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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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Click to collapse
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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Click to collapse
Does it stay working, or does it start to crap out after a while as some have reported?
Hello all i was looking over the gps fix information and kinda stumped to see if anyone else is noticing this or there is something wrong with my device.
I was using the "GPS status" application from the market and was able to get about 8 or 9 satallites seen but was not showing a fix on them the indicator was just staying on 0/9 Fix/Sat
Using the same app at same time in mytouch slide was getting 8-9/9 or so with only like a 3m error where the vibrant was getting an error rate of 10m+
is this normal with the fix settings that is posted in development thread or am I missing something or maybe just a bad device. The phone is getting the location and giving me directions just seems like quality of signal is far less then what it should be even with the fix applied.
if anyone could test for me that has the vibrant install "gps status" and get fix with maps and run this application and see if shows you green sattelite locks or that 0/8 thing that I noticed.
Samsung has committed to deliver a firmware update sometime in September to fix the GPS issues.
Returning your phone for a replacement will not solve your problem.
Sent from Samsung Vibrant
M9x3mos said:
Hello all i was looking over the gps fix information and kinda stumped to see if anyone else is noticing this or there is something wrong with my device.
I was using the "GPS status" application from the market and was able to get about 8 or 9 satallites seen but was not showing a fix on them the indicator was just staying on 0/9 Fix/Sat
Using the same app at same time in mytouch slide was getting 8-9/9 or so with only like a 3m error where the vibrant was getting an error rate of 10m+
is this normal with the fix settings that is posted in development thread or am I missing something or maybe just a bad device. The phone is getting the location and giving me directions just seems like quality of signal is far less then what it should be even with the fix applied.
if anyone could test for me that has the vibrant install "gps status" and get fix with maps and run this application and see if shows you green sattelite locks or that 0/8 thing that I noticed.
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This is not "normal." Neither is it news. Browse or search this forum and find many similar reports of GPS problems. The GPS on Vibrants, like all Samsung Galaxy S devices, is defective. The GPS Status symptoms you report seem common to all Vibrants; European models have different symptoms, but similarly unreliable accuracy.
And be a little skeptical of assertions that "Samsung has committed to deliver a firmware update sometime in September to fix the GPS issues."
Samsung has committed to no such thing, but rather has announced a September rollout to "optimize" the GPS, whatever that means. Whether or not this will comprise a "fix" remains to be seen. (A "fix" would imply that something is broken, which Samsung has not admitted.)
kind of like the iPhone reception issue lol
i thought that was something with agps hand off that was causing the problem. will all that stuff turned off and phone even in airplane more it never achieves fix from sat that is in any way accurate like signal is low.
even my android running hd2 after about 5 mins gets a gps lock better then this thing with better strengh.
has anyone tried the gps status app and seen what I mean. not fixing on any sats.
Please read the forums first. Your symtoms are the most talked about topic since the phone was released.
Not sent from my Vibrant using XDA App 'cause I returned it.
M9x3mos said:
has anyone tried the gps status app and seen what I mean. not fixing on any sats.
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Of course I have. Many other Vibrant users have. Our symptoms with GPS Status or GPS Test are pretty much like yours.
What is especially bizarre is that the Vibrant will appear to "lock" on only one satellite and report a position with some degree of accuracy. That is impossible under the way GPS works -- three or four satellites are required.
The relationship between this bug and the other accuracy bugs inside the unit - errors in how well the actual coordinates get tracked versus reality -- are not well understood. The best thing is to wait and see what the September changes accomplish. There is no guarantee there. So if can, and are still within your buyer's remorse return window, you may want to return your phone for a refuind and wait to see what gets fixed. (You can always buy another one if there is a real fix.) If you are beyond that window, you don't have much choice but to hope.
Stresa said:
Samsung has committed to deliver a firmware update sometime in September to fix the GPS issues.
Returning your phone for a replacement will not solve your problem.
Sent from Samsung Vibrant
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No they didn't. They said they were going to "testing software to optimize GPS". I wish they would have said they are "testing software that will FIX GPS".
zoid_99 said:
No they didn't. They said they were going to "testing software to optimize GPS". I wish they would have said they are "testing software that will FIX GPS".
