Database Users

gps not working?

got a new phone from tmo today...rooted it, flashed jf1.5, flashed new spl, moved apps and dalvik cache to sd...smooth sailing...redownloaded all my apps from sd and from market, still good...went to google maps and it cant find my location using gps...cellular location still good though...and yes, I did enable gps in the settings...so I reflashed did everything as before and still no go...did I just get a defective G1 or is there something I can fix? Thanks for any help guys!
BTW, my old phone, before it got wet, worked great with all the same settings and same ROM...

GPS can be iffy. Some locations are just prone to bad GPS acquisition. I went to visit my parents last night, real hard to get a fix in their backyard, but eventually it did. Tried at a friend's apartment building, anywhere NEAR it, its impossible to get a fix. Probably something to do with signal reflection. Other times, it'll lock on within a couple of seconds.
Your radio and firmware version are also important. The newer versions seem to lock on to GPS a lot easier. You say that you have jf1.5 -- the latest is 1.51, and can you confirm that you have the latest (official, not the hacked phone killer) radio installed?

lbcoder said:
GPS can be iffy. Some locations are just prone to bad GPS acquisition. I went to visit my parents last night, real hard to get a fix in their backyard, but eventually it did. Tried at a friend's apartment building, anywhere NEAR it, its impossible to get a fix. Probably something to do with signal reflection. Other times, it'll lock on within a couple of seconds.
Your radio and firmware version are also important. The newer versions seem to lock on to GPS a lot easier. You say that you have jf1.5 -- the latest is 1.51, and can you confirm that you have the latest (official, not the hacked phone killer) radio installed?
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I do have jf1.51...and the latest radio...and the latest SPL...my old phone didnt have this problem...I kept all my settings(thank you MYBACKUP PRO) so essentially everything is the same, except for the phone...and the same spots where I used to be able to get a fix with my gps(even indoors) I dont get anything....must be the phone...and if it is...any fixes you guys know about?

just got off the phone with a tmo rep re: my gps issue....I explained to him that I used to be able to get a gps lock on my old phone in seconds indoors and out but not with this replacement phone and he says to me well I have a g1 here with me and Im not able to get a gps lock...I told him that it's probably because he's inside a building with lots of electrical interference and other buildings blocking the reception...i also told him that I was able to use TeleNav with my old phone along with other apps that required gps...and he suggests to me to call TeleNav because it might be a problem with their app...oy...he also suggests to me to go to a tmo store where they have demo phones and we could compare gps signals....oy...I also told him that that I used google maps as a navigation tool before but not anymore since I cant get a gps lock anywhere...and he just tells me to try the tmo store...oy...i might need to unroot this phone and return it to tmo, I guess....

GPS Problems on a new G1

I'm on my third G1. The first one died to some strange graphics issue where the screen would go completely pixilated and wacky on me. I think the graphics processor was overheating. On the second one the touch screen died about the same time the speaker in started buzzing during calls.
Luckly because TMobile extends your warranty 90 days every time you get a new phone, I've only had to pay for shipping. I got the latest one, and immediately installed Cyanogen 4.2.5 on it. No problems. Then I followed Michael Mayhew's instructions for the maps update to get Navigation.
I can't get the GPS to work at all. I've since tried going back to RC29, or the base Cyanogen 4.2.5 without the maps hack. I've tried other GPS applications such as the Chartcross GPSTest. I can't get a read at all on any of them. I don't know if it was working before the updates, because I never tried to use maps before I installed the mod.
So I'm wondering somehow a radio update was applied that broke this phone, or if there is anything I can do to change the gps drivers around. Anyone with similar GPS failure issues?
I don't really want to return this one as I've only had it one day!

Yes, similar issues. No solution thus far. I also did not test GPS before flashing. OOPS?!? And now it no longer works, but I can't tell if that was the case to begin with.
I followed the same procedure (CM 4.2.5, Navigation mod), and had the same result--broken GPS. "My Location" not working, "Searching for GPS" forever, etc.
So two possibilities I can see:
1) hardware problem w/GPS
2) one or a combination of CM 4.2.5 + Nav = broken GPS
I have seen a few people on these boards say their GPS doesn't work all of a sudden. In fact, there are stock Droid owners with issues.
Can anybody chime in?

