Database Users

GPS?

My Gps on Google maps is tripping -=- tells me -=- location temporarily unavailable .............................
anyone else with this issue??

Yeah, I'm getting it too.
Seems to be common to all galaxy s phones. I'd link you, but I can't!
Try samsunggalaxysforumDOTCOM/samsung-galaxy-s-how-to/gps-problem/

socal_brandon said:
Yeah, I'm getting it too.
Seems to be common to all galaxy s phones. I'd link you, but I can't!
Try samsunggalaxysforumDOTCOM/samsung-galaxy-s-how-to/gps-problem/
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Click to collapse
thanks let me gpo read up on it if u find a fix plz post

Neffstarr said:
thanks let me gpo read up on it if u find a fix plz post
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Click to collapse
are you on a vibrant or galaxy s?

Go to
Setting>check use wireless networks and gps. Download update for google maps and you good to go. Also install speech synthesis. Btw this is on the vibrant.

My gps works good and fast as soon as i click google maps for the first time it knew my exact address

guys thank for ur replies ..i have the Vibrant & the GPS is working now... i did nothing to it ..but i am happy also be looking out for my wallpapers coming tonight for the VIbrant

I'm having problems with the GPS.
I have two G1s and got two Vibrants to replace them.
The G1s CPS lock easily and give you 12 feet precision very fast.
The two Vibrants take forever to lock and stay at 35 feet precision, sometimes going down to 30 feet.
G1s are miles ahead in the GPS department.
I'm dissapointed.

^ I'm not seeing those results and my Vibrant locks in quicker.

If you're going to compare it to another phone, then clear all of the google map cache before you start comparing.
My G1 and Vibrant took about 1 minute to fully lock on into my location and both were accurate. Sometimes the G1 is slower though.

Yeah maybr Cellular Data enables A-GPS instead of regular GPS. Not sure but now I get a lock in my house! Phones always suck without AGPS. 10 minutes to acquire a signal without it.

my gps has been snappy... interesting that there have been problems (compass has a slight jitter... but its almost imperceptible)

Nevermind Think I got it

i have yet to have GoogleMaps successfully find my location, both inside my apt and standing outside. My GoogleMaps updated itself this morning. Any tips?

Have you enabled cellular networks for location services?

heygrl said:
Have you enabled cellular networks for location services?
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This shouldn't be necessary. I know aGPS helps, but pure GPS should work anyway, albeit taking more time to lock.
I bought two Vibrants and left hem out in the backyard for 1 hour, over a table, and they could not lock on the satellites. One hour!
The GPS ship in these unites are either second class or there is a bad batch.
The old G1 locked in 15 seconds.

heygrl said:
Have you enabled cellular networks for location services?
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Click to collapse
sadly, i did not. I'm very very new to android and didnt know something like that wouldnt be on. That certainly did the trick, thanks!
P.S. anybody put in the gps test code and play around with skyhook? i just turned it on. In addition anybody know what changes the accuracy value does (default is 50)?

nricci said:
This shouldn't be necessary. I know aGPS helps, but pure GPS should work anyway, albeit taking more time to lock.
I bought two Vibrants and left hem out in the backyard for 1 hour, over a table, and they could not lock on the satellites. One hour!
The GPS ship in these unites are either second class or there is a bad batch.
The old G1 locked in 15 seconds.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
15 seconds without aGPS is better than a standalone GPS system. You must've had aGPS on..
@jblade1000 Yeah I didn't even think to check it. I think it was left off unintentionally by T-Mobile or Samsung. It works for me. We might not even have standalone GPS. It's not out of the question.

My GPS won't lock for the life of me. Thought it might be due to being inside, but I went out in the middle of a field and got no lock.

copualt3 said:
Go to
Setting>check use wireless networks and gps. Download update for google maps and you good to go. Also install speech synthesis. Btw this is on the vibrant.
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Click to collapse
Worked perfectly after I did this.
Just to clarify for everyone:
Settings -> Location and security -> check use wireless networks and check use GPS satellites..

Has anyone ever stopped to think that maybe the third party GPS apps are wrong?