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What you think that means... lmaoooo its a safe way of saying they know there is a issue yet not completely saying its broke and we need to fix it. Instead they throw out a optimized gps coming..
smashpunks said:
What you think that means... lmaoooo its a safe way of saying they know there is a issue yet not completely saying its broke and we need to fix it. Instead they throw out a optimized gps coming..
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That's one way to look at it -- if one is disposed to play stooge for corporate spin.
I say give them credit for -- and hold them accountable -- what they actually say. Since Samsung has never admitted a flaw in the GPS performance -- only that it apparently fails to meet some users' expectations, as if it's all our fault! -- we cannot know for sure what they mean by "optimize." It may be a fix, and I hope it is. But it may just be incrementally better than it is today. I am cautiously optimistic, but that is all.
Atleast they acknoledged it pretty quickly. I will give it to september or when ever the G2 from tmo comes out just unlock sell it and buy that one.
Lol was affraid of some software bs after the behold II fiasco saying they will get 2.1 and then say they are stopping at 1.6 which they still don't have.
Sent from my T-Mobile myTouch 3G Slide using XDA App
zoid_99 said:
No they didn't. They said they were going to "testing software to optimize GPS". I wish they would have said they are "testing software that will FIX GPS".
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They can't say that because that would be admitting that there is a problem, which would be a poor decision from a marketing and probably from a legal stand point as well.
I agree though, it would be nice to have them say "man, we screwed this up and we promise to do everything we can to make it right". The carefully crafted statements from marketing/legal just come off as insulting to the user base who has already committed to the product.
After a nice reboot, GPS in gmaps, GPS test, and any other GPS-enabled app seems to work great. However, after a couple of hours, especially if connected over WiFi, GPS stops acquiring a lock. GPS test even shows that it "sees" a good number of satellites, but fails to lock. The only solution is a reboot, sometimes two.
I have also noticed that during the aGPS lock portion, it tends to jump between tower locations at random. After this, sometimes it will lock, sometimes it will not. I have also noticed that on rare occasions, GPS becomes unavailable altogether.
Please tell me that some among you are experiencing this issue as well? Folks at BAW are reporting the same. I have a Captivate as well, and the problem is *identical* to the issues I see there, except that the aGPS tower association happens much faster on the Epic.
We need a fix, and fast. Evo was FAR faster in acquisition, and 100% reliable.
Downloaded the latest google maps and google nav?
launch sprint nav first, close it, then try google maps/nav.
ConceptVBS said:
Downloaded the latest google maps and google nav?
launch sprint nav first, close it, then try google maps/nav.
Click to expand...
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Indeed I have. The issue crops up after a while of non-use. Then, only a reboot comes to the rescue. Sad.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=771503
No dice. It works... at first. However, after I left my phone on the charger (and on WiFi) overnight, and started up maps this morning, again on wifi, no lock for over 3 minutes. I started up the Sprint navvy app, and no lock. I went to diagnostics and it got stuck on "waiting for gps" for over 2 minutes until the icon FINALLY stopped pumping away. However, it's still "getting GPS", so I have to tap "go back" and then once more return to GPS diagnostics. It then says "10%", which is obviously a bogus number; GPS Status shows a reasonable fix, though a few satellites are still shown with yellow bars that seem never to quite resolve.
This has NEVER happened with the Evo. Obviously, there are still some unsettling issues with this device's satellite lock.
I was able to replicate this same problem -- Left Wi-Fi on over night, was programming tasker to auto-gps when I open up the Navigation, went to test and now gps will not lock on for me either.
The epic's gps has a lot of the same issues the others have. Sprint lied about the gps being fixed. You will have to wait until Samsung releases the new drivers to get your gps working 100%. They said some time in September.
I had my epic on wifii and charged last night and I just tried my gps here at work and got an automatic lock using google maps which my hero was not that accurate.
shep211 said:
The epic's gps has a lot of the same issues the others have. Sprint lied about the gps being fixed. You will have to wait until Samsung releases the new drivers to get your gps working 100%. They said some time in September.
