Problems with GPS and Lag - Captivate General

I have a Vibrant but the Captivate is basically a twin brother so here it goes.
I noticed that the Feeds Widget, along with the Market and some other apps took far too long to "load" whatever I asked it to do. I did a complete reset and PRESTO! Loading screen times have been cut in half, or completely eliminated in some cases. So yes, you might hate it but this might just solve the slow Email syncing
Next I want to touch on the GPS. I tried all of the "fixes". I still struggled to get a fix.
So I went and swapped my Vibrant out and PRESTO! Instant GPS lock in under 10 seconds. It's still not terribly accurate (5-10 Meters) but it is FAR better than before and my apps/phone don't lock up waiting for a GPS fix! Most notably Speedtest.net was the most problematic 3rd party app when trying to get a GPS fix. I looked at the "retrieving server list" message for 30 seconds at a time on my Old Vibrant and now it comes up within 5-10 seconds.
So yes, if you're having GPS problems you've got to get yourself a new Captivate. I can't tell you which do and don't have GPS problems but I got my phone from the same batch that originally came in and this new one has no GPS problems to speak of on STOCK out of the box settings

Interesting! Thanks for the update! I assume if you do the whole reset you'll have to re-download ALL the apps and widgets and stuff again? Even still, may be worth it. How's your batt life?

radi0chik said:
Interesting! Thanks for the update! I assume if you do the whole reset you'll have to re-download ALL the apps and widgets and stuff again? Even still, may be worth it. How's your batt life?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, all of the apps and stuff have to be reloaded but everything on the SD cards will be saved.
I wouldn't be able to give you a good answer because I was fiddling with the GPS and rebooting it so much on my old one. I'll let you know how much uptime I get from a full charge on regular usage.

I'm on my 3rd captivate with no luck. Att doesn't seem to care about swapping them out and don't really understand the issue. I've given up on the swapping and will wait for Samsung to update (fingers crossed)
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

Samsung has already come out and said there is a issue with the GPS and will be doing a OTA fix.

Pmac25 said:
Samsung has already come out and said there is a issue with the GPS and will be doing a OTA fix.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where have they done this? We need an ETA on that OTA

yeah my GPS is absolutely HORRIBLE. I wanted to show my wife the google maps last night, and we were about 5 mins from the house when I loaded the app.
It seriously took it 2:30 mins to get a fix on us, and we were in a 4-5 bar area.

heygrl said:
Where have they done this? We need an ETA on that OTA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can not tell you when they will do it but I have seen it in a couple of threads starting with the one here.
forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=732875

Pmac25 said:
I can not tell you when they will do it but I have seen it in a couple of threads starting with the one here.
forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=732875
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is what you are referring to right:
Edit #2:
I was informed by a sales rep at T-Mobile that Samsung is aware of the issue and is going to fix the GPS and the compass issue in their first update.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately I would not take this as a positive confirmation. Carrier Reps will tell you what ever it takes to get you out of their cross hairs.
Anyhow, lets hope Samsung pulls through and fixes this.

Its interesting how different it is for people. Mine was taking 2-5 min to get a fix, but worked fine after that.
I applied the fix pointed to in the vibrant forum, and now I get an almost instant fix. Accuracy bounces between 5 and 10 meters. I'm not sure any GPS gets better accuracy. May be, but I don't know. But that being said, it works perfect for me when driving.

GPS Fix:
Forgive me if you have already seen this, but the fix has been done for the Samsung Vibrant and it works on my Captivate as well (turned unusable GPS into OK GPS):
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=728611
Best wishes to all,
okmft

I did it earlier to my Captivate and it didn't seem to help.. Don't know why but I got no better GPS

Related

GPS Fix from Samsung?