Hmmm
So for about 10 minutes on Friday it started working again. Totally random, I have no idea why. I was at a party and decided to see if it was working. All of a sudden I had signal (using GPSTest) and google maps found my location.
I've since tried it several times, rebooting, and doing a bunch of other stuff. I can't get it working again. Total fluke! So frustrating!

Well now the new version of google maps is in the market. I've successfully installed that one but still no GPS.

Im having the same issue on my G1 right now. Sorry for the Zombie thread, but did this ever get resolved?

I've had the gps fail on my phone and others I know have also. The g1 seems to have issues with the gps antenna strip breaking internally so one minute you'll have reception, the next.. nothing. Only solution is to find a new antenna strip and replace it (good luck!)

Aside from possible hardware failures, the GPS units on these phones tend to be very weak. Sometimes it *IS* impossible to get a strong enough signal to lock on, even when out in the open if there is something nearby that can reflect the GPS signals.
However note that these are AGPS devices, which means that with a cell connection and a data connection, and given that google knows the coordinates of the cell tower you are connected to, it is able to load assistance data (almanac + accurate time synchronization via NTP), and this will *GREATLY* improve your chances of getting a good lock and greatly reduce the time it takes.

Woil said:
I'm on my third G1. The first one died to some strange graphics issue where the screen would go completely pixilated and wacky on me. I think the graphics processor was overheating. On the second one the touch screen died about the same time the speaker in started buzzing during calls.
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Click to collapse
I doubt that it was the GPU overheating. Your phone would burn your hand if it got that hot.
The in-call buzzing could be corrected by shifting the screen a little bit while it is happening. It is related to GSM interference with the speaker. The speaker is literally playing the radio waves emitted by the phone. The touchscreen issue was probably a broken cable... also related to moving the screen.
Luckly because TMobile extends your warranty 90 days every time you get a new phone, I've only had to pay for shipping. I got the latest one, and immediately installed Cyanogen 4.2.5 on it. No problems. Then I followed Michael Mayhew's instructions for the maps update to get Navigation.
I can't get the GPS to work at all. I've since tried going back to RC29, or the base Cyanogen 4.2.5 without the maps hack. I've tried other GPS applications such as the Chartcross GPSTest. I can't get a read at all on any of them. I don't know if it was working before the updates, because I never tried to use maps before I installed the mod.
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Click to collapse
Note that you are getting refurbs....
So I'm wondering somehow a radio update was applied that broke this phone, or if there is anything I can do to change the gps drivers around. Anyone with similar GPS failure issues?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What radio version are you running?

I've also had no luck getting a GPS signal ever since I installed hacked navigation... I wonder if that's the problem? Has anyone tried removing the hacked navigation, to see if that solves the problem?
BTW, the problem started on CM 4.1 with EBI0 radio (2.22.19.26I), and still persists with CM 5.0.7... Has anyone tried upgrading their radio to 2.22.23.02? How about the folks that have gone back to the Updated Rogers EBI1 Radio (3.22.26.17)?

I have been having the "searching for gps" problem as long as I can remember (although I just got this phone a month or two ago)....I remember trying to install the hacked navigation or something so maybe that messed it up?...this phone was never opened, and I would hate to have to open it up to see if it is a hardware issue because I may not put it back as it was. IDK what to do, I even started a thread about it and tried every solution I could find and nothing worked for me....
I wish someone could chime in here with some insight...but it is also nice to hear others with this issue and their advice/ideas also...
Has anyone tried un-rooting and returning the phone back to complete stock and wiping everything ? has that worked for anyone?

Droid X GPS Fix (for those who can't see any)

My GPS hasn't been working for a while now, and I always assumed it was a 1software issue. I've tried SBFing to .340, .602, CM7, and am currently on MIUI.. all with no luck. Long story short, it was a hardware issue.
I noticed while holding the phone in a certain way with the battery cover off, I would get a fix on all satellites almost instantly (using GPS Status). After some testing, I found that putting pressure on the piece of plastic between the battery pull tab and SD card was the solution.
With a little MacGyver ingenuity (folded a movie stub in half, placed on that spot, and put the cover back on), I now have perfect GPS reception, indoors and out.
I'm not sure if this is the issue for everyone with a Droid X and GPS problems, but it should at the very least help some.
Please take the poll and spread the word if this is a solution for you. I know I'm not the only one who has thought about tossing my phone out the window over this issue.

