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Hey all,
A question here, i have heard this story a couple of times now but no proof. So maybe one of you can tell me if its a hoax or not.
I heard about a program that is able to triangulate your position by checking the signalstrenght. The program i heard about would be able to change to profiles to whatever you set them and whenever they should be activated.
For example: you come home, the program finds out you are close to home and puts on another callprofile etc.
The fact is that i know of LBS (location based service) and that those services are also working on the triangulation of cellphones.
Basically it should be possible but i can't find anything about a single program that is able to do something even close to that.
Do some of you have some more information if there is such a program or if its even possible?
Thanks!
I have been looking for that for years. It's the replacement of GPS (carry one more device). However, I search through the webs (visisted more than 100 sites). Some were restricted (police use) and some were requiring service charges per Kb.
Search for "navizon". I remember reading about it on here somewhere - let me know if its what your after and if its any good please.
Specs off navizon are very promising. It claims to use all available cell, wifi & gps data on p2p basis to locate your current position. Unfortunately PIE & Minimo aren't capable of downloading the installl files, so my try-out is a bit delayed.
M
Thanks for the info petest. That looks very promising indeed!
It even has the possibility to let GPS software use it.
I just installed the whole package and fired it up but still no positioning data after 20 minutes.
I'll let it run for a day and see if something happens.
But thanks for the info and i'll let you all know if it starts working!
I am curious, but the only way I can think of to ask this question is to provide an example or two, so bear with me.
You decide you need directions. Fire up Google maps, click my location and it says you need to enable data...DOH!, back out to the menu (or follow the prompt), enable either GPS or Data, and go back into maps. Get what you need, and then leave Maps. Dont forget to turn the GPS or Data back off!
Wouldnt it be better if when you enter Google Maps, it would fire up the GPS or Data connection automatically? And when you back out or have a period of inactivity, disable it.
Same thing with the internet, I know Locale and others can turn on and off the wifi depending on where you are, but, for example, when I am home I rarely need wifi. However, when I open the internet it would be great if it looked for a friendly wifi signal and tried to connect if possible. That way you are always connecting the fastest possible method for your application and doing the least amount of work. If the disconnect would be an issue (since none of the programs has an exit button) maybe a variable timer could be set, or maybe base it off of inactivity.
Like I said, they are just ideas, and I have never understood why nobody (WM for example) has ever implemented anything like this. It seems like it would help conserve battery power and at the same time greatly simplify things.
When you put the G1 to sleep it shuts off the wifi connection automatically, then when you turn it back on, it reconnects to the network if you're still near it.
I have always wondered why Google Maps doesn't turn on GPS when it needs it. It does on the iPhone as far as I know. I have really wanted this to happen for awhile but I just figured Google would be the ones to add it.
rascal00 said:
I have always wondered why Google Maps doesn't turn on GPS when it needs it. It does on the iPhone as far as I know. I have really wanted this to happen for awhile but I just figured Google would be the ones to add it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I wonder why also, maybe they were in a rush or some battery issue. also iphone doesn't have gps just the cell location I usually keep that on.
Greetings fellow developers and/or Android enthusiasts,
I wanted to take a moment to start a thread on for the Android application (2.2+) Backitude: Configurable Background Location Tracking. I would like a place to discuss the app publicly, discuss troubleshooting solutions, bugs, or motivate ideas and improvements.
Check out the Full version, ad-free available for free in the Android Market/Google Play store:
Download here: Backitude: Configurable Background Location Tracking
EDIT: Google Latitude shutdown their API on Aug 9, 2013 which completely changes the makeup of the application. Its sole purpose was to send locations to Google in order to maintain an accurate and timely history with Latitude. Now, it will be more geared towards keeping its own history and integrating with a number of systems or personal custom servers.
Backitude provides a bundle of extended features and functionality for updating Google Latitude locations from your Android device. If you are a Google Latitude user or once had interest in the concept of Google Latitude, then Backitude is an essential addon. Background gps location updating at your own specified time interval is now within your realm. Backitude expands your updating options, accuracy, and even allows you and your friends to force updates on eachother when needed, all seamlessly behind the scenes.
I created this app about a couple years ago to address two issues: I wanted to fix the short-comings of Google Latitude and make it a plausible application for users to enjoy and utilize effectively and efficiently. Also, I wanted to provide Google Play Store with such functionality free of charge. At the time, no such free application existed.