I have one more week before my 30 days is up. I need to make a decision if I should keep my Captivate very soon. Do you think Samsung will be able to fix the GPS issue? Can it be fix by a firmware update? Is it a hardware problem? I don't want to live with this problem for the next 2 years.
The time it takes for Captivate to get a lock is one problem but the GPS accuracy is a bigger problem for me. I can be driving down the street and all of a sudden the arrow will jump to a neighboring street. Sometime I stop at a stoplight but the arrow continue on. Basically it's unusable.
Last night I used Glympse to share location from my wife's iPhone 4. The 2 phones were sitting side by side. For 15 minutes, the iPhone's location was steady while the Captivate location kept moving within a 500 yard area.
I've try every solution I could find and none of them would fix all the problems I have.
Im at the same page as you... i have two week from my 30 days. This phone is awsome.. the battery is good enough for me. But thw goa is trowing it off very badly... im forced to go to iphone 4 since i muat stay at att cuz of family plans... shame.. i love this phone and i will wait for an update till the very last date..
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
I had the same GPS problems as everyone when I first got my Captivate, I even tried the fixes by changing the server and enabling skyhook, etc. Then I flashed the JM2 ROM from the Development thread, and my GPS works great now! I always get a lock within 1-2 minutes on a cold start, and within 10-15 seconds on a warm start. The accuracy does jump around a bit, but it is usually within 15-20 feet.
Not to mention the ROM just flies, especially with the Lag fix.
Cheers
Brian
Brian_W said:
I had the same GPS problems as everyone when I first got my Captivate, I even tried the fixes by changing the server and enabling skyhook, etc. Then I flashed the JM2 ROM from the Development thread, and my GPS works great now! I always get a lock within 1-2 minutes on a cold start, and within 10-15 seconds on a warm start. The accuracy does jump around a bit, but it is usually within 15-20 feet.
Not to mention the ROM just flies, especially with the Lag fix.
Cheers
Brian
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you have the message bug that does not allow gmail and texts to clear? That it wkly I always go back to stock.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Brian_W said:
I had the same GPS problems as everyone when I first got my Captivate, I even tried the fixes by changing the server and enabling skyhook, etc. Then I flashed the JM2 ROM from the Development thread, and my GPS works great now! I always get a lock within 1-2 minutes on a cold start, and within 10-15 seconds on a warm start. The accuracy does jump around a bit, but it is usually within 15-20 feet.
Not to mention the ROM just flies, especially with the Lag fix.
Cheers
Brian
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does your google navigation work with the flash rom? I can never get it off of the "searching for GPS",
madjsp said:
Do you have the message bug that does not allow gmail and texts to clear? That it wkly I always go back to stock.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have seen it a few times, but mostly it does clear.
Cheers
Brian
thindery said:
Does your google navigation work with the flash rom? I can never get it off of the "searching for GPS",
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I just tried it. It did take a bit longer than normal to acquire since I am at work and inside a 6 story building, but I just put it by the window and in about 2 minutes it acquired 4-5 sats, launched navigation and it said searching for GPS for about 9-10 seconds. I am VERY happy with the JM2 ROM with lag fix.
Cheers
Brian
Brian_W said:
Yeah I just tried it. It did take a bit longer than normal to acquire since I am at work and inside a 6 story building, but I just put it by the window and in about 2 minutes it acquired 4-5 sats, launched navigation and it said searching for GPS for about 9-10 seconds. I am VERY happy with the JM2 ROM with lag fix.
Cheers
Brian
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well you talked me into flashing this rom and seeing if it is any improvements. The GPS issue is the only thing holding me back on if I should keep this phone or not. I have a week to decide and hopefully this JM2 ROM does something. Was the ROM designed to help GPS problems?
thindery said:
Well you talked me into flashing this rom and seeing if it is any improvements. The GPS issue is the only thing holding me back on if I should keep this phone or not. I have a week to decide and hopefully this JM2 ROM does something. Was the ROM designed to help GPS problems?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am in the same situation as you, I really love the phone but do not want it if they can not get the GPS working properly.
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on flashing the ROM!
Brian_W said:
I have seen it a few times, but mostly it does clear.
Cheers
Brian
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The only way I can get a text to clear is if I click each individual text that I receive. It stopped me from using the stock rom.

