
GPS Booster on the market seems to work for quite a few people.
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Agreed, apparently it's software related. Maybe hardware, but I did the gps booster and it locks in 10 flat.

Daswolven said:
GPS Booster on the market seems to work for quite a few people.
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Didn't work for me.

adrynalyne said:
Didn't work for me.
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Damnit!
Did you do anything to alter GPS from stock in GPSsetup that maybe others didn't? Wireless network assistance checked?
I haven't tried the Booster yet but was hopeful.

final solution to gps problem

So my second replacement of this galaxy s still got the ass-paining GPS problem. I had to phone orange again complaining the problem. Orange refused to exchange a different phone for me and told me to go find samsung. But I insisted that the phone was a part of the service they provided, if I was not satisfied I would have to go to them. they finally agreed to give me a third replacement to see what's going on. I'm now waiting at home for the phone to come. Although I doubt I would see any difference on this one, let's say according to law I now have right to return this phone if it's still got the GPS issue.
After I spoke to Orange, I sent an email to samsung mobile uk to tell them the problem. Today I received an email reply:
"Thank you for contacting Samsung Electronics.
Regarding your case, kindly note that the phone needs to be taken to the nearest Samsung authorized service centre to be checked by an engineer as this may be a software issue.
You can follow the link below to locate the nearest Samsung authorized service centre based on your postal code. Kindly make sure that you have selected “Mobile phones” from the drop down menu.
http://www.samsung.com/uk/support/location/supportServiceLocation.do?page=SERVICE.LOCATION
Please note that if this turns outto be a hardware issue, the phone might have to be sent in for repair.
Our manufacturer warranty covers damage caused due to a manufacturer fault and excludes any damage caused by misuse. Please make sure that your phone has not been dropped or exposed to water."
Now I have 2 options. after I receive this final replacement, if it's still got the GPS issue, I can either ask Orange to return the phone and exchange,which I think would be quite tricky,but a good chance to succeed; or I can go to local samsung service and ask them to check and repair the phone for me.
I checked samsung service location, basically it's on every carphonewarehouse store, not difficult to find one near you. I think people with gps issue should really go to ask for repair.
I will keep update this thread until either the phone's got fully functioning GPS or the phone's been returned.
UPDATE: NO 6th replacement has been proved having GPS problem as well. Contacted orange again and they told me they will start an investigation on what's with this phone. Next monday they will call me back to provide a solution, either fix the phone's GPS or exchange me a different phone.
Today I went out on highway, tested gps on both galaxy s and orange san francisco, within 30 mins driving the orange san francisco worked like a charm, no delay, no flaw; galaxy s on the other hand, lost signal for more than 6 times, showed me driving out of the highway...really upset and thought it only fair if gps performance should be better on galaxy s due to much much higher price. Well it's opposite... I would be glad if monday they exchange me a different phone and put an end to the terrible experience i had with this phone...

I am on my fourth handset at the moment and it’s just as bad as my first. I have tried every combination of firmware and fixes but have seen little improvement.
I am now waiting for Vodafone to release their Froyo build officially and when flashed to this it’s going back permanently. Its blatant false advertising and misrepresentation to claim the i9000 is capable of running satnav apps properly. And yes I’m talking about full satnav not just Google apps.
Such a shame as I was so looking forward to CM6 on this handset.

Not exactly relevant, but "final solutions" aren't always successful

Someone needs to amend the title of this thread, as once again its very misleading!

SkinBobUk said:
Someone needs to amend the title of this thread, as once again its very misleading!
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i'm not sure what's misleading? the solution is to send it back for repair or replace. no one can fix it on his own. you think you can come out a better solution than mine? welcome to try!