Google Latitude is somewhat inadequate on its own, but this is of no fault of the Google developers. They designed the application with battery efficiency as a number 1 priority. The conserve battery, Latitude on its own does not update locations in the background using GPS for accurate reporting. Instead it relies on Wi-Fi and cell tower triangulation to determine your location. Since many users refrain from enabling Wi-Fi when not stationary in their own network, or since Wi-Fi cannot be obtained while travelling, the resulting location updates are large, inaccurate "blue circles" on the map. Cycling through your Latitude friends, I mostly would see large, city-wide, inaccurate location readings- like I said, therefore truly defeating the purpose of Latitude. Latitude also fails to give the user any configurable options to location reporting. What good is a location history if majority of the values are city level and inaccurate? Backitude, to the rescue.
Backitude was designed to address all of this and put the power back into the hands of the user. You have complete control what, when, and how to update. Power can be a dangerous thing however. Google chose not to give the user a chance to configure their settings and risk draining batteries and having Android or Google products labelled as "battery drainers." Backitude is for the intelligent user, to know how to manage their battery, know their priorities, and know the effect of such functions. GPS polling is a very battery-intensive maneuver!
The final issue and gap Backitude inspired to bridge is updating a friend's location. It is great to have control over your location updates and allowing your friends to see exactly where you are, but what if they haven't updated recently or exactly when you needed to know their location? Backitude has an answer for that. "Fire an Update on a Friend" is the newest feature which utilizes SMS messaging to receive requests from other Backitude users. If your friend is also using Backitude and has this option enabled, you can send a request to their device which will in turn trigger an update at that very moment.
Additionally, there are many, many more features that all serve to give the user complete control of Latitude updates and battery consumption (in the context of Latitude updating). Thank you for checking it out, and I look forward to supplying any troubleshooting information right here for all to find, and hear ideas and feedback from those other enthusiasts out there.
Troubleshooting Topics
Location Updating using Backitude: the application utilizes oAuth2 authentication which is very easy and very convenient for the user. The user is able to grant permission for Backitude to integrate with their Google Latitude account at a click of a button without even having to enter their credentials.
The issue is, some users on some devices have experienced trouble obtaining this permission. It is important that users do one of the following before using Backitude, however, for some users it is required that they do both:
1) Use the Maps application to "activate Latitude for this device" by signing into Latitude. (Additionally, it is suggested that the user change their Latitude location reporting to "set your location". By manually updating your location and selecting an arbitrary position, you will prevent Latitude from wasting unnecessary battery life on updating your location, but still allow your friends to see your location. Backitude can do all your updates for you instead.)
2) From a PC or computer, visit Google Latitude and sign in from your browser. (And not from a tablet or smartphone browser) I do not know why this is required, but for some, to fully opt into the Google Latitude agreement and conditions, this is required.
After doing so, 99% of users are able to update using Backitude. An extreme minority, still have to perform some additional steps. This would include resetting your Google 3rd party authorizing sites, by revoking access from all, and then trying the process over from start. Signing into Maps. Activating Latitude. Installing Backitude..etc Any issues, I am always available via forum or email. Thanks!!
I just started using this app a few days ago after realizing how often Google Maps is polling for location information just to update latitude... Hundreds of times a day, even when I'm not moving!
So far, I'm liking what this app has to offer
Troubleshooting Topics: Location Updating using Backitude
If all else fails to get you updating, the following detailed description may help get you going as a last resort. Again, I'm not sure why oAuth2 can be so difficult for a small handful, and so convenient for so many others.
Start fresh by trying the following steps to reset your Google Latitude permissions
* From your android device, launch the Maps > Latitude application and Sign out. On the latest version, this is accomplished by going to Latitude > Menu > Location settings > Location reporting > Latitude location sharing > Sign out of Latitude
* Next, go into Android > Settings > Applications > Manage Applications > Maps and click the "Clear data" button.
* Similarly, uninstall the Backitude application by completing the following: Android > Settings > Applications > Manage Applications > Backitude and click the "Uninstall" button.
Now, follow these steps from a PC browser to remove access (so that we can then add them back)
* Visit google.com
* Sign into Google using the account you are trying to configure for Backitude
* Go to Google Account settings, or click "Account". (I will post a link directly there when I have the ability too)
* Scrolling down, you see the option to "Visit the previous version of the Account settings screen" which takes you to My Account.
* Under Security, select the link for "Authorizing applications & sites" (accounts.google.com/b/0/IssuedAuthSubTokens)
* Revoke access to any applicable "Android Login Service" entry including those such as "Full Account Access" and "Google Latitude"
Everything is now successfully reset, so perform the following steps in order.
* Sign into Latitude from a PC browser. (It is very important to sign in from a PC browser and not your android device at first). This is required by some devices for authentication purposes, to "opt" your Google account user into Latitude.