Okay so now that I have my vibrant I tested it out (only a few times) but I did test it in different applications, websites, and maps and navigation. Yes in the gps and compass apps it doesn't pick up at all compared to my slide BUT in every other application, on google where it finds your location, on yelp, movie phone, maps, and navigation it finds my location each and every time. It doesn't get me lost, it doesn't show me going in a different direction, and it doesn't show me somewhere else.
What if the configurations or settings are different with samsung, what if the third party app is not completely accurate? Why else would every other program find my location if the app says I am not found by even 1 satellite? I think the"fix" is just a change of setting that helps the app not the gps or the phone.
Time will tell but for me it us working fine for now.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

Well you can do gps tests within the os that say basically the same thing...

Ive used my gps with google navigate nermous times with no problem. in fact, it guided me on a 160mile trip just fine... What problems are people having with their gps?

Well, I've only had the phone for a day, so I'm still getting used to the quirks coming from a G1. GPS so far is the biggest disappointment. Android has been pushing location based stuff since the beginning, so the lack of a solid GPS is really screwing up some of my favorite apps. Locale for instance, it's worthless. It can't ever find me. The G1 always worked fine with it on Donut, Eclair, and Froyo.
Google Maps is the ONLY app I have that seems to even be able to get a rough idea where I am, and even then its circle is pretty big, about 4 city blocks. That's not GPS, that's network location, and it's fine for what it is, but not good enough when there aren't a lot of cell towers around. At home, it puts me out in the middle of a corn field. All the time I'm in maps, the GPS icon is up there blinking at me, telling me it can't lock. I've seen it work a couple times, for a short while. In GMaps and in GPS Test. But it takes a LONG time. The G1 could get a lock indoors in about 10 seconds. The Vibrant takes minutes, even with the A-GPS turned on in the test menus. That's insane. And it's not any better outside with a clear sky view. That might be acceptable, if it could hold the lock, but it doesn't.
Even stranger, in GPS Test, I get a single colored bar saying it's using that signal. There are 6 more with the same or higher signal strength being ignored. Very odd. Something is wrong with this GPS. It could very well be software, but Samsung needs to get on this and fast. If I can't find a way to get acceptable GPS performance within my 14 day period, I will likely return it. That will really suck, as otherwise I really like the device, but I need a decent GPS.

ttabbal said:
Even stranger, in GPS Test, I get a single colored bar saying it's using that signal. There are 6 more with the same or higher signal strength being ignored. Very odd. Something is wrong with this GPS.
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This has been my experience as well, and I found the same thing when trying a friend's phone. If only T-Mobile/Samsung would acknowledge that there is a problem and say they are working on it...

No problem here
But as I came from the G1 I use Google Maps exclusively. I haven't had a single problem with it. Inside my house I can get a fix on my location on the map, exactly where it should be. Are you guys using the TeleNav?

ttabbal said:
Even stranger, in GPS Test, I get a single colored bar saying it's using that signal. There are 6 more with the same or higher signal strength being ignored. Very odd. Something is wrong with this GPS. It could very well be software, but Samsung needs to get on this and fast.
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I have the same issue... I can only ever lock on to 1 sat. This is not right. My G1 would lock on to many birds.

zoid_99 said:
I have the same issue... I can only ever lock on to 1 sat. This is not right. My G1 would lock on to many birds.
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I wonder if GPS Test is either wrong about that, or more likely, getting bad data from the OS or GPS driver. IIRC they are just parsing the NMEA data from the GPS driver, so "garbage in, garbage out". You don't get 20ft accuracy with 1 satellite being used.
I fooled with the settings in the "GPS fix 101" thread and got the thing working decently. Took a number of tries, and we'll see if it keeps working over time.
This really is something that TMO and Samsung should acknowledge and at least promise a fix for. Preferably with a close release date. And we shouldn't have to wait for Froyo either, get us a fix for JUST the GPS and a lot of people would be VERY happy. Well, that and the compass, that thing is even more worthless than the GPS before the fixes.
For the poster with Google Maps working, did you try with network locations disabled? Is the GPS icon in the status bar flashing or solid? If it's flashing, you DON'T have a GPS lock. Maps seems to be really good at using the network location stuff. I also enabled Skyhook in the GPS settings screen and Maps really seems to like that. Doesn't help with GPS performance though.

This thread is idiotic.

cashless said:
This thread is idiotic.
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Wow.. that statement was idiotic. Maybe you aren't having the GPS issues that others are having but this thread is helping me debug and decide weather or not I'm keeping the Vibrant or returning it.