I had similar problems with Samsung galaxy S Unlocked sim free.
This is now a distant memory since the official upgrade to Android 2.2.
GPS works excellent.
Check in Samsung Kies, if your phone is ready for an upgrade.

ehe12 said:
i'm not sure what's misleading? the solution is to send it back for repair or replace. no one can fix it on his own. you think you can come out a better solution than mine? welcome to try!
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Don't you think that if the solution was to simply exchange the phone for another that people would of done this allready, let alone the number of people on handset #4,5,6 and still their gps is not as expected.
Your title reads "Final solution", what you gonna do if samsung cant fix it? Do you have any evidence they can?
I dont wanna start an argument or cause any offence but the first thing people will think when they see that title is that contained in this thread is a solution to their gps problems. Instead all they will find is a post from you explaining what samsung and orange have advised.
Also you made another thread stating that the gps problems cannot be fixed by software, and yet in your first post in this thread you've put samsung think its a software problem.
You seem to be believing whoever u talk too and then posting it up for us.
If and when you do finally get a working gps then post away, but there is no need for misleeding posts, etc.

Have you guys tried this: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=728611 ? It worked for me.

SkinBobUk said:
Don't you think that if the solution was to simply exchange the phone for another that people would of done this allready, let alone the number of people on handset #4,5,6 and still their gps is not as expected.
Your title reads "Final solution", what you gonna do if samsung cant fix it? Do you have any evidence they can?
I dont wanna start an argument or cause any offence but the first thing people will think when they see that title is that contained in this thread is a solution to their gps problems. Instead all they will find is a post from you explaining what samsung and orange have advised.
Also you made another thread stating that the gps problems cannot be fixed by software, and yet in your first post in this thread you've put samsung think its a software problem.
You seem to be believing whoever u talk too and then posting it up for us.
If and when you do finally get a working gps then post away, but there is no need for misleeding posts, etc.
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I'm not believing anything ok? I did quote the whole email from samsung service, but I didn't believe the "software" part. What I'm trying to say is get your device back to samsung as soon as possible to have it fixed. If samsung cannot fix it? law says you can return it!
again as I'm saying, the quote from samsung service is just to remind people, contact their local samsung service to check the phone! why are you focusing on the mentioned "software problem"? OK even yes it's software problem, can you fix it? you obviously can't! then what? live with it? hell not for me! contact your local samsung service to get it fixed! that's the final solution to this GPS problem! all I'm saying is if you can't fix it, you have to send it to samsung service, and that's the only final solution!
also as you might be interested, the Orange staff I spoke to told me the following thing: when I sent my phone back, they didn't just accept everything I said, they did test the phone. According to their technician, there's something wrong with the integrated GPS.
can you fix the GPS? no you can't. I can't either. my solution will be send it to samsung so that they can repair it for me. why are you calling it misleading? my solution has a great chance to get the gps fixed!!!and if not, you've proved it's not fixable and you can return or exchange your phone!

We seem to have differant understandings of the world solution.
Fair enough samsung might be able to fix it. But i doubt it as everybody else would have done the same thing or samsung would have released some sort of press release.
And yes if they cant then you should be entitled to a refund/exchange, etc. But that aint a final solution in any sense of the word.

so youre exchanging the phone over and over and hope to have a better gps? did not realized by now that they all have fhe same gps and they all work the same so still exchanging? is the world going nuts?
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App

SkinBobUk said:
We seem to have differant understandings of the world solution.
Fair enough samsung might be able to fix it. But i doubt it as everybody else would have done the same thing or samsung would have released some sort of press release.
And yes if they cant then you should be entitled to a refund/exchange, etc. But that aint a final solution in any sense of the word.
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well in my opinion, I paid for a fully functional phone, if even the manufacturer cannot fix it, there is no way I can accept it and return/exchange it is the only solution for me.
maybe you think this is not a solution, but it does solve my problem.
so far I don't know how many have sent their phones back, but I think it might be a huge number.

bilboa1 said:
so youre exchanging the phone over and over and hope to have a better gps? did not realized by now that they all have fhe same gps and they all work the same so still exchanging? is the world going nuts?
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
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as there are many people claiming that their GPS work flawlessly, also someone claimed manufacturing dates may decide the quality of the phones, I am trying to prove either of them. even these aren't true, at least I prove that this issue won't be fixed by exchanging phones and I get my legal right to force the phone company to exchange/refund the phone for me. Also if many people do the same thing, the number of returned phones would become so large that samsung might finally have to admit this and file a recall.
this is harmless to all consumers, why not?