* Enable Google Latitude on your device using the Latitude app. If multiple accounts exist on your device, you may have to select the appropriate account by going to Maps > Menu > Settings > Switch Account. Then, or otherwise, sign-in to Latitude from your android device.
* Finally, you can try to re-install Backitude and successfully update your location to Google Latitude.
And that always seems to get the last 0.01% of users updating successfully who couldn't before. Annoying, yes!
Other similar 3rd party Latitude apps appear to be using a variant of oAuth1 authentication, which requires entering your password. I have contemplated implementing the same, to avoid this issue but perhaps future versions of Maps and Android will better activate permissions on those devices.
Backitude: My settings
How do I configure Backitude to run? Personally, with battery efficiency in mind while leaving the highest priority features enabled.
Enable Service: on (this is essentially the on/off switch)
Advanced Settings
Set Priority: Wi-Fi, with GPS/Tower Triangulation backup (One of the most overlooked but favorite options. This setting will abort GPS polling if a Wi-Fi network is present and the Wi-Fi location is accurate. So, in a real-life situation, my phone is indoors at work or at home with Wi-Fi enabled. GPS is enabled but not going to be able to get a fix indoors. Instead of polling for the entire extent of the Polling Timeout, Backitude will abort polling, and update using the Wi-Fi location value, which is all it ever would've gotten anyways. Beyond that, if I am outdoors and away from a Wi-Fi network with the same setup, the GPS will still poll and run its course as normal.)
Settings
Time Interval Option: 30 minutes (if my friends need a more recent update, they can ping me and have backitude fire off an automatic update seamlessly in the background)
Location Polling Timeout: 15 seconds (The longer GPS is allowed to run, the more potential battery gets burned if you can't acquire an easy fix)
Latitude Re-Sync Rate: off (this feature is only needed to prevent Latitude from overwriting your Backitude location update. However, I put my Latitude location reporting to manual so Latitude is no longer detecting my location. Battery saver too!)
Min. Change in Distance: off (I'm not a Location History keeper, so eliminating repeat updates is not a concern for me)
Location Steals: On (This is one of my favorite features. If you're using an app such as Maps, Navigator, or even the Internet, which polls your GPS, Backitude will steal this location and use it to update your location. The battery-intense function is already on-going thru another app, you might as well steal the location value and update your Latitude at very little expense.)
Accurate Update Only: On (You have to think about location "circles" for this option. Circles coming from inaccurate location readings. If your previous location value was more accurate then the current location reading, and the previous location is within the location perimeter of the newest location, it will repeat the more accurate location.
Real-time Enabled: Off (This is for individuals wanting to update at a faster rate when charging their device or docked. Personally, I just change my update interval when I want to update faster)
Real-time Interval: n/a (Users tend to want to poll location and update at a faster rate when their device is docked and battery is no longer a concern)
Real-time Timeout: n/a (When real-time updating, there is a separate timeout value for GPS polling versus the normal timeout. Users may have a different preference if their device is docked so there is a separation configuration for that)
Push Enabled: On (Allow friends to force an update to Latitude on my device by simply texting "Force Backitude update". I can get away polling at a slower rate and save battery because all my friends and fellow Backitude users know they can force an update on me when needed)
Display Message: off
Display Push Notif: off
Status Bar Icon: never
Display Update Message: off
Display Update Failed Notification: off
EP2008 said:
I just started using this app a few days ago after realizing how often Google Maps is polling for location information just to update latitude... Hundreds of times a day, even when I'm not moving!
So far, I'm liking what this app has to offer
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. I'm currently working on fixing a couple known issues, and hoping to get a new release out this week. Nothing earth shattering though. I noticed you were running ICS... have you noticed any issues? I have not tested ICS compatibility yet, so I was always curious. Using a Bionic myself, I'm still hoping to get an update later this year and try it out myself. Thanks!
backitude said:
Thanks. I'm currently working on fixing a couple known issues, and hoping to get a new release out this week. Nothing earth shattering though. I noticed you were running ICS... have you noticed any issues? I have not tested ICS compatibility yet, so I was always curious. Using a Bionic myself, I'm still hoping to get an update later this year and try it out myself. Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No issues that I've seen.
I did have a bit of frustration when testing it as I had it set not to update unless my location changed more than 100m, so when I fired a manual update, I assumed that would force an update regardless of the location setting. It wasn't until after I turned that setting off did the manual update refresh with a new location timestamp.
