Faulty GPS hardware on my phone?

Faulty GPS hardware on my phone? - Vibrant General

I have tried updating the modems, rooted and flashed various bionix, and other roms... My phone's GPS is always placing me a few blocks away from my location and never shows me where I really am... you think the phone's GPS radio is faulty? Grounds for asking for a replacement? I got the phone back in July.

Mine seems to always have a huge bubble around it in Google Maps.
However, I downloaded Bing from the market and it works fine, and is very accurate. It doesn't have Voice Guidance, but I can deal with that. I'm starting to think it's just Google Maps that is pretty much trash... EDIT: Or maybe the GPS Software/Driver in our phones are just finicky, because both Google Maps and Bing are spot on on my HD2.
Also, when I test I make sure GPS is on and Network (Tower-based) Location is off, and I'm not connected to a WiFi hotspot.

I was just about to box mine up and sell it on eBay...but the retentions rep I talked to at T-Mobile seemed pretty knowlegeable and said there was some hardware faults with the first batch and assured me that a replacement would fix it. (or at least he was a really good talker, but he didn't sound like he was reading a script). I'm expecting it this week and will see if that is true or not.

Related

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.

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

Did samsung and sprint forget about the gps??? Wth!

Just pointing out, running a totally stock epic.
I can sit in FRIDAY TRAFFIC, like I did today.........and click on google maps... and even WITH WIRELESS NETWORKS ON.......my phone has NO FREAKIN CLUE where I am on the highway!!
After this fiasco with the gps, I don't think I'll ever be able to buy a samsung phone again.
Cold boot, warm boot, hot boot. Makes no FARKING DIFFERENCE when I'm sitting in traffic wanting another route at 5pm on a Friday after a week of work!
What a failure!

Ever think it was your phone? Mine locks within 5 seconds everytime even when I am indoors.
Wifi networks on
GPS on
Cold Start

Mine has a horrible time locating when I have 4G enabled. Here's my solution:
-Turn off 4G
-Turn on GPS
-Reboot
-Open Google Maps, boom sync right away.
-Turn on 4G after acquiring a lock if you need it

tonyp23 said:
Mine has a horrible time locating when I have 4G enabled. Here's my solution:
-Turn off 4G
-Turn on GPS
-Reboot
-Open Google Maps, boom sync right away.
-Turn on 4G after acquiring a lock if you need it
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This is ridiculous for a flagship #1 rated phone.

Yes, there are bugs remaining with the Epic GPS -- some of which manifest themselves, or not, depending on usage patterns. The underlying problem is bad handling of the time-sensitive GPS cache.
As for your opening question: Did Samsung and Sprint forget about the GPS? That is a very good question. So far the manufacturer and carrier officially refuse to acknowledge the bugs. We know that Sprint investigated, and off-the-record third-tier support told a serious tester that the bugs were replicable and they forwarded the case to Samsung. Sprint front-line support, on its own forum, went through the motions of soliciting user' reports. But we never heard anything back.
There are workarounds for the worst of the GPS problems: Keep the Cold Start setting and turn off WiFi and 4G when initializing a GPS session with GPS Test. Then you can reenable 4g and use your mapping or nav apps normally.
But the GPS will not always work reliably out of the box unless Samsung fixes it.

I understand there are workarounds but the big problem I have is that Sprint completely ignores the problem. I've had an ongoing conversation with @sprintcare via twitter and every response is ignorant to the fact that there is a gps problem. They actually act like they've never heard of it and it's new to them when I bring it up. I pointed out that the Vibrant actually had an update specifically to fix the same problem. Generally, contacting @sprintcare actually works with most questions and problems, but anytime I ask about a gps fix their reply is "what gps problem?" then they continue to ask me questions about what gps app I'm using etc etc. I doubt we'll even be getting a gps fix for this phone.

jirafabo said:
I understand there are workarounds but the big problem I have is that Sprint completely ignores the problem. I've had an ongoing conversation with @sprintcare via twitter and every response is ignorant to the fact that there is a gps problem. They actually act like they've never heard of it and it's new to them when I bring it up. I pointed out that the Vibrant actually had an update specifically to fix the same problem. Generally, contacting @sprintcare actually works with most questions and problems, but anytime I ask about a gps fix their reply is "what gps problem?" then they continue to ask me questions about what gps app I'm using etc etc. I doubt we'll even be getting a gps fix for this phone.
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All that is unhappily consistent with what I observe, with one factual distinction: The GPS bugs on the Epic are not the same as the GPS bugs on the Vibrant (or its GSM-based siblings, the Captivate and I9000). The Epic has different GPS hardware, different firmware and different GPS bugs. They are discrete problems that seem to be unique to the Sprint platform.