So why do several people have a good GPS in their SGSes. If it were hardware problem, how does it come that some people can change phone for 4 times and not get any better results and others have good GPSes from the start? I start to lean towards the idea that the SGS GPS is not great but normal. People have the idea that the phone should have an equally good GPS as for example the screen witch is superb. Well they start to test the GPS and depending on several parameters (not the weather as seems to be a common misunderstanding) the GPS breaks down or they could not get an instant position within 1-2 meters (which is impossible with a cold or semi cold start if you do not have a cruise missile handy). They start fiddling around and mess up the GPS so it do not work at all.
The urban canyon problem that many refers to is a problem that even the high end dedicated GPSes have (look for reviews on the net). They are of course better then the SGS but heck you bought a phone not a GPS.
I do not say that there are no faulty SGSes out there. But so what there have been 7 million sold and there must be some. I also think that the SGS may be hiding the full potential somewhere deep in the hardware and it can be unlocked by some low level upgrade of the GPS. However I am content with the normal function of the GPS and of course I hope that future upgrades can make it better.
However there are evidently some trolls in these GPS forums which you can see if you reading all the mails. However there are not many, but they are rather irritating, in the sense that they will not listen to arguments and even if you show them a good track (which have been posted several times) they will deny it and accuse the user of incompetence instead of trying to find out why there phone is broken.

milsjg said:
So why do several people have a good GPS in their SGSes. If it were hardware problem, how does it come that some people can change phone for 4 times and not get any better results and others have good GPSes from the start? I start to lean towards the idea that the SGS GPS is not great but normal. People have the idea that the phone should have an equally good GPS as for example the screen witch is superb. Well they start to test the GPS and depending on several parameters (not the weather as seems to be a common misunderstanding) the GPS breaks down or they could not get an instant position within 1-2 meters (which is impossible with a cold or semi cold start if you do not have a cruise missile handy). They start fiddling around and mess up the GPS so it do not work at all.
The urban canyon problem that many refers to is a problem that even the high end dedicated GPSes have (look for reviews on the net). They are of course better then the SGS but heck you bought a phone not a GPS.
I do not say that there are no faulty SGSes out there. But so what there have been 7 million sold and there must be some. I also think that the SGS may be hiding the full potential somewhere deep in the hardware and it can be unlocked by some low level upgrade of the GPS. However I am content with the normal function of the GPS and of course I hope that future upgrades can make it better.
However there are evidently some trolls in these GPS forums which you can see if you reading all the mails. However there are not many, but they are rather irritating, in the sense that they will not listen to arguments and even if you show them a good track (which have been posted several times) they will deny it and accuse the user of incompetence instead of trying to find out why there phone is broken.
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I did GPS test fairly and equally. I have another coupla phones, san francisco, hero and touch diamond. I use them all at the same time. SGS is the only one has problem. Clear?
the 4 SGS I got all have the same issue, in the mean time my other models (san francisco, hero, touch diamond) all work great. Does this make sense to you how bad GPS on SGS is? So I replace it 3 times, so what? I just need it to be as good as my other phones. is it too much to ask?

milsjg, we dont expect sgs gps to be better than a dedicated gps device such as tomtom.We just want it to be as gps of some other phones, even some 2 years old nokia phones are much better on that. Thats the problem
Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk

ehe12 said:
I did GPS test fairly and equally. I have another coupla phones, san francisco, hero and touch diamond. I use them all at the same time. SGS is the only one has problem. Clear?
the 4 SGS I got all have the same issue, in the mean time my other models (san francisco, hero, touch diamond) all work great. Does this make sense to you how bad GPS on SGS is? So I replace it 3 times, so what? I just need it to be as good as my other phones. is it too much to ask?
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But why do lots of people have fairly good GPSes? You have to try to answer that question before you are pursing your answer. I have a fairly good (not exceptional missile good) GPS and I have posted several good tracks using different programs.
I also not an idiot and VERY familiar with GPS and programming. I do not mean to insult you if you are not trolling but just telling everybody that all SGS has a faulty GPS because you have had bad experience is not special good idea if you want to keep out of the trolling zone. I just searched for Iphone "GPS problem" on the net and found several links to GPS problems on the iPhone. So recommending from your experience to buy for example iPhone or any other phone in order to be happy with the GPS is very dangerouse.
The Htc Hero link below may clarify my point. Read if you dear because you have a faulty GPS on your Hero according to the link and there plenty more of that on the net. Get the drift?
http://community.sprint.com/baw/thread/27731;jsessionid=B0162F04F9DF9DCFFFC245A792A481BA.app2jive1