Not a huge issue, but for some time I didn't think that the app was working because the timestamp on the history log never changed after manual updates.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
EP2008 said:
I assumed that would force an update regardless of the location setting.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I never thought of that. That is probably a fair assumption. I may have to consider re-working that logic, so that like you said- if "Fire Update" is launched, you do not consider skipping the update because of minimum distance rules. Thanks!
backitude said:
I never thought of that. That is probably a fair assumption. I may have to consider re-working that logic, so that like you said- if "Fire Update" is launched, you do not consider skipping the update because of minimum distance rules. Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The reason I made the assumption was because I use an app called FolderSync, which helps manage cloud file storage services. With it, you can setup rules to sync your files, like what time a backup should be made, if you are plugged into a charger and if you are on wifi, etc. The app has an option for the user to initiate a manual sync, which basically ignores all scheduling rules over the users desire to sync right now. That's why I thought it might be the same for Backitude.
EP2008 said:
...The app has an option for the user to initiate a manual sync, which basically ignores all scheduling rules over the users desire to sync right now. That's why I thought it might be the same for Backitude.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I like the idea. I am going to change that for the next release. The settings for Backitude are pretty intimidating, even for novice Latitude users. I want to make it as user-friendly and straight forward as possible. Thanks for the help!
Still no way to see other people on Latitude? I'm sure it must be an API you don't have access to or something of that nature, but I still don't get the point of this app if it's "write-only". You can't see anyone, only they can see you.
You're correct in that the API is very limited. It only allows you access to your own location and location history, so there is no way to retreive your friends' locations, or even your list of friends. The purpose of Backitude is not to replace Google Latitude, but simply help correct its short-comings. Using backitude, and having your friends use backitude, ensures accurate locations, battery efficiency, and a means to update your friends' locations when you need their location. Once configured, Backitude runs in the background and can remain fairly transparent to your day to day Latitude use.
I'm using your app too in ICS 4.0.4 if you need some feedback. It's working quite well, even better than the other one! Keep the good work.
(Currently testing 2.7) Here is the change log, let me know if there's any more bugs I need to iron out last minute. Thanks!
Backitude: Update release 2.7 Changelog
1. Reported Issue: Backitude just stops running after a couple hours of use. (Unconfirmed but occasionally reported bug) I haven't been able to duplicate, however this could be the result of Android's memory management as an operating system, or the result of a Task Manager, task killer type of process. Users who experience such an issue should add Backitude to the ignore list on their task managers. However, I have made some changes in the code that may help.
2. Enhancement: For IOException, SocketTimeoutException, Read timed out, Unresolved host name. Backitude now has a re-attempt feature that will retry update after 60 seconds from a failed update due to these network congestion exceptions. (As directed to do by Google)
3. Enhancement: Implemented notification for users who cannot update due to permissions problem. (403/503 exception) Instructing user to first login to Google Latitude from a PC browser to "opt user into Google Latitude" and/or reset their Latitude location manually again. Google sometimes implements new terms and conditions and it may be required to re-opt into their agreement.
4. Enhancement: Updated Java Client libraries and Google Latitude libraries. I am hoping this shows improvements with efficiency, speed, memory, and issues.
5. Issue: (GUI) Steals option is not disabling if the Time Interval is under 5minutes. Likewise, it should then enable if the Time Interval is switch to greater than 1minute, similar to the behavior of the Re-Sync Rate option.
6. Reported Issue:*Wifi turns off after an update when Wifi Wake lock is enabled. Backitude now checks to see if Wi-Fi is connected (and therefore not sleeping) before acquiring a Wi-Fi wake lock.
7.* Change: "Fire Update" does not update location if minimum required distance is configured and new location is not outside of the bounds of previous location. Fire Update, since it is a manual update, has been changed to not consider the minimum distance configuration and bypass this validation.
8. Issue: Steals and manual updates (Fire Update) are not resetting the Time Interval clock after a successful update. This issue has been resolved.
9. Issue: Minimum distance calculation not taking into consideration changes in accuracy. If accuracy changes greatly from one location poll to the next, the location centers could be drastically far apart although the device has not moved. Offsetting the accuracy changes will result in better results for calculating change in distance.
10. Change: Push Update notification labels have been updated.
Well thats a nice application. Just starting to use it.
I have a suggestion. As my phone goes at night in a kind of sleeping mode - Wifi off, 3G off, Wifi Off, etc. - i would like to have a function to disable Backitude for certain hours or much better a Tasker Plugin.
What do you think ?
Thomas_BA said:
Well thats a nice application. Just starting to use it.
I have a suggestion. As my phone goes at night in a kind of sleeping mode - Wifi off, 3G off, Wifi Off, etc. - i would like to have a function to disable Backitude for certain hours or much better a Tasker Plugin.