boomerbubba said:
All that is unhappily consistent with what I observe, with one factual distinction: The GPS bugs on the Epic are not the same as the GPS bugs on the Vibrant (or its GSM-based siblings, the Captivate and I9000). The Epic has different GPS hardware, different firmware and different GPS bugs. They are discrete problems that seem to be unique to the Sprint platform.
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The Samsung Moment had well documented gps issues. My Evo never had a problem with gps and I had androids version and Sprint Navigation. Now the Epic has gps problems. Don't think it's sprint. It's the lovely Samsung.

imwillzillla said:
The Samsung Moment had well documented gps issues. My Evo never had a problem with gps and I had androids version and Sprint Navigation. Now the Epic has gps problems. Don't think it's sprint. It's the lovely Samsung.
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Yes, it undoubtedly is Samsung's engineering problem to solve. But Sprint put its brand on the phone and sold it to us. Samsung built the phone to Sprint's specs, and presumably there was a QA acceptance step where Sprint signed off on the product before release. Part of the complaint in this thread is that the carrier is stonewalling in public about recognizing the GPS bug officially as a known issue.

Some kind of GPS update in Froyo beta
In the Froyo beta thread, it is reported that one of the GPS bugs -- the bogus estimate of 30-meter accuracy -- seems to be gone. So some kind of GPS update seems to be bundled with the Froyo release in the pipeline. No word yet on whether the more serious locking problem is fixed. It would take some controlled testing to determine that.

J3ff said:
Just pointing out, running a totally stock epic.
I can sit in FRIDAY TRAFFIC, like I did today.........and click on google maps... and even WITH WIRELESS NETWORKS ON.......my phone has NO FREAKIN CLUE where I am on the highway!!
After this fiasco with the gps, I don't think I'll ever be able to buy a samsung phone again.
Cold boot, warm boot, hot boot. Makes no FARKING DIFFERENCE when I'm sitting in traffic wanting another route at 5pm on a Friday after a week of work!
What a failure!
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Click to collapse
Might just be your phone.
Was playing with the updated Facebook app the other day and decided to try out the Places feature. I tried to check into a food spot I was having lunch in and the locations weren't loading. I realized that I turned off all location features, so went into settings and check on the locate with wireless networks setting and boom the location based services in FB started working.
Navigator and CoPilot Live all work for me and pinpoint in secs.

Having my droid next to the epic, my droid had 6 feet accuracy, locked on 9/9 satellites vs epic with incorrect 98 feet and 7/9
I'm sick of this crap. I love the phone so much, but this issue is getting to me. Idon't really mind as all phones have their problems, but it should have been fixed by now
Sent from Epic 4G

LordLugard said:
Might just be your phone.
Was playing with the updated Facebook app the other day and decided to try out the Places feature. I tried to check into a food spot I was having lunch in and the locations weren't loading. I realized that I turned off all location features, so went into settings and check on the locate with wireless networks setting and boom the location based services in FB started working.
Navigator and CoPilot Live all work for me and pinpoint in secs.
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Want to join our club of non-working GPS? Here's how: #1, tonight, before you goto bed, restart your phone. Give it a nice, full reboot. Then, turn on WiFi, and make sure WiFi is set to Never Sleep under advanced wifi properties. (When you go into WiFi settings, tap Menu, Advanced. Change Sleep Policy to "Never."). Now, have a nice night, dream in anticipation of your never-locking GPS when you awake.
When you awake (hopefully more than 4 hours after you went to bed), with WiFi still on, start Google Maps. What? The little GPS blinky icon won't stop blinking? And your location is a WiFi-inspired circle that won't quite lock down to your actual position? Welcome to the club, my friend.
How to fix? You can try what you like, but you'll have to shut off WiFi and reboot. Your ephemeris cache won't reset properly until you do. Sucks, doesn't it. This test is extensively-repeatable, and has been reported here, on BAW, and elsewhere.