milsjg said:
But why do lots of people have fairly good GPSes? You have to try to answer that question before you are pursing your answer. I have a fairly good (not exceptional missile good) GPS and I have posted several good tracks using different programs.
I also not an idiot and VERY familiar with GPS and programming. I do not mean to insult you if you are not trolling but just telling everybody that all SGS has a faulty GPS because you have had bad experience is not special good idea if you want to keep out of the trolling zone. I just searched for Iphone "GPS problem" on the net and found several links to GPS problems on the iPhone. So recommending from your experience to buy for example iPhone or any other phone in order to be happy with the GPS is very dangerouse.
The Htc Hero link below may clarify my point. Read if you dear because you have a faulty GPS on your Hero according to the link and there plenty more of that on the net. Get the drift?
http://community.sprint.com/baw/thread/27731;jsessionid=B0162F04F9DF9DCFFFC245A792A481BA.app2jive1
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Click to collapse
I don't know to be fair. That's why I keep asking my contract provider to replace it for me. I thought if that's something about luck, replacing it as many times as I can could finally get me a working one. But... so far I have 4 in a row all bad GPS. Guess I'm just not lucky at all...
Other than replacing it, I don't know what else I can do to solve this problem. I like this phone and not until final stage will I return it. So far I'm just trying so hard to get one with good GPS. If you have any positive idea please let me know. I only care about this phone's GPS, the link you posted has nothing to do with my GPS issue.

milsjg said:
But why do lots of people have fairly good GPSes? You have to try to answer that question before you are pursing your answer. I have a fairly good (not exceptional missile good) GPS and I have posted several good tracks using different programs.
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Click to collapse
also where are you? I'm really curious how good your phone's GPS is. If you live in UK, would you mind come over to my place and show me?
I live in Manchester. If anyone has a SGS with fully functioning GPS, could you contact me and let me see how good your GPS is? I'm really interested to know if "Good GPS" really exists.

Sorry Sweden, However try to get hold of a phone with a different operator. Did not htc have a specific problem with Telestra (I do not know
If I spelled it right)
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App

So I ordered a replacement vibrant because of GPS anyone else?

Just curious if anyone else has and what was there results with the gps like whats the usual accuracy with the new phone when driving etc I will be getting my phone next week and let you guys know

I'm confused, sorry. Did u sell your vibrant and order a new one? Because I've complained to T-Mobile and they aren't going to offer me a replacement. What do you mean you "ordered" a new phone?

They are sending me another phone and I just send this one back.

Useless reason to get a replacement, and I wouldn't be surprised if you got a refurb that was worse than the one you have.

N8ter said:
Useless reason to get a replacement, and I wouldn't be surprised if you got a refurb that was worse than the one you have.
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Click to collapse
Why is it a useless reason? the phone comes with broken GPS, its not his fault its broken, its the manufacturer, its a faulty product, i paid full price for my phone and im thinking of calling samsung to do the same.

angry english said:
Why is it a useless reason? the phone comes with broken GPS, its not his fault its broken, its the manufacturer, its a faulty product, i paid full price for my phone and im thinking of calling samsung to do the same.
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Click to collapse
Because some people (like me) have been thruogh at least 3 phones and the GPS on all of them were borked. If I were you, I'd take the reports of "perfect" GPS from these minority posters with a grain of salt.
Returning it because of the GPS is useless, IMO. Better way to get a good GPS would be simply to sell the phone and buy something else.