GPS problems thread

I know this has been discussed some, but i can't seem to find a solution. This is a great phone, but the gps really makes me mad.
My OG Droid and inc would get a position lock pretty fast. about 15 seconds. the thunderbolt on the other hand sucks... Never have i even seen before the shrinking (or sometimes not) circle around your position arrow in google maps.
This is a big deal to me because i use the gps as the main navi in my truck, i assume lots of others do too. I also use it for marking fishing spots so pinpoint accuracy is a must.
I know and for those who don't, you can download GPS status and see the fix its getting and also reset or update your GPS. This kind of works for a while, but still doesn't get the most accurate fix (but ok for driving) and is a PITA. Also takes a minute.
I have a feeling this is software/radio related, and hopefully can be fixed. But just a hunch as i know nothing about the matter.
Anyone have any other ideas??
I should add i just got 12/12 in gps status. not too bad. and maybe the circle around the position arrow was MAYBE just added in a new version of maps. but still it takes multiple trys when i hit navigate to find my position.
GPS is awful on both my and my wife's Thunderbolts too. Can't get a lock standing outside even after 5 minutes; completely unusable. And, we shouldn't have to download another (non-official) app just to get GPS to work.
Glad it's not just me. My GPS takes forever to lock (has taken up to 10min before).
ntguru said:
Glad it's not just me. My GPS takes forever to lock (has taken up to 10min before).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
my pgs sucks as well. I didn't use it much before rooting and flashing roms, so I can't really compare pre and post ROM flashing. Either way, it sucks, can't lock on my location, it get "waiting on location" then "location unavailbale at this time". However, it seems to work when I on pgs navigation after waiting for a while. Hopefully we can get a fix for this soon.
i didnt try GPS much before root either. Don't think that would make a difference. I was on the stock rom just until yesterday and was having the same problems with it.
BUMP
I'm having the same issues. I love my phone but this is very aggravating. I would like to know if this is just isolated to a few of us( ie our particular phones are defective) or is the a phone wide issue.
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App
GPS issues..
I've been having the same issues with GPS. I posted about this in another thread but i'll post again.
I get three different locations from three different apps using GPS. Google maps is off by a few blocks, but at least it shows me in downtown houston (my actual location). My time widget pulls the time based on location, and currently, its somewhere near a lake in Russia right above mongolia. Foursquare thinks i'm on the coast of Lithuania and gives me locations in that area to check into.
I called VZ tech help and breezed through to the L2 support. The lady put me on hold to grab a thunderbolt phone to help me troubleshoot. When she came back on the line, she said her google maps was showing her location as blocks away from where she really too!!
Long story short - she gave me a call back later that day and said HTC is aware of the problem and is currently working on a fix for the issue , but gave no timeframe for when it would be fixed
My thunderbolt is fine. Just did a maps test and it found me in about 10s. I have two thunderbolts and the other one took about 1 minute to lock. Both tests were done from inside my house.
having the same problem with my gps...im going head to a verizon store today!
magnafides said:
GPS is awful on both my and my wife's Thunderbolts too. Can't get a lock standing outside even after 5 minutes; completely unusable. And, we shouldn't have to download another (non-official) app just to get GPS to work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
"non official"
you shouldn't be on this forum, if you don't like "non official" stuff, btw if you use GPS status you can clear the cache, and download the assistance data. maybe that'll help you guys
Mine gets a lock indoors, away from all windows, under 2 minutes. Not the most accurate, 60ft, 6 satellites. But hey I'm in the frikkin house. Outdoors I get a lock instantly. 12+ satellites.
Gps status helps, but doesn't fix it. So chill dude.
But I just downloaded das bamf 1.3.1 and now its working like normal! In the change log it says edited some gps settings in the build prop!
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App
Damn my gps doesn't work at all...
Das bamf 1.3.1
Varelse said:
Damn my gps doesn't work at all...
Das bamf 1.3.1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sucks. I assume you tried updating thru gps status? Maybe it will work after awhile or a reboot.
Anyways since mine works good now I am at ease cause I know its not HW. I'm sure there will be a patch one of these days.
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App
I am using Das Bamf 1.3.1 and have no gps problems
Running Das BAMF 1.3.2. No problems at all with GPS, indoors, outdoors, or in car -- pre- and- post-root.
headcheese said:
Sucks. I assume you tried updating thru gps status?
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dumb question, but where do I find this option?
So it's just not me, mine takes minutes to lock on, after that it's no problem, but that initial lock is a PITA, 3-5 min...
I've also noticed subpar gps performance compared to my incredible from the first day I got the phone.
The Gps status app seems to have helped and the time to get a lock has improved even more with bamf 1.3.2. Even still it doesn't seem to get a lock as quick as I was used to with my incredible. Takes anywhere from 30s to 2min, but on the lower end of that.
Would still like to see this addressed by HTC/vzw. I'm sure there's other people out there having this issue and I know they can do better.

The real cause of nonworking gps!