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ROFLMAO, you really think they will get it 100%, I doubt they even know about the issue of it not working after time. And some time in sept means sept 30th or later so you can't return the phone. I love this phone LOVE LOVE this phone but if they don't fix it soon I"m out.
My Epic has successful navigated me to 3 places so far. Only once did I use it to actually so somewhere I didn't already know how to get to. It was a 25 minute drive and the only thing I noticed different from my EVO was the 98 feet circle bug plaguing the Epic.
For me, that's all I need my GPS for. I start it from my car sitting still. I can't get a lock inside my house when I want to use maps for something, but I couldn't get that with my Evo either. My apartments have an inter-dimensional beast living within the walls that feeds on dreams and cell phone reception...
robl45 said:
ROFLMAO, you really think they will get it 100%, I doubt they even know about the issue of it not working after time. And some time in sept means sept 30th or later so you can't return the phone. I love this phone LOVE LOVE this phone but if they don't fix it soon I"m out.
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Click to collapse
Samsung knows of the gps issues and has said they are working on the issue. The gps not working after the first few days is a know issue on all galaxy s phones. Are they going to fix it 100%? Who knows. I returned my captivate and bought a new one just so I can see if the gps gets fixed. If it does not get fixed this month i will be returning my captivate again.
I would guess its probably that the GPS stops coming back from standby... hopefully that is just a driver issue, and not the hardware failing to respond to wakeup singals.
I'm not holding my breath... Sammy is very content to think that the Epic's GPS is performing to spec. They have even said that it meets all their standards and requirements. We need to make some noise.
I have no faith in Samsung making fix so I took it back to Rshack got refund today .
Just to be clear...Samsung never stated that the Epic was going to SHIP on day one with the update.
It may well be a few weeks until the promised update starts rolling out and it's hard to say which Galaxy S carrier will be first.
Sent from Samsung Vibrant
I can't believe people return this phone over not so great gps. It sucks yea but hell what phone out is worth leaving this for ?
My gps has gotten me to plenty of places. And no offence but if your 30 meters off and you can't find your destination then maybe you buy a real one... this phones the ****..
Stresa said:
Just to be clear...Samsung never stated that the Epic was going to SHIP on day one with the update.
It may well be a few weeks until the promised update starts rolling out and it's hard to say which Galaxy S carrier will be first.
Sent from Samsung Vibrant
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I'd agree with you, except that Sammy specifically stated that the Epic's GPS was performing according to their specifications. I take this as meaning that there will be NO update to Epic phones. Infact, many Captivate and Vibrant forums are supposedly pulling files off the Epic in order to "fix" the GPS issues on those phones... I just see this dragging on and on and on, but maybe I'm just used to HTC's inability to push out fixes in any reasonable time - hopefully Sammy will be different.
I just re-read the quote that I've seen in news stories and I would agree that it seems to imply that the Epic was fixed and the Vibrant and Captivate were pending.
It's not clear to me where this quote originated from within Samsung and I'm wondering if there are any language translation issues creeping into this causing a misunderstanding.
Sent from Samsung Vibrant
smashpunks said:
I can't believe people return this phone over not so great gps. It sucks yea but hell what phone out is worth leaving this for ?
My gps has gotten me to plenty of places. And no offence but if your 30 meters off and you can't find your destination then maybe you buy a real one... this phones the ****..
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Click to collapse
Apparently many (some) people can not survive day to day living with out being coddled by technology...
Stresa said:
I just re-read the quote that I've seen in news stories and I would agree that it seems to imply that the Epic was fixed and the Vibrant and Captivate were pending.
It's not clear to me where this quote originated from within Samsung and I'm wondering if there are any language translation issues creeping into this causing a misunderstanding.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think there was a mistranslation. I have no doubt the words of that Samsung statement were carefully parsed by English-speaking marketers and lawyers at both Samsung and its carrier partners. The skill is called dissembling -- giving a false impression by half-truths without actually telling a gross lie.