Doesnt cost me anything to replace it so why not if its worst then the one I have ill send it back and keep,my old one...
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

I got the phone the next day it came out in July and has not changed it since then.. i dont think there is ever gonna have a perfectly working Gps.. it is not a gps device to begin with.. mine was working ok before tbe Gps restore fix.. but now it is working a lot better.. still not perfect of course but usable enough.. even the maps ob iphone 3gs is not perfect either.. it goes off trackk sometimes while navigating too just like how it is on my phone.. is it broken, i dont 't think so.. is it perfect, no its not.. but does it work? Yes!
If we nitpick on little issues within the app maps.. then we wont be content with it.. im honestly not sure if other android devices gps works perfectly.. hmmmand i changed my settings too to lbstestmode
supl server : supl.google. com
port.. 7276
secure socket... off
the gps restore does not alter any custom settings in lbstestmode anyway... i ran the app every after reboot.. but when you run it.. it fixes your location.. and should work from there..

barmanham said:
Doesnt cost me anything to replace it so why not if its worst then the one I have ill send it back and keep,my old one...
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
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Click to collapse
Man, you guys need to do a little bit of Googling / forum-reading. GPS not working is a SOFTWARE ISSUE on the Vibrant. Getting new hardware won't do a thing. Try one of the many GPS fixes.

Theres so much conflicting information about this issue on this subject telling me to go goggle makes no sense at this point
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

barmanham said:
Theres so much conflicting information about this issue on this subject telling me to go goggle makes no sense at this point
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, making moronic posts and trying to fix software with new hardware is pointless. No one has ever gotten a new device with magical perfect GPS.

Yeah guys software. I'm using the latest Axura Rom and have to say that Master figured the GPS out. I'm now getting consistent locks in under 15 seconds within 5 meters and staying locked. Before it was at least 90 seconds, usually more, and not staying locked. Definitely software issue not hardware.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

explodingboy70 said:
Yeah guys software. I'm using the latest Axura Rom and have to say that Master figured the GPS out. I'm now getting consistent locks in under 15 seconds within 5 meters and staying locked. Before it was at least 90 seconds, usually more, and not staying locked. Definitely software issue not hardware.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Posts like yours are also unnecessary. If you skim over the Axura or any ROM's threads you will find people experiencing GPS problems everywhere.
My GPS with Axura did not work. With Bionix it did not work. I had to use the Samsung app for it to work, and even then I have to re-run the app sometimes.
I doubt a new phone, or a different flash, is the solution. The solution has to come straight from Samsung.

Telanis said:
Man, you guys need to do a little bit of Googling / forum-reading. GPS not working is a SOFTWARE ISSUE on the Vibrant. Getting new hardware won't do a thing. Try one of the many GPS fixes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And I can say with certainty that you are wrong yourself in this software assessment.
I have three Vibrants in my family. And I have tested this out with at least 6 (off the top of my head) other friend's Vibrants and this is what I have found.
All Vibrants have some sort of software related GPS issues
-The ones that work well initially (like my phone) eventually seems to act corrupted and start acting out after a few days/weeks of use
-This obviously can be remedied with the basic google server/port/etc fix. Works flawlessly after that on all google related app (apps that use googlemaps/google services to locate you or whatever you are looking for around you)
-If you are not using a google mapping based app, the GPS locks kinda suck sometimes
Some Vibrants have hardware related problems
-These do not work out of the box, take minutes or longer to lock (like my sister's) and it gets worse and better with use (ie flippity flop)
-None of the software fixes work on these Vibrants. But then some days they seem to work, most other days they just suck.
Conclusion:
If your hardware is bad, you have software related issues too. Doing any of these Roms on the development sections is like putting a bandaid on a heart surgery, it barely holds and you will get issues a few mins later.
My sister exchanged her Vibrant, got another, I installed the same Bionix rom (was still on her computer) and now she gets locks as good as mine. I have tried several fixes and rom's on my uncle's and friends Vibrants with mixed results, suggesting that some have bad hardware.
Another thing, this is not the first Samsung phone with GPS I have owned. Compared to my old HTC phone, ALL my Samsung GPS' have never been that great. My Beholds were so so GPS wise, you can never expect them to stay locked all the time especially if you are standing still. But hands down the GPS on the Vibrants have been the worst (on some units, mine and my sister's replacement unit excluded).
So IMO it is a double whammy of software and hardware issues

barmanham said:
Doesnt cost me anything to replace it so why not if its worst then the one I have ill send it back and keep,my old one...
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
May not cost you anything now, but if you lose, break, or have a phone stolen in the future and the insurance deposit is $25 higher than it is now we can all agree why it's gone up.