You guys are not alone. There is obviously something wrong with either the hardware, or the software. Either way, the buyer's remorse period is halfway through, and neither company has said so much as a peep.
I will definitely be returning my device by the time the remorse period expires. What a shame that would be, because I really love this screen. All it would take is for T-Mobile and Samsung to acknowledge the problem, and state that a fix is on the way.
Here's my post, detailing my contact and findings with the two companies.
It's been a few days now, and I've heard nothing back. Never a good sign.

EDIT. Got it working

Care to share?

i know were sick of the gps threads but i must ask

Is anybody's working to satisfactory? Or am I the only one?
I never really used GPS till I got this device and only from the complaining here had it really got me interested . Although I use GPS maybe 3 times a year, I've made it a point to use it every drive I take to see if its still working.
I always get a lock within 5 seconds to at most a min. Stationary or moving don't matter. I've never had my phone say location not available.
My phone always sees 11 or more and only locks on to 3 or 4 once it locked 7...
When I hit navigate to then a destination it instantly finds me and routes me. While driving it every now and again has a blue circle but that's usually during lots of overpasses turns on freeways and etc. For the most part it has no circle ...
I will admit every now and again it'll lose route and not reroute so I back out and hit navigate again and back to navigating.
Its even found me in portland Oregon in the city.
So my question is, although GPS could be better I.e. faster lock, more birds to lock on and tracking while moving, it still has served its purpose and found me my way a few times when I'm lost.
On the way home I will use it again and it will find me almost instantly and navigate me all the way home...
Am I lucky? Or do others work good enough to get around, yes could be better, but is yours good enough like mine to where even if they don't fix it, its not that big of a deal cause for the most part for me it works?
Another thing is I'm beggining to think its hardware and software. Reason is messing with the settings does improve or have different results, but on the other hand the gps fixes seem to give everyone different results and why would Samsung release them all with poor GPS just to supposedly fix it in a few weeks/ wouldn't it have been easier to fix then ship em out?
Who knows, no one is for sure, but I just want to know who's is atleast satisfactory like mine? Maybe I just don't have high GPS standards cause I don't use it to get 1 meter off. If I'm atleast 50 meters away I think my eyes and brain can help me find the other 50 meters.
So are you satisfied even though it needs improvements? I am. I don't think it needs fixed, but as Samsung says "optimized".
Please no there are many GPS threads comments this is a little different ...
Is your GPS useless, or does it get the job done, not how you wish, but gets it done?
Edit: this is no gps fixes. Pure stock.

Mine isn't as terrible as some people say on here, but there are definitely problems. Latitude, for instance, often falls back to network location even with a clear view of the sky. Driving, it will randomly drift far enough that the GPS goes to rerouting mode, trying to bring me back on course. And there are times that it just refuses to get a lock for 10-15 minutes, though luckily that doesn't happen too often. Definitely worst GPS performance than my G1.
But, all that being said.. Not so bad that I'm really stressing about it. I'll give Samsung/TMO a few more weeks for an update and hopefully they patch up the issues with Froyo. If not, or if the update gets delayed, I'll start tinkering with the fixes from the forums.

mine works fine too. quick to lock, navigation works perfectly. i was locking on 3-4 satellites last time i tried.
it's not very good indoors, and often has trouble determining location, but outdoors it has been completely satisfactory.
this is all with gps on, and use wireless networks off, btw. completely stock, and the compass works fine too.

Is anybody's working to satisfactory? Or am I the only one?
I never really used GPS till I got this device and only from the complaining here had it really got me interested . Although I use GPS maybe 3 times a year, I've made it a point to use it every drive I take to see if its still working.
I always get a lock within 5 seconds to at most a min. Stationary or moving don't matter. I've never had my phone say location not available.
My phone always sees 11 or more and only locks on to 3 or 4 once it locked 7...
When I hit navigate to then a destination it instantly finds me and routes me. While driving it every now and again has a blue circle but that's usually during lots of overpasses turns on freeways and etc. For the most part it has no circle ...
I will admit every now and again it'll lose route and not reroute so I back out and hit navigate again and back to navigating.
Its even found me in portland Oregon in the city.
So my question is, although GPS could be better I.e. faster lock, more birds to lock on and tracking while moving, it still has served its purpose and found me my way a few times when I'm lost.
On the way home I will use it again and it will find me almost instantly and navigate me all the way home...
Am I lucky? Or do others work good enough to get around, yes could be better, but is yours good enough like mine to where even if they don't fix it, its not that big of a deal cause for the most part for me it works?
Another thing is I'm beggining to think its hardware and software. Reason is messing with the settings does improve or have different results, but on the other hand the gps fixes seem to give everyone different results and why would Samsung release them all with poor GPS just to supposedly fix it in a few weeks/ wouldn't it have been easier to fix then ship em out?
Who knows, no one is for sure, but I just want to know who's is atleast satisfactory like mine? Maybe I just don't have high GPS standards cause I don't use it to get 1 meter off. If I'm atleast 50 meters away I think my eyes and brain can help me find the other 50 meters.
So are you satisfied even though it needs improvements? I am. I don't think it needs fixed, but as Samsung says "optimized".
Please no there are many GPS threads comments this is a little different ...
Is your GPS useless, or does it get the job done, not how you wish, but gets it done?