Note that Samsung did not actually promise to fix the GPS issues in time for the Epic release, but it sure gave that impression, and Sprint acquiesced. For that matter, Samsung has never committed to "fix" the GPS -- which would mean admitting something is broken -- only to "optimize" it. That might be construed to mean anything, and will be so construed if no complete fix materializes. Yet the public paraphrases the statement optimistically and credits Samsung with more of a commitment than it really has made.
This is not naive corporate behavior, but rather sophisticated spin.
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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Click to collapse
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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Click to collapse
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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Click to collapse
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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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
All of us here suffer from useless GPS on our SGS to which I'm sure there's no cure. This there here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=847853 states that Samsung admits that the issue is hardware issue and is reluctant to repair the same. I was wondering on how many of us are actually interested in filing a case in consumer court against Samsung India for their abysmal service and product support.
pramathesh said:
All of us here suffer from useless GPS on our SGS to which I'm sure there's no cure. This there here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=847853 states that Samsung admits that the issue is hardware issue and is reluctant to repair the same. I was wondering on how many of us are actually interested in filing a case in consumer court against Samsung India for their abysmal service and product support.
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Click to collapse
Legaly, you first have to contact the reseller and let them try to "fix the issue" before you can do anything. The dumbest of lawyer would pinpoint the fact that "if you haven't" return the malfunctionning unit firts, you haven't let the chance to get it fixed first.
They don't understand what's warranty is and how it works.
Time after time i see complain but they don't do what they should.
Let them pay Money to a lawyer if they think it help them...
Sent from GT-I9000 jpo. My own kernel for z4mod and with 342MB Ram
t1mman said:
Legaly, you first have to contact the reseller and let them try to "fix the issue" before you can do anything. The dumbest of lawyer would pinpoint the fact that "if you haven't" return the malfunctionning unit firts, you haven't let the chance to get it fixed first.
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The repair center guys here at my place are clueless on what froyo is and what GTi9000 is in the first place. Let alone be the fact that they would know there exists a problem with GPS on the phone. I also tried mail support here two weeks ago to which there has been no reply yet from them.
6 votes but none coming forward!?!? Strange...
pramathesh said:
All of us here suffer from useless GPS on our SGS to which I'm sure there's no cure. This there here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=847853 states that Samsung admits that the issue is hardware issue and is reluctant to repair the same. I was wondering on how many of us are actually interested in filing a case in consumer court against Samsung India for their abysmal service and product support.
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Click to collapse
I have an Samsung Galaxy I9000 India version and the issue can be easily fixed by tweaking your GPS settings, I will be posting a How-to demo soom with images. I can definitely say that the issue is software and not hardware.
ApnaDroid said:
I have an Samsung Galaxy I9000 India version and the issue can be easily fixed by tweaking your GPS settings, I will be posting a How-to demo soom with images. I can definitely say that the issue is software and not hardware.
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My GPS works too but get's a fix on satellites after 10+ minutes on standalone/MS Based and an instant fix when connected to wifi. Haven't checked how long it takes with GPRS. The problem/question is does it take 10+ minutes and sometimes forever on Standalone/MS Based. With full sky view (12 satellites) and sensors enabled? In other words it sees the satellites but takes forever to lock on it.
I'll eagerly await for your guide to fix this mess...
pramathesh said:
I'll eagerly await for your guide to fix this mess...
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Don't keep your hopes too high. You'll be dissapointed.
The software bull**** is starting to be sickening.
pramathesh said:
My GPS works too but get's a fix on satellites after 10+ minutes on standalone/MS Based and an instant fix when connected to wifi. Haven't checked how long it takes with GPRS. The problem/question is does it take 10+ minutes and sometimes forever on Standalone/MS Based. With full sky view (12 satellites) and sensors enabled? In other words it sees the satellites but takes forever to lock on it.
I'll eagerly await for your guide to fix this mess...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Strange, after the new settings I get a fix in 2-3 minutes max on Airtel Edge network, will be posting the settings soon.
pramathesh said:
My GPS works too but get's a fix on satellites after 10+ minutes on standalone/MS Based and an instant fix when connected to wifi. Haven't checked how long it takes with GPRS. The problem/question is does it take 10+ minutes and sometimes forever on Standalone/MS Based. With full sky view (12 satellites) and sensors enabled? In other words it sees the satellites but takes forever to lock on it.