It works!
Wow. Just wow.
I have been having GPS problems on my Droid X for months now. I had tried almost everything: Formatting SD card, downloading AGPS data, wiping cache, factory reset, different ROMs, etc.
NOTHING WORKED
I was about to give up, but today I had some free time before work so I thought I would give it another, final, shot. I Googled the problem for the umpteenth time and found your post. "Interesting," I thought to myself, "I've never thought of trying that."
So I popped off my batter cover and with the GPS test app running applied a small amount of pressure on the little plastic peg located below the pull tab.
INSTANTLY GPS test picked up seven different satellites! I jumped out of my chair I was so excited! I instantly decided to create an XDA account (I've been a lurker for about a year now) just so that I could thank you! I loved using my GPS so much because I am horrible when driving in places that I'm not familiar with, it was such a downer to not be able to use it, I felt like my phone was only at 75% without it.
But you changed all of that!
I love you!
I want to hug you!
+1000 Internets/cookies/kudos to you, good sir!
May you have the best Karma for the rest of your life!
Sincerely,
An extremely happy, GPS renewed, Droid X user

interesting. I usually find that GPS problems are rom related 9 out of 10 times.

I like my GPS too I've always known my network and GPS issues to be rom related. I'll have to see how that works next time. Thanks for sharing your discovery.
Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk

I didn't believe it at first... but he's right!
I had my doubts when I read about the "pressure fix" to my DX GPS problem. I did a lot of testing and it works. I was able to get 8-9 satellite fixes in 4-8 seconds. As soon as I let off on the pressure all satellites were lost usually right away but sometimes I had the fix for 15-20 seconds. When I put the battery cover on I also lost satellites right away. I found I could also apply pressure through the battery cover and get a fix within 10 seconds.
I called VZW tech support and after I convinced the first tier script reader that I indeed had a problem that they couldn't fix I went to tier two. He asked a few questions and I told him my woes (but not the pressure fix) and he immediately sent out a replacement phone. The replacement works great... fixes in seconds even inside a steel hulled ferry boat!

Something else you can try is updating your roaming capabilities. dial *228 and press 2. Seemed to help a lot with me. Getting several satellites within 5-10 seconds, vs. 20 minutes before lol

If you are having the gps issue on all roms and pressure makes it work, it's more than likely a cold solder joint an I would get the phone replaced under warranty.

bizarre
I just wanted to say I have this same problem on the same phone. I noticed if I touch the back of my phone in a certain area, the GPS lights up and everything works great. If I take my finger off it, the GPS loses me. It is just bizarre... I am calling them tomorrow for a replacement phone but I wanted to say thanks for posting this because I thought I was going nuts!
edit: I cut off a strip of a thin cardboard price tag from a pair of jeans I bought a few weeks ago and inserted it into the back of the phone like the OP stated, closed the battery case, and now I have eleven satellites. If I take out the piece of cardboard they all go away. I had been looking for a solution for weeks and now, finally, joy!

Yeah I knew that issue for awhile. Atleast 7 or 8 months. It will help with wifi issues too. I remember at one point my friend was going threw droid x's like there nothing. There has to be something loose up there. I wanted to open it up and try to find a real fix but just never cared. I figured if i lose wifi or need gps i know the quick fix.

Thank you!!!
I started having gps issues right around the time I started rooting and roming so I assumed it was the roms. I tried flashing the fixes but nothing worked. I even temporarily went back to stock but it didn't fix the gps problem. I found this today and immediately fixed the problem. I used my gps the whole day and haven't had a problem. If something changes I will be sure to come back and let all of you know.
You know... it might be caused by doing multiple battery pulls which is something you tend to do a lot when first learning to rom your phone.