What do you think ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, glad you like it so far!!! It's funny you mention that because I have two main goals for the summer. Tasker integration and off-line storage/sync. I looked into Tasker once before over the winter and it turned out to be a lot more work then expected so I put it off, as this is just sort of a hobby in my free time. But with baseball season upon us, I do a lot of coding with the games on. Go Sox!
In the mean time, there is a setting for wake locks in Advanced Settings for Backitude. You can turn disable the wake locks and Backitude will not run once your phone goes into sleep mode. This means that the gps will not run while sleeping..etc Hope this helps
Nice to read hat you planning a Tasker integration/plug-in.
Yes for the time being i have disabled both wake locks. Disadvantage is that my phone sleeps a lot . I have my display timeout set to 1 minute, so sometimes my phone is sleeping for an hour while walking around in Buenos Aires or Argentina. Anyway for now this is the only solution. Looking forward to your next developments.
Thanks.
Thomas_BA said:
Yes for the time being i have disabled both wake locks. Disadvantage is that my phone sleeps a lot . I have my display timeout set to 1 minute, so sometimes my phone is sleeping for an hour while walking around in Buenos Aires or Argentina.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, it shouldn't be that bad. Backitude will only cease functioning without wake locks once the device goes into a "deep sleep mode." I am not sure about the specifics of when this occurs, but it's separate then just display timeout. Can even take up to an hour or more from what I read, so as long as you're using it every hour or so, it should continue functioning. Please post your findings though, I am intrigued now.
I will observe the pushing frequency to Latitude and keep you informed.
I've been using Backitude for a few months now.
However, even with WiFi Wake Lock enabled, it seems the accuracy of my updates does not improve. However, when I open google maps with WiFi already on, the accuracy is few meters (I work and live in a dense WiFi area).
Do you think that Backitude for some reason is not turning on the WiFi, or is WiFi based localisation not being picked up by latitude?
Thanks for a great app!
Good evening guys-
After updating from ICS to JellyBean, my gps cannot find or lock onto any satellites.
If I enable wifi, its accurate to 20meters.. If not, it won't lock even after 15 minutes.
Any help is greatly appreciated-
mine has been similar in PA2.00 and CM10.
It actually will lock after a long time. Sometimes up to 30 minutes.
Interested in any answers... I noticed in the gps.conf file agps appears to be off. I don't know if that is the issue.
Unfortunately searching for a fix just reveals too much information with a lot of supposed fixes, but no consensus so far as i can tell.
brian Marshall said:
mine has been similar in PA2.00 and CM10.
It actually will lock after a long time. Sometimes up to 30 minutes.
Interested in any answers... I noticed in the gps.conf file agps appears to be off. I don't know if that is the issue.
Unfortunately searching for a fix just reveals too much information with a lot of supposed fixes, but no consensus so far as i can tell.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually agps was turned off to improve lock times...some people noticed no difference with it off, others noticed huge improvements with half the lock time
You can change it to true, then wipe cache and dalvic cache in recovery and see if it makes a difference
Sent from my SGH-I997 using Tapatalk 2
mg2195 said:
Actually agps was turned off to improve lock times...some people noticed no difference with it off, others noticed huge improvements with half the lock time
You can change it to true, then wipe cache and dalvic cache in recovery and see if it makes a difference
Sent from my SGH-I997 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
is that a 'go ahead and try it, it wont work, but go ahead and try it anyway' ?
It seems like a lot of people are having problems with GPS in jellybean, and some aren't. There's so many 'this worked for me' solutions, but I'm starting to think it's coincidence.
Someone mentioned installing and running copilot once. Did that. it didn't work. Without root permissions what could it really change to improve anything?
I ran Faster Fix. It edited my gps.conf file (which it doesn't tell you that it does) It didn't help. it might have made it slightly worse.
I found a few other gps.conf files for jellybean ROMs, but haven't tried those yet.
This is how we learn and share our info, by trying. Just make a back up of anything that you want to change or replace.
GPS works perfect on my PA Jelly Beaned Infuse. First I ran GPS Test, it took a good twenty minutes if not more for it's first lock.
But now, I get a lock in a few seconds.
GPS Test, is free in the market.
Planning my escape!
GPS Test has kicked my GPS in the butt and got it working with almost every ROM I've flashed. Once you get over that first delay (downloading satellite data?) the first time you run it, it locks on fairly well afterward. At least, that's been my experience
Truckerglenn said:
This is how we learn and share our info, by trying. Just make a back up of anything that you want to change or replace.
GPS works perfect on my PA Jelly Beaned Infuse. First I ran GPS Test, it took a good twenty minutes if not more for it's first lock.
But now, I get a lock in a few seconds.