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Click to collapse
How well does it work after it's locked on (e.g. in a driving test)? I usually get a lock in less than a minute but after that the GPS is a bit iffy.
seltaeb said:
How well does it work after it's locked on (e.g. in a driving test)? I usually get a lock in less than a minute but after that the GPS is a bit iffy.
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I had not done much testing as I own the device since past 10 days only with one trip utilizing GPS, but after the fix it worked fine whenever I needed it.
If the phone is not getting a fix within 10 seconds its failing. My old iPhone 3g would get a fix within 5 seconds usually and it's pretty damn accurate.
thedauntlessone said:
If the phone is not getting a fix within 10 seconds its failing. My old iPhone 3g would get a fix within 5 seconds usually and it's pretty damn accurate.
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Yeah, I also had an iPhone 3G and everything about it was of top-quality. No doubt.
pramathesh said:
All of us here...
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All of us?
i live in the uk and think we should do it for every body not just india my gps is the same all over the place i no its a phone and no a tom tom ...what gets me mad is how can samsung get away with selling some thing that cant be fixed...
Hi - I started a thread with a similar intention:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=841622
Unfortunately, we could not find any common ground for action. I see 4 major challenges:
1. There is no evidence that Samsung can or will repair phones with a bad GPS; in fact; I do not remember any post that calims he/she sent in the phone and it came back with a fully working GPS.
2. There is no hope to win a legal battle - we have no case (no systematic data) and multinational companies have powerful legal teams and a lot of playing money
3. We have not developed any ideas how to extert customer power to hurt Samsung at the reputation level; this would directly get top management attention but how to do it?
4. We have a responsibility to let prospective buyers know about SGS quality issues (lag, GPS etc); Samsung is selling tons of new phones and now also Tabs!
I just want a top quality phone from a company I trust and respect. Willing to pay good money in return and remain a loyal customer.
I am considering converting to Apple or go for an android competitor - HTC looks promising but I don't know enough about them - any opinions?
That's why I always prefer importing my phones from Europe or US.
To ALL who are frustrated with the GPS of Samsung and their laid back attitude. Buy the HTC Desire HD :-D
From what I've heard, HTC has large issue with WiFi and still, to this day, can't support real multitouch. So the best advise would most likely be:
Do your research BEFORE you buy anything... every company has issue, avery company is most likely working on it and resolving issue WILL TAKE SOME TIME from all company. Period.
DHD has its up point as its downpoint, as has any device out there. So if you want flawless GSP, the SGS might not be the best choice (I can't say about DHD or any other, but my old HTC Vogue's GPS is not as accurate as my SGS). Do your research and find one that will suit you (standalone GPS might be a good choice for anyone with that need of a GPS, for that matters)
pramathesh said:
My GPS works too but get's a fix on satellites after 10+ minutes on standalone/MS Based and an instant fix when connected to wifi. Haven't checked how long it takes with GPRS. The problem/question is does it take 10+ minutes and sometimes forever on Standalone/MS Based. With full sky view (12 satellites) and sensors enabled? In other words it sees the satellites but takes forever to lock on it.
I'll eagerly await for your guide to fix this mess...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have an SGS manufactured in August 2010 and my GPS works if works means showing the long and lat of a place and the number of satellite etc. It does all this within one minute or less than that.
About going to lawyer, one should be pragmatic. Samsung is a MNC which have vast resources. Fighting with them can have disastrous consequences for a aam aadmi. I admit that some of their SGS are not upto mark. But then you will have patently approach them and get it replaced /repaired.
I think legally you may have a tough case because samsung never promised gps fix in x seconds. And most folks gps works but slow.
I would suggest use social media and other media to show samsung's lousy support and product.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
I don't know what to say. Have tried all settings. The gps works fine most of the time on mainland. But the moment I land in Port Blair it just stops working. Just refuses to give a lock even though it has 8 satellites in view. My stand alone gps has no such problems. Gives me a perfect lock even in air. Having said that it's not gonna be easy to sue Samsung. First we will have to prove that the gps is ****. Btw has anyone tried returning the sgs for the gps problem?
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App