What was the code to change gps settings?
Sent from Epic 4G

boomerbubba said:
Part of the complaint in this thread is that the carrier is stonewalling in public about recognizing the GPS bug officially as a known issue.
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This is my ONLY problem with the issue. I'm ok with there being an existing problem, and the cold start workaround works fine for me because I have great cell coverage in Orlando. Just show me you are working on a fix. Don't act like it doesn't exist, and as far as I can tell, that's exactly what Sprint is doing.

I think that's most people's grief. It's that there isa problem, and nothign has been done. it's a pretty big problem as these phones use GPS for alot of reasons

Not saying that the phone may not have a problem, but you are having a extra problem I think. Got to be the phone.
I use the piss out of my GPS, I'm new to DFW. I have to GPS everything here. Never have had a problem like that. I can't get enough of how smooth the google nav is.
Sent from my SPH-D700

Hmm Im going to a party tonight to see a girl who I really like. Wonder if my Epic (after a reboot and turning off wifi) will be nice enough to guide me there........
Sure didn't do ANYTHING last night.

J3ff said:
Hmm Im going to a party tonight to see a girl who I really like. Wonder if my Epic (after a reboot and turning off wifi) will be nice enough to guide me there........
Sure didn't do ANYTHING last night.
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Probably should bring an old iPhone... most girls will like that more.

jirafabo said:
Probably should bring an old iPhone... most girls will like that more.
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haha, I have a friend who is still waiting for the white iPhone to come out because she thinks it's pretty. I have a hard time convincing her to get the iPhone and put on a white case since she's going to put on a case anyways.

[Q] GPS trouble on Acer Iconia 500

Hey,
I got an Iconia A500 about a week ago and have been moderately happy with it, except for one thing. The GPS. I've been all over the internet, through a variety of searches and found this to be a common problem. Acer's build quality is a little crappy in the case of this tablet (you get what you pay for), but the GPS is an exceptional case, it seems.
What I am trying to determine is if it is a hardware issue, or software. If it's hardware (which I suspect), I need to know before the return period runs out. If it's software, I can wait for a fix. That is my dilemma.
The first tablet I had didn't work at all. Inside, outside, sunny, cloudy, I never got ANY results on GPS Test. I have rooted the tablet and used the Fasterfix mod with no effect. So I returned it.
The second device works, but only intermittently and in ideal conditions. If there is any kind of cover (including a car roof, sun umbrella or cloud cover), the satellites disappear. What is interesting is that once a connection is established, it seems to hold onto it for a brief period after I bring it under cover. I have to leave it on my dashboard for about 2-5 minutes to get a connection, which will sustain itself for about 30 seconds after I bring it further into the vehicle. After that, the satellites disappear from the screen.
This is frustrating. It would be one thing if it was completely broken or completely working, but this intermittent stuff is driving me nuts.
So should I take it back for round 3, should I return it outright, or should I wait and hope for a software fix?
I'm otherwise happy with the tablet, despite it being a little slow to render PDF files, which I use it for regularly. I understand this is supposed to speed up with 3.1 though.
Cheers,
-PW

Make sure you upgrade to 3.1 Lots of GPS Fixes it in..
Download an App called GPS Status. its Free.. And see what and how many satellites its even getting if any. Also I do know Acer has said repeatedly for the GPS to work on 3.0 for the first time you have to be connected to a wifi access point, because the GPS is a A-GPS (Assisted GPS) However If you have Android 3.1 installed you should be good to go and no require a Access Point. I proved that one myself yesterday.
A Co-Worker of Mine had to return his Acer Tablet for the same reasons you are describing. So I wouldn't put it past a bad allotment of Tablets. But his second one ended up working. You May need to try a 3rd I wouldnt put it past it.

I have been using GPS Test, which I understand provides the same functionality as GPS Status.
I manually flash updated to 3.1 and noticed now that I've been picking up exactly 1 satellite indoors now, which is odd since I got nothing before. Now I'm even more confused.

I thought that the GPS was buggered in mine too because I opened mapdroyd and it wouldn't find my location. I decided to let it sit for a while with the app open and after about 5 minutes it locked on and stayed locked for a 40 minute drive.