First of all I dont even have insurance it's not like I bricked my phone and sending it back did you read the subject of the thread I didn't ask for little kids opinions if I wanna try a different phone that's up to me I asked opinion of people who already have replaced it
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

How do u even get to lbstest mode anymore?
*#*#1472365#*#*
Doesn't do anything
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

*#3214789650# lbstestmode
if you ever wanna change anything in the settings.. make sure you write them down if ever you wanna divert to the default settings..
the only settings i changed were the
supl server ; supl.google.com
server port ; 7276
secure socket ; off , works better, faster locks compared to off in these settings
not sure if any of these settings changes make any difference.. but i prefer to use the google server instead of that www.spirent-lcs.com
i think regardless of your settings in lbstestmode... when you run the gpsrestore app .. the app itself only uses the correct settings despite the lbstestmode changes/settings.. not sure.. i think the gpsrestore app works on its own when you run it and does not rely in the lbstestmode settings per se?? (totally unsure, just taking a wild guess)..
i wish samsung elaborated even more with regards to the gps fix app.. coz it's supposed to restore the settings ,but the custom settings do not get reverted back to the default one anyway even after running the gpsrestore.. maybe it does get restored within the system??? ughhhh
LOL i dont know

Take a lesson from this guy...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=860946

my gps works fine.. ill just wait for the official froyo release..
i can flash the leak if i want to , but id rather just wait.. now if the update doesnt come this month , then i'll be flashing in new years day!! LOL

A story of two phones and how I got the GPS fixed.

Hello all, generally I am a lurker here and find want I need and more on. But today I decided to share the story of getting two Vibrants GPS fixed. I am sharing this to hopefully help someone else who is as frustrated as I was. I am not here to debate what Samsung or T-Mobile should or should not have done. This is not a magic software fix or discovering something hidden. It is just using what was already in place to get the phones fixed and hope this helps at least one person. here goes...
My best friend Tom and I purchased our Vibrants on the same day. Both have a production date of 7/17/2010. Since day one my GPS has never really worked. There were a few times I would get a glimpse of it working but then would quickly stop. Tom's GPS has been good, not fantastic but okay. Neither of us use them driving but do use them for walking and bike riding.
As many of us I had high hopes JI6 would be the magic fix but for me it made it worse. Tom's phone was still about the same. My phone is/was rooted and I have tried a number of fixes and ROMs but nothing has helped. Tom's phone has never been rooted.
So a few weeks ago my frustration got to me and I decided something had to be done. Since the phone has a manf warranty on it I decided to contact Samsung to hopefully resolve this issue. And with a little pressure from me Tom did the same to get his working better. I felt Samsung's support was great and explained the problems, they did have me go through some minor testing but I stressed I had also already done those tests but still did what they told me as I know they are just doing their job. Samsung gave me two choices to either return to T-Mobile or send it in. They quickly sent us prepaid two-day air labels and our phones went out for repair.
Little over a week and both phones were back. In looking at the repair emails it seems that Samsung had only tested and reinstalled the OS. Okay, this was a bit bothersome knowing this was all that was done but thought I would see the results. First up Tom's phone. His now worked perfect. Locks on 6 to 8 birds in about 10 seconds. Going on walks it was spot on. Mine, well not so much luck. Out testing I went through two batteries while his worked on every test we threw at them. I called Samsung back explaining how I had tested and the results. They were very apologetic and again offered for me to send it in or return to T-Mobile. They quickly sent me a return label and off my phone went. This time I also enclosed a very detailed note explaining my tests and results.
The day my phone was shipping back the email from them said Problem found: BAD BGA Component. Solution: Replaced PBA. From my understanding the PBA is the main board but I could be wrong. I received my phone back and started testing the GPS. Hot damn! The phone sees 10 to 12 satellites and I get a lock from 4 to 8 in about 10 seconds then continues with locks on about 6 or so while testing. I have since tested it out on a number of walks and it has been quite good. My last test today (which is cloudy and snowy) was about a 4.5 mile walk around the city and included a stop in the grocery store and CardioTrainer even continued to track my walk inside the store. And sitting here at my desk inside my apartment I am getting a lock on 4 birds in just a few seconds after a reboot.
On top of the fixed GPS I have noticed an improvement of battery life. Granted it has only been a week and I don't have exact specs on this but it seems to be working longer. Also I now have GPS turned on instead of always off. Another bonus is my general signal strength on the phone is better. In the back room of my apartment I would always get zero or one bar. Now I get three and in most cases have noticed a 1 to 2 bar increase anywhere I am. I assume this is also helping battery life.
So I hope this encourages anyone else who feels like I did to just use your warranty and get it fixed. Yes you will be without your phone for a couple of weeks but hopefully the end result will be a fixed phone. Also I encourage you to be kind to the rep when you call, in a previous job I use to do tech support for a call center and know that the nice customers always got treated much better than the yelling and screaming ones. And keep in mind it might take a second return to get it fixed as it did mine. Granted if it would have required a third return I would not have been nice.
Note: A couple of the reps I spoke with at Sumsung stressed that the GPS is not designed to work in stand-alone mode. It will always need a network assist and a dataplan will also be needed. I asked one of them why they were stressing that and he told me that so many of the calls regarding GPS were people without datapalns. It did not surprise me that the mobile network is needed. I did do one quick test with data turned off and I get nothing on the GPS.
All previous & post testing was done with JI6 so I had something to compare. But now I am running Nero 5 and still GPS has been great!
So that is it, I hope this helps someone!
-mg