GPS Test, is free in the market.
Planning my escape!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've already done that. It helped the next time I ran maps. When i left work yesterday I had maps give me turn by turn directions home. It took a couple minutes to lock, but after that it was working.
Then this morning I tried again. It wouldn't lock at all on the way in to work this morning. (only a 15 minute drive)
I also tried editing my GPS conf file this morning. I tried using ES file explorer, root explorer, and flashing. All three resulted in an empty file. ES says it was successful. Root explorer gives an error message 'there was not enough free disk space to complete the paste operation'
Flashing says it was successful, but again, it ends with an empty file. 0 bytes.
The file i used for the flash attempt is here. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1817558
With the gps.conf file I'm going to go leave the phone out in my car with gps on and see if it locks.
I understand that developers do a lot of work on this. I'm not trying to be a jerk. I just see a lot of people having the same issue and no agreement on a solution or even what the actual problem is.
brian Marshall said:
...
I understand that developers do a lot of work on this. I'm not trying to be a jerk. I just see a lot of people having the same issue and no agreement on a solution or even what the actual problem is.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe this is because there is no solution. If you want to try to help solve the problem, "adb shell" in and start tinkering.
You'll quickly find that GPS is anything but an easy thing to fix. A good SUPL provider for you may be completely different for others.
I can't find the Answer that fixed it for me,
but what I did:
Plug phone in, disable wifi, leave phone near window, and let
https://play.google.com/store/apps/...251bGwsMSwyLDYsImNvbS5hbmRyb2lkLmdwc3Rlc3QiXQ..
that app run... :45 minutes later it locked (GPS icon on Status Bar stopped blinking and showed locked, solid) with 7 satellites.
waited, rebooted the phone, and it locked in about 3 minutes.
-hope this helps.
other than that, love this ROM!
choffman said:
I believe this is because there is no solution. If you want to try to help solve the problem, "adb shell" in and start tinkering.
You'll quickly find that GPS is anything but an easy thing to fix. A good SUPL provider for you may be completely different for others.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Now that is an actual answer.
I suppose part of the problem for us noobs sorting through 300 page threads is all the filler with people saying "great rom omgz so awesome" even when they are posting on the first page and the ROM hasn't even been up long enough to do much more than flash it and swipe through the home screen.
All through out the CM10 and PA threads there are people saying GPS is working flawlessly... and then other people saying they have some fix. I guess people aren't supposed to post frivolous stuff in the dev threads, but they do.
Anyway, I ended up going back to GB as GPS is something I really need.
Hey guy's, i've also been having allot of issues with GPS just not being what it used to be, and it's pretty obvioius that this is an issue across the board for all JellyBean roms. I think those who mention that "GPS works flawlessly" don't quite understand the issue with AGPS (Assisted GPS), or they are not quite testing it thoroughly enough to see the problem.
To get an understanding of what AGPS is, and how it helps improve initial lock times, have a read here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assisted_GPS
Also, to gain a better understanding of what I mean by "cold start" as you read below, and how it differs from a warm or hot start please read the following: http://m.gsmarena.com/glossary.php3?term=gps
That being said, i have been doing allot of digging in the hopes that someone out there has a solution to the problem with AGPS on the CM10 based ROMs on our phone.
To clarify the problem: AGPS does not seem to work and Initial lock times from a cold start can take several minutes, (this is not normal if AGPS is doing it's job). To clarify further, no one is saying that GPS does not work, it does in fact work, it just takes it's sweet time to lock and it seems to rely on pure GPS to download ephemeris data from the actual GPS birds for satelite lock acquisition, rather then downloading AGPS data over the network to speed things up. After the initial lock though, GPS functions as it should. After this point, if you do not use the phone again for several day's, it seems that upon first firing it up again you will experience the long delay in first lock. This is especially true if you keep GPS services turned off ussually to conserve battery. Those who report GPS is fine are probably keeping GPS services on all the time, and your GPS is probably working in the background at times and obviously will start up allot faster then it would from a cold start. (This is where i believe all the conflicting info comes from!)
The only info i have been able to find that did actually have an impact on my lock times was the thread below.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1881655
I just started testing this out yesterday and i have seen some positive results. But i would caution those of you out there, and say that this is probably not a "fix" per se, but it did help cut down lock times in my case and at the very least it is a very inoformative thread that everyone should read.
What i have realisticly been able to achieve from a cold start is about 75 seconds to lock at the fastest. i.e. GPS services were off, i turned them all on, and now i started up GPS Status or GPS Test to get a lock. After that, as long as I haven't rebooted my phone it takes only a few seconds to lock.