I'm the same, I don't use GPS that much, but when I do it works fairly well. Its not the best I've used but it gets the job done. Only once when I was driving on the freeway could it not lock on.
I remember reading that a GPS fix leaked for the Captivate and it seemed to fix the issue. And the new SGS phones coming out for Verizon and Sprint seem to have better luck with GPS.

For me too GPS locks 95% times. However Navigation is the only application that crashes my phone once in a while....and I dont like that

Mine seems OK, with the light use I've given it. Haven't tested it out with route-tracing software like some have -- but for just getting an accurate lock, it seems on par with other phones I've used. (Maybe a little slower to lock.)

I had tested my GF's Samsung Moment alongside my Vibrant many times and the Moment hooks to GPS quickly and consistently. I cannot think how Samsung could implement an inferior GPS in their flagship phone!

My gps works flawlessly, when I read all these threads its hard to remaster because everyone I use gps it takes a matter of seconds to lock in and route me to my destination. Even in my area of living which is outside of the city it is very vet close to where I actually am and even right on. I would be frustrated if it didn't work as I do use my gps every so often but it is precise in my experience and I'm very happy with the final product.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

I now have two GPS's in two of our cars. The primary reason for buying a GPS a while back was so I could meet up with guys that I often 4wheel with in various locations. I would get lost when somebody told me to meet them in a city that I didn't know very well. My wife saw how handy my GPS was and took it. I finally got a G1 and it was used as a backup in case the wife wouldn't let me use "My GPS".
Anyways fast forward a year or so. We bought a second GPS for her car. Why because she got the new one of course.
Now that I have 2 GPS's in my cars my phone has been well a secondary or I should say hardly ever used. However when I'm on foot and I get backwards its always been nice to know I could fire up my GPS and find my way somewhere. Lord knows I've been lost a few times in down town Seattle. Wandering around and firing up maps and then using the by foot option has saved me many times. Sure it didn't have to be accurate since all I needed to know was do I walk 3 blocks north then 1 to the west or is it 3 blocks to the west then 1 block to the north?
The Vibrant GPS works when I need it, but honestly I really wish it was a bit more like the G1. Its nearly useless when I use CardioTrainer and a few more apps.

I have had my Vibrant for about 45 days and the GPS has been awful since day one. I have tried some of the fixes which did help a little bit but I still have problems. The GPS cuts on and off so much that Cardio Trainer is pretty much useless most of the time. It has started to freeze on me while attempting to use Cardio Trainer today, which necessitated pulling the battery. The GPS normally shows me about 2 of 3 miles from where I actually am. The compass is just about totally useless. This is a wonderful phone and would be a fantastic phone if the compass and GPS just worked normally. I am starting to be concerned with the phone starting to freeze up as it has not done that in the past.

Mine worked great for a few weeks. Even though it wouldn't lock more than 3 or 4 satellites the performance was completely satisfactory. Then it got a little quirky with accuracy and my position started jumping around a lot. Then it started positioning me miles from where I actually was sometimes, causing Maps to lock up, causing the entire phone to lock up, and generally being unreliable.
Over the past week or so I've had to reboot the phone half the time I try to use the GPS in order to get it to work. I can usually get it to work at a satisfactory level eventually, but it's far from painless. I haven't tried any of the "fixes"...my GPS settings are stock.