Me too
My wife and I both have DroidX original flavour, and both have had the GPS stop working after about a year. To call it annoying would be an understatement. Both phones are unrooted, have the latest update on them (4.5.621.MB810).
Our symptoms were they same - you start up GPS and start Navigator or Google Maps, and for the first two minutes, everything was fine. And then the GPS looses the signal and there is nothing you can do to bring it back.
I had read on another board that Weatherbug caused a lot of problems with the GPS, and after uninstalling that (and installing Weather.com's app), the GPS actually did start working better, but it would still loose the signal permanently most of the time.
I actually went through uninstalling everything else on my phone trying to figure out which of the 100 apps I have installed that had messed up the GPS, and still had no signal. And then I read this post.
I'm going to add another variable to this fix, and that would be heat. Taking off the batter cover works for me, but I have also noticed that on hot, sunny days, when the phone is in the car dock, there is almost nothing I can do to get the GPS to work. But at night, when the phone is cool, even without taking the cover off and applying pressure to the knob next to the pull tab, the GPS seems to work almost flawlessly.
I'm going to call Verizon tomorrow to see if I can get replacements for both my wife's and mine phone. I don't know if they will, considering my wife's phone is almost two years old, but we can't wait until July when her replacement discount becomes available for her to have a usable GPS. Considering this seems to be a design flaw in the original DroidX given the sheer number of postings all of the internet describing the exact same problem, I'm thinking they had better replace them for free.
Thank you for this post!! You've solved a problem that has been bugging us for months, and now that I know its an endemic problem, you probably saved us a LOT of money!

I know this is an old post, but I am looking for any suggestions to get my GPS working again. I have tried with the cover pulled and applying pressure to the plastic piece and have had no luck, I get no satellites. I have updated roaming capabilities, I have changes ROMS, still to no avail. I have used GPS Status to reset and download A-GPS state and it will not work. The GPS never finds any satellites indoors or out. I have tried flashing a baseband radio and had no luck doing that either.
Any other ideas would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

[Help] GPS Issues

So I have done some research about this issue already and there doesn't seem to be a definite answer around so maybe this thread can clear things up for me. Anyways I have a Note 4 on T-Mobile, and I use Waze, a lot, and I rarely ever get a GPS lock, it usually takes about 10 to 15 minutes before I get one and then when I do, it will skip around or my location will "teleport". So people have said to use the app "TopNTP" and this seems to help slightly, but it still takes forever to lock. I have used multiple GPS reconfiguration apps and this seems to be the only one that helps slightly. I have also done the usual, factory reset, reset app settings, root, unroot, custom and stock rom, and nothing seems to work. I also know that its not just my location because I used to have an HTC One M8 that worked flawlessly, and to top it off, a friend of mine has a Note 4 with the same issue. I would just like to know if this is happening to other people and if there is a way to fix it. Another thing I saw floating around the internet was some guy put a piece of copper tape inside the back cover of his and it seemed to give him a stronger signal. I don't know if this is a cruel joke or not but I am honestly probably going to go to home depot and try this because I just don't know what else I could possibly try besides getting a new phone, so any help is appreciated.

Ivrim said:
So I have done some research about this issue already and there doesn't seem to be a definite answer around so maybe this thread can clear things up for me. Anyways I have a Note 4 on T-Mobile, and I use Waze, a lot, and I rarely ever get a GPS lock, it usually takes about 10 to 15 minutes before I get one and then when I do, it will skip around or my location will "teleport". So people have said to use the app "TopNTP" and this seems to help slightly, but it still takes forever to lock. I have used multiple GPS reconfiguration apps and this seems to be the only one that helps slightly. I have also done the usual, factory reset, reset app settings, root, unroot, custom and stock rom, and nothing seems to work. I also know that its not just my location because I used to have an HTC One M8 that worked flawlessly, and to top it off, a friend of mine has a Note 4 with the same issue. I would just like to know if this is happening to other people and if there is a way to fix it. Another thing I saw floating around the internet was some guy put a piece of copper tape inside the back cover of his and it seemed to give him a stronger signal. I don't know if this is a cruel joke or not but I am honestly probably going to go to home depot and try this because I just don't know what else I could possibly try besides getting a new phone, so any help is appreciated.
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I have the same issue. In doing some research there are A LOT of others in the same boat. I had GPS issues with my Note 3 and now the NOTE 4 is a POS as well. I am probably going to get another (NOT SAMSUNG) device and return this as defective and sell the replacement.