How i tested, i started GPS Status, I then went to Tools --> MANAGE A-GPS STATE -> RESET (This is important to ensure you are clearing previously cached data. We want to make sure your previous cached info does not skew the effects of your changes.
I then replaced the gps.conf with the one contained in that thread, and i also made the change that was suggested in the Notes section that suggested modifying or adding a line in your build.prop file to "ro.ril.def.agps.mode = 1". This change set's your gps to use AGPS in Mobile Station Based (MSB) mode. For reference, setting it to "2" would set your AGPS to function to Mobile Station Assisted (MSA) mode. (Mode 1 - gave me more accurate initial locks at the expense of a bit longer lock times, Mode 2 gave me slightly quicker initial lock times, but was rather flaky and my position drifted quite a bit until GPS was running for quite some time.)
If your curious what is the difference between the two modes, see here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assisted_GPS#Modes_of_operation
After making the changes to gps.conf and build.prop i rebooted my phone. When phone reboots, i then go back into GPS Status app, select settings, Tools --> MANAGE A-GPS STATE -> RESET, and then back to settings, Tools --> MANAGE A-GPS STATE -> DOWNLOAD (This should force the phone to attempt an AGPS download, if it hasn't already done so upon launching the app).
I have seen this same gps.conf being used in the newer RemICS-JB build. However based on the lack of feedback in that thread, i don't know if this is the golden fix we have all been looking for.
Even though this may not fix all your issues, i hope at the very least it helps clear up what the actual problem is, and how AGPS is supposed to work.
** Important Notes: **
- The version of the config that i was using was the Download the Google Specific No-SSL v3.1
- If you use the SSL version, then it will also require that you download the certifcate file. It's best to just stick with NO SSL as is explained in the thread.
- You should also note that i have cleaned out all the live wall papers, face unlock, and allot of other crap that i don't use to free up space in the /SYSTEM partition. I now have aproximately 21MB free in this partition. I think at least part of the problem with certain ROM's is that they have the /SYSTEM partition filled to the max with virtually no free space at all. I'm no expert on the subject, but i'm guessing that the AGPS data get's downloaded to this partition some where. Obviously if there is no space, then that would cause issues. Several others have reported shortened initial lock times after making room in the /SYSTEM partition.
- Another mistake people are making when testing AGPS and reporting false info, is having their WIFI on when testing GPS. To isolate the issue guy's you need have wifi off and you need to use a tool like GPS Status or GPS Test that shows that actual lock to satelites. You cannot properly test this and see the issue by using WIFI and turning on Google maps. Google maps will look at your reported wifi position and to you it looks like bamm.. i just got a lock in 2 seconds to withing 50 meters, wow these guy's are nut's, my GPS is awesome. Guess what.. your wifi and google maps is awesome.. not your GPS.. lol
- If anyone is familiar with running log's, it would be great if you could do a comparison of before and after. Showing the log of a completely fresh JB build, that shows that the AGPS data is not being downloaded, and then another log after all the changes above (including freeing up space in /SYSTEM) and hopefully it will show that AGPS data is now being downloaded and utilized. I myself am not familiar with logging data on the infuse, so i cannot and will not call this a fix until someone can actually show with real log's that AGPS data is now being utilized after these mods.
Thankfully, I'm one of the lucky ones who have always had a working GPS. It worked great when I was running AT&T stock Froyo, really good while I was on XDA GB roms, and fair > good after I went to PA JB. By far Scott's latest release of PA JB has been the best in this respect, but I can't help but tinker now that I've turned into a Droid zombie Strictly speaking the stock GPS configuration included on Scott's PA JB ROM worked charmingly, but I still had an issue whenever the phone went into deep sleep (say overnight without using it) the GPS lock the next morning took almost as much time coming from a sleep state as a cold boot. So, Like DaMeatMan I decided to give http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1881655 a go. I chose the flashable option, and like DMM also edited the prop file. I picked the Google "no SSL" version 3.1 instead of the AT&T specific version. I figured I would give that one a try.