On my first phone the GPS and phone in general was a disaster.
Once returned, my second phone is "ok" for driving assistance use, it takes awhile for a lock but it works. But I otherwise leave GPS turned off or else my phone will randomly shut down/reboot.
With trepidation I applied a no lag fix and it has turned my opinion of the phone from "meh" to wow (even though I was not even sure I had a lag problem, but little did I know).
So if GPS gets fixed and 2.2 deployed, and assuming 2.2 solves lag or a no-lag fix is implemented for 2.2, then I will be very happy. But it sure seems like a bit of grief to get to that point. Anything goes wrong down that path, and I'll focus on HTC or other devices... cause for similar past issues with hardware I never buy HP

mjpacheco said:
So if GPS gets fixed and 2.2 deployed, and assuming 2.2 solves lag or a no-lag fix is implemented for 2.2, then I will be very happy. But it sure seems like a bit of grief to get to that point. Anything goes wrong down that path, and I'll focus on HTC or other devices... cause for similar past issues with hardware I never buy HP
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Add a compass fix to that list and I'm there with ya.

After applying the gps fix I haven't had a problem since. I use the gps daily and have only had 1 restart. Had my vibrant since day 1. Maybe I just got lucky.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

I completely understand the need to get the GPS fixed, but I have to honestly ask...why do so many people seem so worried about the compass?
Are there that many of you out there that wander around using the compass all the time ? Is it because of apps like Layar ?
Using a smartphone as a compass/gps on a hike is useless if you plan to be out more than a few hours so that can't be it.
Is it just the principle of the thing ... that they provide the feature so it should work properly out of the box?
I'm not trying to be a wise ass here...I'm honestly curious.
Sent from Samsung Vibrant

Stresa said:
I completely understand the need to get the GPS fixed, but I have to honestly ask...why do so many people seem so worried about the compass?
Are there that many of you out there that wander around using the compass all the time ? Is it because of apps like Layar ?
Using a smartphone as a compass/gps on a hike is useless if you plan to be out more than a few hours so that can't be it.
Is it just the principle of the thing ... that they provide the feature so it should work properly out of the box?
I'm not trying to be a wise ass here...I'm honestly curious.
Sent from Samsung Vibrant
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In a word: yes.
While I don't use Layar much, it would be great if it worked. I've tried to use Google Skymaps several times and gave up due to the compass completely freaking out when I hold the phone up to, you know, look at the sky. It's nice the have a working compass for Google Maps...even if it's just for street view. Yelp taunts me with directional functionality that doesn't work, and I could go on. In general I'd like to know that apps that use the magnetometer to detect orientation (and who knows what will come along that will use that functionality) will work. I don't think that's too much to ask.
Now, I also do a lot of city navigation on foot, and having a compass to figure out which way to walk when I come up from a subway on my way to a meeting is a huge help. Seriously. At that point I don't have a GPS because I've been underground.
I've used Android devices (like the G1) that are old-ish, and I've used Android devices that are not considered high-end devices with working compasses, so yeah, on principle I expect my high-end $500 device to work at least as well as they do. Had I known about the worthless compass before I purchased the phone it would have given me pause...I probably would have at least considered another device. It bugs me that such a simple piece of functionality being broken will prevent me from using apps and features that I'd otherwise find useful on my expensive device.
Now I have a Swiss Army knife with a broken saw blade. Yeah, it's just the saw blade, but I paid for one with a working saw blade, dammit, and it wasn't cheap.

dex1701 said:
In a word: yes.
While I don't use Layar much, it would be great if it worked. I've tried to use Google Skymaps several times and gave up due to the compass completely freaking out when I hold the phone up to, you know, look at the sky. It's nice the have a working compass for Google Maps...even if it's just for street view. In general I'd like to know that apps that use the magnetometer to detect orientation (and who knows what will come along that will use that functionality) will work. I don't think that's too much to ask.
Now, I also do a lot of city navigation on foot, and having a compass to figure out which way to walk when I come up from a subway on my way to a meeting is a huge help. Seriously. At that point I don't have a GPS because I've been underground.
I've used Android devices (like the G1) that are old-ish, and I've used Android devices that are not considered high-end devices with working compasses, so yeah, on principle I expect my high-end $500 device to work at least as well as they do. Had I known about the worthless compass before I purchased the phone it would have given me pause...I probably would have at least considered another device. It bugs me that such a simple piece of functionality being broken will prevent me from using apps and features that I'd otherwise find useful on my expensive device.
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that sucks dude. i just noticed what you were saying about google sky map, mine was tripping out for a little while but then it finally settled down. can't really tell if it's pointing in the accurate direction because it's daylight
my compass has worked just fine on maps though. it always points me in the right direction, and even the compass on the "gps status" app is correct, birds locked on or not