Sorry to hear about your problem. I have a Note 4 N910F international. I have been using navigation driving around texas for a few days now without problem. It locks immediately when I enable gps. Have you tried turning on mobile data or wifi if you are in range? This will help with quicker position acquisition.
My problem with Note 4 is poor LTE receprion eventhough my 2 S4' s get full bars.

How to fix the GPS?

Hi there,
I have a D801 I bought this summer in the US and recently I'm having problems with the GPS. I got it with stock LP, and I think back then it was working fine. Then, I started testing different roms, and at some point it broke. I guess it is a software problem, but I don't know how to fix it (I search in each rom's thread but it should be working ok).
I'm currently using this ROM http://forum.xda-developers.com/tmobile-g2/development/rom-tmo-lp-extreme-v1-0-4-16-15-t3084681
Software details: http://imgur.com/GhqDN9D
I have tried fasterGPS (to set it for Spain) https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.fastergps&hl=en and GPS Status https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.eclipsim.gpsstatus2&hl=en but it takes forever to lock into a satellite (1/26), and even then it is not able to get the correct location in Google Maps (tried outdoors in several places already).
Any help? Any additional info you may need?
Thanks in advance!

i think most people who have had problems with the GPS on this phone have given up. the GPS is just flaky to non functional. There is a mod out there where you raise the antennae pins to contact the case using something to shim them. that might or might not help. I did it on my LS-980. I also did it on my Samsung Note i717 and it solved it.
I think part of the equation is software related. I updated my rom to Dirty Unicorns and my GPS was working most of the time. but when it refused to lock, nothing could make it. on stock, I had a weird condition where the GPS would work only if my phone was in 3g mode, not LTE. However, when my phone got stuck in 3g mode, would never switch back to LTE without turning off and on mobile data. I am currently back to stock but my GPS doesn;t work.

tekweezle said:
i think most people who have had problems with the GPS on this phone have given up. the GPS is just flaky to non functional. There is a mod out there where you raise the antennae pins to contact the case using something to shim them. that might or might not help. I did it on my LS-980. I also did it on my Samsung Note i717 and it solved it.
I think part of the equation is software related. I updated my rom to Dirty Unicorns and my GPS was working most of the time. but when it refused to lock, nothing could make it. on stock, I had a weird condition where the GPS would work only if my phone was in 3g mode, not LTE. However, when my phone got stuck in 3g mode, would never switch back to LTE without turning off and on mobile data. I am currently back to stock but my GPS doesn;t work.
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Nice... Then I'll give a look at that tutorial. I was hoping to fix it by flashing some radios/basebands or the likes, but we seem to be on the same boat. It is not that I use GPS that much, but I didn't expect such problems in a previous flagship phone. Anyways, thanks for your help :good:

cheveoner said:
Nice... Then I'll give a look at that tutorial. I was hoping to fix it by flashing some radios/basebands or the likes, but we seem to be on the same boat. It is not that I use GPS that much, but I didn't expect such problems in a previous flagship phone. Anyways, thanks for your help :good:
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Don't get your hopes up on that tutorial. GPS is notoriously bad on G2. So many people have problems. Mine doesn't work at all and I gave up like the previous poster said. Not a big deal for me except when I'm trying to use Uber!

waingro808 said:
Don't get your hopes up on that tutorial. GPS is notoriously bad on G2. So many people have problems. Mine doesn't work at all and I gave up like the previous poster said. Not a big deal for me except when I'm trying to use Uber!
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Well, I finally had the time to try the antenna hack (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfS4LpfcLfg) and it went from locking to none to locking to 12 out of 20 sats. Finally I can be happy this phone (also running CloudyG2 btw). We'll see how long does it last though...
Thank you all!

Here's a weird situation, just recently used the TOT method to restore my phone back to stock, and after installing the updates to bring me to zvh, my gps is working again. Still a little flaky but mostly working.
Sent from my LG-LS980 using Tapatalk