I think the agps information that GPS Status was downloading was making my GPS fix times considerably worse. I removed that application and all other GPS third party applications. My fix times in google maps is much better now (about 30 seconds indoors right now tonight).
Rob

Update:
I let it sit overnight, with the screen forced on and GPS Test running. In the 40 minutes before I went to bed it didn't find anything, but in the morning (roughly 8 hours later), it had found 9 and was locked onto 3. This makes me think that the hardware is capable of seeing these things, but the software is too dumb to lock onto them or look in the right direction to find them.
Strangely enough, the 3 it locked onto had the lowest SNR. The other 6 with 25+, some over 40. What are the parameters that cause it to "lock" rather than simply be detected?
Of course, I've since relocated to work and its now not picking up anything at all. Obviously, if I have to wait 8+ hours before each use, it's not going to be a very useful function.
Maybe my almanac data is not updating. Does anyone know what the best server to use for western canada is?
Cheers,
-Chris

Another Update:
As it turns out, most of my GPS problems look to be caused by a faulty compass. That makes sense, if you think about it. A broken compass makes the almanac data useless, since the tablet has no point of reference in which to follow the directions given by the almanac data.
I tried calibrating the compass to no effect. It just kept spinning around like it was drunk. So I returned the tablet and got a new one. I'm getting better results.
An interesting note is that the sales guy at the store (Future Shop) said that GPS not working was the number one reason this tablet got returned, and he got back a lot of them. Seems there is a hardware issue after all.
Cheers,
-PW

GPS fix

My phone takes a lot of time getting a GPS fix, sometimes it doesn't succeed after minutes of waiting. I compared it to some Samsung phones, those connect within seconds...
The connection seems stable after getting a fix, but getting a fix is very hard for this phone...
Is anyone else experiencing this?

You're not the only one, mine's also broken. Looking around at the official Moto forums, it seems like this is a fairly common issue with the G4 Play.
So far stock was broken, CM 14.1 has been no better. If I use GPS Status & Toolbox it will eventually get a lock and maybe the accuracy will get down to +/-30m, but if any other app that calls for location (Google Maps, Pokemon Go, etc), if the GPS is turned on at all, it will almost never lock unless switch to GPS Status, but once it gets a lock, the accuracy will keep dropping till its greater than +/-300-400m before losing the lock and eventually the phone just shuts down GPS and stops trying. Literally not location or app settings make any difference, neither does factory reset.
I've had 2 G4 Plays so far. The first was the Amazon Prime version, it had no location issues at all and was totally rock solid, but boot loader could not be unlocked, so I sold it to a friend for his kids to use for Pokemon Go since it was a great device for that. This second one may as well not have came with GPS.
Edit: I've returned to stock and zero difference. I'm not messing with this anymore, 2.5 weeks was long enough trying to fix it, I'm replacing it through Amazon.

I was heaving issues too, changed my SIM to the second slot and it's quite better now. I even play PoGo.
Sent from my Moto G Play using XDA-Developers Legacy app

The problem is actually quite simple: The G4 Play cannot connect to Russian satellites (GLONASS). Under GPS Status and a few other apps, they are perma-greyed out. All of my LG phones connect to them just fine. What kills me is that the feature is listed under Motorola's website, and the phone knows they are there (even on CM14.1), but it simply refuses to use them.

I'm not sure of this. I used MapFactor and GPS Status & Toolbox, and the IDs of the satellites are also in the GLONASS range (https://github.com/mvglasow/satstat/wiki/NMEA-IDs). Do you have a US only version of G4 Play? I have the international version.

nick_white said:
I'm not sure of this. I used MapFactor and GPS Status & Toolbox, and the IDs of the satellites are also in the GLONASS range. Do you have a US only version of G4 Play? I have the international version.
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I can confirm my 1607 is US Retail. I tested multiple GPS apps (including GPS-S&T) and while I got signal from GLONASS satellites, it straight up refused to connect to a single one, even if the satellite had better signal than a comparable US satellite. I don't know if it's possible to flash a new modem for this model yet.

Try this app: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.android.gpstest
It gave me the best fix than all the others. I don't know what this guy do but it connects to more satellites and gets a fix faster.