lolcopter said:
that sucks dude. i just noticed what you were saying about google sky map, mine was tripping out for a little while but then it finally settled down. can't really tell if it's pointing in the accurate direction because it's daylight
my compass has worked just fine on maps though. it always points me in the right direction, and even the compass on the "gps status" app is correct, birds locked on or not
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If I hold the phone "just right" I can usually get the compass to work ok in things like Maps where accuracy isn't terribly important. It's still painfully slow compared to other Android devices I've used, though. Most I've seen have nearly instantaneous compass updates when you turn...on my Vibrant (both of them) I have to wait a while for it to settle down before I can tell how it's reading. When I hold it in an odd position...like you do for Skymaps...it's all over the place. Sometimes it works, but it's hard to tell unless you're manually keeping track of which way is North, which kinda defeats the purpose, eh?

dex1701 said:
If I hold the phone "just right" I can usually get the compass to work ok in things like Maps where accuracy isn't terribly important. It's still painfully slow compared to other Android devices I've used, though. Most I've seen have nearly instantaneous compass updates when you turn...on my Vibrant (both of them) I have to wait a while for it to settle down before I can tell how it's reading. When I hold it in an odd position...like you do for Skymaps...it's all over the place. Sometimes it works, but it's hard to tell unless you're manually keeping track of which way is North, which kinda defeats the purpose, eh?
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true
hopefully samsung releases a fix baked into some froyo here soon. they had better do SOMETHING this month anyway

[RUMOR] GPS Fix on it's way

From Acer. Sorry, no details or ETA at this time. But it's a good rumor non the less.

At least you state it's a rumor. But still, from Acer how? Email support? A phone tech? You bangin' the CEO's daughter?

GPS fix for what? For the fact that I CAN use GPS without wifi?

Yeah, who's the rumor from?
You read it somewhere, after you wrote it? ;-)

did not know we need a gps fix.tell you rumor friend recovery is needed
pleaseeeee
us blonde chics break our stuff alot
giggles

I saw it on another site. They did not provide any more info, hence the word rumor.
Also, for those of you that are lucky enough to have units that have working GPS, good on you. However, there are many of us that can't get any sats to lock.
Although it is a rumor, I'll take it. Here is hoping for a fix soon!

although the app keeps freezing, co-pilot did get a lock in my house

I pull 3/7 in my house, which is a shoddy Mexican affair with lots of cinderblock and rebar, so a real signal killer. 6/9 or so outside. All within a minute of starting.
For you non-workers, I hope there is a fix. For me, I want more video codecs supported.

how about a cell standby fix
I'll take a cell standby fix before GPS. It's killing my battery. Sirplane mode and all.

yea felt like the GPS has worked just fine!

I'm having issues with no GPS even standing outside. It will eventually lock on 1-2 satellites after about 2 minutes when my phone will see 7-8. I'm either going to return or "hope" for a fix. It will not work if there isn't wifi available, so I think it may be a bug.
Anyone else with this problem? Compass is waaaaay off too.
S

number of sats
GPS status locked 4 of 4 in my house in under 45seconds

I chatted with support today they say the GPS is a known issue it will be fixed with a software update no eta

Mine has not been able to lock-on to satellites for several days, but starting last night I noticed that it began working just fine.

gps google maps or tablet issue
i think.the.gps issue is google maps.One you install and run a third/oarty app /utility it works fine.There is no doubt there is a issue.
Try geting co-pilot it will crash on you.several times loading but go slow head to menue settings then sound turn off the startup sound and the beeps.It will become very stable after/and i get a fix on 3 sats in the house in like 1.5 minutes at max.After co/pilot gets a fix i can then launch google nav and it will get a fix nearly instantly sometimes.and sometimes it will have to be restarted several times.With that said even co-polot is not near as accurate as myDelorme on my laptop.from a cold start.it even takes 3 minutesto get a withen 6 inch fix maybe accuracy will come from the update.I really need gps to work so i dont haveto pack my laptop in my workvan with me anymore.
Someone should create a driver for the/delorm earthmate 4 i think is what mine is usb
hint hint
Thanks for letting me rant about this
the blonde chic
Erica

Interesting GPS find

So my GPS works pretty well when I am outside, but when I am inside it can be pretty bad, I live in the first floor of a 3 story condo complex and its pretty rare that I get a lock inside, without using GPS Status or any AGPS download tool, which I personally find is not needed when it comes to getting your GPS working.
Well I installed the MapQuest app, please don't flame me for not using google, but that app has been getting pretty fast GPS locks now.
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.mapquest.android.ace&feature=search_result
So just from my observances it seems like a mismatch in coding with the GPS and Google maps, and Mapquest can atleast turn on and good a good/decent lock with it.