I'll keep everyone posted, buy my first impression (could be placebo effect) is that this configuration file and modification actually does improve over the original PA JB configuration by a small margin. Reported accuracy is better (by 10ft on average). Satellites in view and actually locking are 1-2 better than before. My main hope is that I can actually fire up Navigation in the morning and get working directions without having to fire up GPS Test first and relock all the NA satellites. I travel a lot, both for business and outdoor sports (hunting and fishing), and I have come to rely pretty heavily on GPS. I got spoiled when I got my first GPS capable phone because that meant I could leave my handheld GPS at home most of the time and that was one less thing I had to carry.
wevsspot said:
Thankfully, I'm one of the lucky ones who have always had a working GPS. It worked great when I was running AT&T stock Froyo, really good while I was on XDA GB roms, and fair > good after I went to PA JB. By far Scott's latest release of PA JB has been the best in this respect, but I can't help but tinker now that I've turned into a Droid zombie Strictly speaking the stock GPS configuration included on Scott's PA JB ROM worked charmingly, but I still had an issue whenever the phone went into deep sleep (say overnight without using it) the GPS lock the next morning took almost as much time coming from a sleep state as a cold boot. So, Like DaMeatMan I decided to give http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1881655 a go. I chose the flashable option, and like DMM also edited the prop file. I picked the Google "no SSL" version 3.1 instead of the AT&T specific version. I figured I would give that one a try.
I'll keep everyone posted, buy my first impression (could be placebo effect) is that this configuration file and modification actually does improve over the original PA JB configuration by a small margin. Reported accuracy is better (by 10ft on average). Satellites in view and actually locking are 1-2 better than before. My main hope is that I can actually fire up Navigation in the morning and get working directions without having to fire up GPS Test first and relock all the NA satellites. I travel a lot, both for business and outdoor sports (hunting and fishing), and I have come to rely pretty heavily on GPS. I got spoiled when I got my first GPS capable phone because that meant I could leave my handheld GPS at home most of the time and that was one less thing I had to carry.
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I have been have many of the same problems as others in this thread but I tried the fix in the S3 thread quoted above and it seems to have helped for right now. The first time I ran GPS Test after rebooting it did take a while (5-8min), but after that I get a lock in few seconds. I used the Google "no SSL" package also. I will do some more testing tomorrow and see if its reliable.
My phone is 100% stock. I have noticed that sometimes when I go to use GPS, I fail to get a fix, or I get a fix on a location that is between 500 ft and 20 miles away. I first noticed the problem in Google Maps, but I believe that all other GPS-using applications have the same problem. I first noticed this perhaps a few weeks ago. When it gets into this mode, it will usually resolve itself after 1-20 minutes of continuous use.
I've downloaded both the "GPS Test" and "GPS Status" apps and had several thoughts:
1) I thought this might be related to data in Google Maps. I deleted all the data and cache from the Settings->Application. No difference.
2) I reset and re-downloaded the AGPS information. I initially thought this made a difference, but I no longer think so.
3) Sometimes rebooting seems to resolve the problem.
4) I thought maybe some hardware was damaged causing me to get a weak signal, but in one case where it was unable to get a fix it actually saw at least 10 satellites, probably at least 6 of those had a "green" (30+ dB SNR)
5) I thought the problem is initiated by going into Google Maps and the other applications worked so long as you didn't go into Google Maps. I no longer believed that.
6) I've set location services to device only as well as high accuracy. I don't see a difference.
I think I've had similar problems in the past and recall fixing it somehow (in software) -- but I can't figure out what was done.
HELP!
I'm on a custom rom and have noticed the same thing within the past couple of weeks. It used to be fine, but now it can way over a minute to get GPS lock. Sometimes it thinks I'm still where I was a long time ago or somewhere completely different. This is in google maps too. Waze also has trouble locking on frequently now so I doubt it's an app issue.
iivisionii said:
I'm on a custom rom and have noticed the same thing within the past couple of weeks. It used to be fine, but now it can way over a minute to get GPS lock. Sometimes it thinks I'm still where I was a long time ago or somewhere completely different. This is in google maps too. Waze also has trouble locking on frequently now so I doubt it's an app issue.
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I've had it take 10-20 minutes in some cases, it always reports a location within 30 miles of me, but that's still way too far to be helpful. I've sometimes had it report locations within a half mile of me and that's still equally useless. Once locked, it seems to stay locked. for my entire usage, will later be off, even if you start at the same location you last used it (i.e. use Google Maps to drive somewhere, and then leave a couple hours later using Google Maps).
The other really weird thing about this is that I had initially thought there was maybe a problem with the GPS receiver itself, like the antenna was damaged or the feedline between the antenna and the receiver, etc. But I've gone into GPS Status or GPS Test applications and it gives SNRs from each satellite, and its got adequate SNR from enough satellites to get a 3D fix even when it doesn't have one, which implies its something goofy in the software somewhere.
It does seem to have gotten better in the last few days, maybe?
I'm not entirely sure what the problem is. I did change my battery out personally a couple of months back. I was wondering if I may have damaged something. As far as GPS fix and those other apps, yes it does lock on, but it does take a little longer than I would take to lock on. Mine sometimes takes quite a while, like 5 minutes+ like yours to fix too.