I also have a Moto G4 Play mobile with the same problem.
You won't believe that touching to the gps device on the back side of the phone solved the problem to some extent. I go for running every morning and I use Runkeeper to track my moves. So how much distance I cover in a day is much important for me and thus gps accuracy also. But my location is tracked like a heart rate monitor of a hospital. But one day I was experimenting with my phone and found that if I remove the back cover of the phone and touch to the part where it was written Harpia GPS S01, the signal of the gps boosted and the radius of the blue circle became shorter to about 4-8 metres that means I was getting more accuracy than before. So from that day whenever I go to run, I remove the back cover and put a finger on the gps set and the problem somewhat solved. But this was only a part of the story. My father owns a Micromax Unite 3 mobile and he also used to run daily. What to say about the latter, it gives an accuracy of unbelievable 1 metre. On the latter, the runkeeper even tracks the change of lane or the side of the road. I am just jealous of the phone even though it costs 4000 rs less than mine.

ashishwebmail said:
You won't believe that touching to the gps device on the back side of the phone solved the problem to some extent. I go for running every morning and I use Runkeeper to track my moves. So how much distance I cover in a day is much important for me and thus gps accuracy also. But my location is tracked like a heart rate monitor of a hospital. But one day I was experimenting with my phone and found that if I remove the back cover of the phone and touch to the part where it was written Harpia GPS S01, the signal of the gps boosted and the radius of the blue circle became shorter to about 4-8 metres that means I was getting more accuracy than before. So from that day whenever I go to run, I remove the back cover and put a finger on the gps set and the problem somewhat solved. But this was only a part of the story. My father owns a Micromax Unite 3 mobile and he also used to run daily. What to say about the latter, it gives an accuracy of unbelievable 1 metre. On the latter, the runkeeper even tracks the change of lane or the side of the road. I am just jealous of the phone even though it costs 4000 rs less than mine.
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Sounds like connector failed. Someone on the Lenovo forum had theirs repaired by moto and the antenna connector was what they fixed. Betting mine (and yours) are that. I replaced mine through Amazon, so far the replacement device has been working.
I'm wondering if it's a bad design on the antenna or just manufacturing defect and bad QA on some units.

Kadah said:
Sounds like connector failed. Someone on the Lenovo forum had theirs repaired by moto and the antenna connector was what they fixed. Betting mine (and yours) are that. I replaced mine through Amazon, so far the replacement device has been working.
I'm wondering if it's a bad design on the antenna or just manufacturing defect and bad QA on some units.
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Dumb question, but if the connection is exposed upon removal of the cover, isn't it possible to tear into and reconnect/solder without taking it to a manufacturer? I mean, what I see are two screws to the right of the headphone jack, a plastic cover that says "Harpia GPS S01," and what looks like some kind of antenna watermark.

mkollersms said:
The problem is actually quite simple: The G4 Play cannot connect to Russian satellites (GLONASS). Under GPS Status and a few other apps, they are perma-greyed out. All of my LG phones connect to them just fine. What kills me is that the feature is listed under Motorola's website, and the phone knows they are there (even on CM14.1), but it simply refuses to use them.
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Interesting. I've just checked mine (European XT1602) and it does that, too - the GLONASS satellites are showing up, but are not being used.

When I was in stock rom after some time the gps stopped working well, don't know why. Now with Aox 14.1 is working fine, I don't understand the satellites but the accuracy is pretty good

ronaldotalison said:
When I was in stock rom after some time the gps stopped working well, don't know why. Now with Aox 14.1 is working fine, I don't understand the satellites but the accuracy is pretty good
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Not seeing any active Russians on that image. Your phone might still be having the same problem as everyone else.

I've bought a xt1602 yesterday. The GPS is excellent. I get a fix in few seconds with solid signals, but without glonass.

Update on the current replacement G4 Play: GPS is starting to fail on it as well. I've hardly even used it, maybe only a dozen times in the last several weeks. So far that's 3 of 3 that are defective. I think I'm going to return this one to Amazon too, not sure I want to try a 4th.

mkollersms said:
Not seeing any active Russians on that image. Your phone might still be having the same problem as everyone else.
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I see russian satellites on his picture. How do you know that they were not active?

sevenRA1 said:
I see russian satellites on his picture. How do you know that they were not active?
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Because the three that I see are missing values under the "Flags" column. That hints at the aGPS data being there but that the phone might not have interfaced with them. The UI says 12 of 22 sats are connected. Of the 13 US shown, 12 have all fields with information and the thirteenth is missing info in one column. Granted, all of this is conjecture.

I think u are right. Ive tested it today by myself. But ive to say that this mobile phone has got a VERY fast GPS fix, atleast where i live. (Germany)

I also have bad GPS, thing I've tried:
Reset to factory settings
Safe boot
GPS Toolbox
I will now try putting the sim card in the second slot, like suggested here on the forum. Keep you posted!

Unfortunately putting the SIM card in the second slot did not better the situation. Back to the shop...

Database Users

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