People don't need gps indoors.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA Premium App

Avelnan said:
People don't need gps indoors.
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Click to collapse
Ever been to the Smithsonian Museum or Library of Congress?
For the OP, the app has nothing to do with the fix time, the GPS is run via Android API, not direct hardware access. You just happened to get lucky or had recently run the GPS and the satellite positioning cache was still recent.

I always thought it was just a bug in Google Maps. Whenever I have trouble getting a fix, I switch to something else, like Bing Maps, and it locks instantly.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App

Domush said:
Ever been to the Smithsonian Museum or Library of Congress?
For the OP, the app has nothing to do with the fix time, the GPS is run via Android API, not direct hardware access. You just happened to get lucky or had recently run the GPS and the satellite positioning cache was still recent.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would agree with you, but I rebooted a bunch and tested it, and it had been about 3 days since I used the GPS, I used Mapquest and it it locked pretty quick.
And this morning, which normally after not using not using it for about 8+ hours it doesn't work. It wasn't locking this morning, I opened map quest and it started working again.

+1
Hate to admit this, but this works for me. I've had issues with locks as well as accuracy (always zeroes in to a not-so-nearby spot). I've done the ntp pool edits (which helped a tad). But Mapquest somehow "unblocks" and gets a more accurate location. Then when you open Google Maps it somehow works okay now that Mapquest paved the way. On the other hand, Mapquest forces your WiFi on without asking.
EF 3.3.2 + ED03

Sounds like maybe mapquest us downloading agps data everytime. Seems that google maps expects a functional gps and waits for your phone to handle the data retrieval and fixing. Shame.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using Tapatalk

prehistorical said:
On the other hand, Mapquest forces your WiFi on without asking.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If there are any wifi networks visible (doesn't matter if you connect to them or not), Google's Location Services might be the one that's actually finding your location, not the GPS.

mastamoon said:
Sounds like maybe mapquest us downloading agps data everytime.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is this how agps works for sure? aGPS just appeared one day years ago and I've never really learned how it worked. So it downloads a sat position map based on tower connection or something similar?

Domush said:
Is this how agps works for sure? aGPS just appeared one day years ago and I've never really learned how it worked. So it downloads a sat position map based on tower connection or something similar?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A-GPS Wiki
Lots of good info there. So basically yes.

jazzyjames said:
So my GPS works pretty well when I am outside, but when I am inside it can be pretty bad, I live in the first floor of a 3 story condo complex and its pretty rare that I get a lock inside, without using GPS Status or any AGPS download tool, which I personally find is not needed when it comes to getting your GPS working.
Well I installed the MapQuest app, please don't flame me for not using google, but that app has been getting pretty fast GPS locks now.
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.mapquest.android.ace&feature=search_result
So just from my observances it seems like a mismatch in coding with the GPS and Google maps, and Mapquest can atleast turn on and good a good/decent lock with it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for this great post. I thought my gps function was going to be lost for good. I can now use some of my favorite apps again.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA Premium App

That could definitely be useful. I typically use the gps every two weeks

After months of gps issues I just leave it on all the time and always get a lock now.
Battery impact is noticeable but minimal.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA Premium App

Remember, the Galaxy S phones were built with SkyHook's aGPS system in mind. Google forced Samsung to rip it out really late in the day after the Moto/SkyHook deal was discussed in the press.