Nero 5 cured my GPS! Honestly.
No other Rom did.

Actually if u order a new placement your gps will most, likely work.
They've changed all their refurbs gps or something, so your right.
thanks for sharing your story

mgerard said:
All previous & post testing was done with JI6 so I had something to compare. But now I am running Nero 5 and still GPS has been great!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Since Nero 5 is based on Samsung's KA5 leak, did you ever try just the stock KA5 rom to see if you got similar results? Perhaps Nero 5 is just inheriting certain fixes which you're assuming are exclusive to Nero 5 when they could actually be common to any/all KA5 based rom?

I did the mechanical fix and that made seeing and locking exponentially better, I always had some sat action, but now, i got 15 sats the other days 8 lock....... insane

Installing Axura rom with JL5 gets me 9/12 sats. My GPS locks on and starts working within 10s. I did purchase a refurbished Vibrant so maybe they changed a part on my phone.

Lethal_NFS said:
I did purchase a refurbished Vibrant so maybe they changed a part on my phone.
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Click to collapse
Every Vibrant has a date code under the battery. Anything November 2010 and later, I believe is using newer GPS parts. This definitely true of many new phones but also may be true of refurbished phones as well.

epakrat75 said:
Since Nero 5 is based on Samsung's KA5 leak, did you ever try just the stock KA5 rom to see if you got similar results? Perhaps Nero 5 is just inheriting certain fixes which you're assuming are exclusive to Nero 5 when they could actually be common to any/all KA5 based rom?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess KA5 may be a fix for some or even mine but it was clear a hardware fix did work as JI6 did not before but then did after. My frustration just got to me last month and sent it out! I really hope KA5 helps people that will be great!

oka1 said:
I did the mechanical fix and that made seeing and locking exponentially better, I always had some sat action, but now, i got 15 sats the other days 8 lock....... insane
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Click to collapse
I had thought about the mechanical fix but decided I should get Samsung to do it since it was under warranty. This way I would not risk voiding my warranty for when it was needed. I can't afford a new phone right now!

i just got a new phone after a warranty replacement...and i just tested my old phone and my new one...my old one would find 1 gps satellite and and then lose it, never locking on....when google maps found me..the smallest it is ever accurate is within 100 meters...and this is after like a minute
i tested my replacement model and i turned on google maps...not more than 1/2 a second, it locked on within 4 meters...i also got 10 satellites in 3 seconds and locked onto 9 of them in about 10 seconds
agreed with OP, if you are having problems with GPS, and are under warranty, TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT...do not open your phone, or anything risky when this is such a viable option
also...i got my replacement in 4 business days