I turn my wifi on when turning on the gps and now I get lock in google maps every time within seconds.

prehistorical said:
Hate to admit this, but this works for me. I've had issues with locks as well as accuracy (always zeroes in to a not-so-nearby spot). I've done the ntp pool edits (which helped a tad). But Mapquest somehow "unblocks" and gets a more accurate location. Then when you open Google Maps it somehow works okay now that Mapquest paved the way. On the other hand, Mapquest forces your WiFi on without asking.
EF 3.3.2 + ED03
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just a follow-up observation, probably obvious to most of you... but doh! not to me.
GPS and aGPS performance has many variables, location and radio being two significant ones. I've recently downloaded GPS Status from Market that some of you recommended (thanks again!) to help figure out what are GPS vs. aGPS locks on both Google Maps and Mapquest, as well as assist with diagnosis.
http://www.appbrain.com/app/gps-status-toolbox/com.eclipsim.gpsstatus2
Using a sample of 1, it turns out that not only am I located in a poor signal area (1x if lucky), but my GPS availablity here is terrible, too. (This also supports the theory that I will always have relatively terrible battery life, as the phone is always struggling for signal.)
ED03
My earlier post shows my enthusiasm for Mapquest, except that it uses aGPS and turns the Wifi on without asking, and also runs hot. I use Mapquest to get things moving, then use Google Maps as I prefer its interface and functionality.
ED03 --> EA28
Recently switched to EA28 (still under Froyo EF 3.3.2) in an attempt to minimize missing calls as well as get better data performance. Got terrible GPS and aGPS. Even Mapquest has started getting "lost". Call signal / performance is marginally better than ED03, but at the expense of GPS accuracy.
However, when I travel to an excellent 3G coverage area, somehow the tables are turned and Google Maps pops us quicker and accurately, while Mapquest is still busy trying to catch up and draw the map.
ED03 --> ED04
As the effort to switch modems around have become trivial, I decided to get the ED04 modem in case there are any improvements to either call performance or GPS. So far GPS/aGPS is still terrible in my normally terrible coverage area. Too soon to tell if call performance improved, or if missed calls problem is fixed.
Play around with modems! Link to Comradesven's thread:
"[MODEM][ODIN][CWM]DL09, EA28, ED01, ED03, ED04 modems without ridiculous 100MB OTAs"
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1097355
I was wondering if anyone has had a chance to evaluate the new GB leak's modem, either with a GB ROM or a Froyo ROM? Might be the next modem to test if ED04 is still terrible.
Link to JPTech7's thread:
"[EC09][MODEM][ODIN] EC09 Radio/Modem for Odin"
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1132236
Thanks to all the devs for giving us all these options to play with!
EF 3.3.2 + ED04

thanks for the tip

prehistorical said:
[...]
ED03 --> ED04
As the effort to switch modems around have become trivial, I decided to get the ED04 modem in case there are any improvements to either call performance or GPS. So far GPS/aGPS is still terrible in my normally terrible coverage area. Too soon to tell if call performance improved, or if missed calls problem is fixed.
Play around with modems! Link to Comradesven's thread:
"[MODEM][ODIN][CWM]DL09, EA28, ED01, ED03, ED04 modems without ridiculous 100MB OTAs"
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1097355
I was wondering if anyone has had a chance to evaluate the new GB leak's modem, either with a GB ROM or a Froyo ROM? Might be the next modem to test if ED04 is still terrible.
Link to JPTech7's thread:
"[EC09][MODEM][ODIN] EC09 Radio/Modem for Odin"
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1132236
Thanks to all the devs for giving us all these options to play with!
[...]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ED04 was such a bad modem with missed calls galore, I quickly ODIN'ed the EC09 modem and was pleasantly surprised with better performance -- calls and GPS/aGPS.
A road trip to the "countryside" then revealed that the countryside had better VZW signal and GPS than my normal location! 3G and GPS accuracy and quick locks... so this is how the phone should work!
Finally got back to the land of poor VZW reception, and had to focus on minimizing missed calls. Between the EC09 and EA28 modems -- EA28 had less missed calls so that's where I ended up. But both have excellent GPS performance in both great and marginal reception areas, specially compared to the EDxx series. ED04 was quite a flop for me.
EF 3.3.2 + EA28

Anybody here know if it is possible to get a replacement for their phone because of the Fascinate GPS problems? By replacement, I mean a different phone and not a refurb with the same problem.
I've been able to live with the phone not locking and being almost right most of the time, but this last week I really needed the GPS to lock and work and it wouldn't. Driving around with broken AC in 105 degree weather was the last straw.

Does mapquest initially turn on Wifi? I tried this by getting mapquest from the market and tried to see if it could find my location. I accidentally clicked the home button and when I saw my power control widget, I saw wifi on and then it suddenly turned off. (I have wifi off almost always).