so this is my 3rd G2X, my first was a horrible rebooter so i exchanged it for a second, which was pretty good but i could never get the GPS to work. so i just got my 3rd g2x sent to me, and everything was working, including GPS. Then i downloaded GPS status and toolbox. when i opened the app it told me GPS assistance downloaded, and from then on my GPS won't work. i tried a factory reset and it is still broken, so i think i have found the cause of the problem. Anyone agree?
also is there a fix, or do i need to get a 4th g2x sent to me?
I have GPS status on my G2X and my GPS works perfect.
slowpig38 said:
so this is my 3rd G2X, my first was a horrible rebooter so i exchanged it for a second, which was pretty good but i could never get the GPS to work. so i just got my 3rd g2x sent to me, and everything was working, including GPS. Then i downloaded GPS status and toolbox. when i opened the app it told me GPS assistance downloaded, and from then on my GPS won't work. i tried a factory reset and it is still broken, so i think i have found the cause of the problem. Anyone agree?
also is there a fix, or do i need to get a 4th g2x sent to me?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You, sir, should work as a journalist. What a wonderfully sensationalist headline!
'This is the absolute truth!! I think...'
Why would an app that a lot of us don't use be the cause of such a widespread problem?
Man, there is no need to be rude. He is just trying to figure out what is going on with his gps.
Slowpig, I highly doubt it's the program making the gps nonfunctional. You have several options though. You could try rooting and flash EaglesBlood (froyo) and see what that does. I like it a lot better than the stock, and everything works just fine. Also, try searching before you post, as there about a million gps fix threads. Here are a few I found doing a quick search....
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1092016&highlight=gps+fix
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1079304&highlight=gps+fix
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1085664&highlight=gps+fix
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1078750&highlight=gps+fix
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1049370&highlight=gps+fix
Anyway, do some reading, and see what you come up with. Again, I'd give a new rom a shot and see what that does for you. Hope this helps.
before you guys go off calling me retarded, know that this is my 3rd g2x and my second one ahd a faulty gps, and i tried all of the fixes on the forum to fix it. when i aquired my new one it worked out of the box, but after the instalation of the app in question it stopped. when i went into the hidden menu and deleted all aiding data it worked perfectly again. see why i might be led to my conclusion? it mightve been a bit rushed, but i was very upset that my brand new G2X's gps had suddenly stopped working after only an hour of use.
slowpig38 said:
before you guys go off calling me retarded, know that this is my 3rd g2x and my second one ahd a faulty gps, and i tried all of the fixes on the forum to fix it. when i aquired my new one it worked out of the box, but after the instalation of the app in question it stopped. when i went into the hidden menu and deleted all aiding data it worked perfectly again. see why i might be led to my conclusion? it mightve been a bit rushed, but i was very upset that my brand new G2X's gps had suddenly stopped working after only an hour of use.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If that is the reason then can you explain why I have those apps on my G2X and the GPS still works better than any other GPS I've ever used?
It seems its just random, some g2xs have problems while others don't. Its just poor QC by LG
Sent from my LG-P999 using XDA Premium App
I finally got around to try the gps. Maps, earth, gps status all work fine, except for the speedometer apps.
Are you not getting a lock at all, or is it just taking FOREVER to get a lock. There was a fix I flashed for mine (mine took forever to lock), and now mine locks almost instantly! I'll try to see if I can search and find the thread, but the thread had different files to flash with cwr and each had it's own region. (ie south east, west coast, etc).
Mine works now. I just had to do a factory reset
Sent from my LG-P999 using XDA Premium App
Mine finds satellites but takes forever to lock. Even on stock ROM with a factory reset.
Like n 1-2 seconds it find 6 satellites, but lock takes 10 to 20 minutes at least.
ce3jay said:
I finally got around to try the gps. Maps, earth, gps status all work fine, except for the speedometer apps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the same problem with speedometer apps!
It acts like it only wants to display speed in increments instead of the actual speed.
strung said:
Mine finds satellites but takes forever to lock. Even on stock ROM with a factory reset.
Like n 1-2 seconds it find 6 satellites, but lock takes 10 to 20 minutes at least.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mine was taking a long time until I flashed this fix. Give it a shot, it worked for me. I get locks in a few seconds. Here is the link...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1085354
Hope this helps!
This is my third G2X and all have had gps issues. Currently I applied the download fix (southeast region fix) last night and I saw an immediate transformation. Very quick locks and much improved accuracy.Unfortunately this morning I am back to either no locks or locks after 30 seconds to 5 minutes and the accuracy is horrible. Right now where last night I got almost instantaneous locks and 16 to 39 ft accuracy I am getting very very slow locks and 37209 ft accuracy. I was elated last night but now I am as confused as ever. I have tried every gps fix I can get my hands on and I am right back where I started.
Mine works pretty well. Glad a factory reset fixed your problems.
slowpig38 said:
It seems its just random, some g2xs have problems while others don't. Its just poor QC by LG
Sent from my LG-P999 using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed!
I love my android phone but coming from an Iphone 3gs to a vibrant to a g2x. The phone(s) on paper are Superior to Iphone (specs are amazing and way faster) But apples qc is far superior to lgs and sammys I hate waiting over 7 months for an os upgrade so they can bloat it up with crap, What I hate even more is when you spend your hard earned cash on a phone that looks amazing, and a standard feature (GPS) don't work. Despite apples ass raping when it comes to hardware and its lack of software features(android is an will always be king) They put out solid phones (other than that iPhone 4 antennagate crap). Androids strength and most detrimental weakness is its partners. Google Does not get that if a person is disappointed over and over they will jump ship! This is my second disappointment after my vibrant (GPS not working correctly). But i'm quick to forgive, others are not... If I were a regular customer and not a geek who loves tech and i switched from Ios (iphone) to android (vibrant, G2x) and had all these issues screen bleed, gps,freezing etc. id switch back after the first week, and androids image would be tarnished.

[Q] Should I return my Infuse? GPS issues!

I know many people have complained about the Infuse's GPS performance. I have read and tried about 10 different "fixes". It does not matter what I do, it is just horrible.
I am coming from an HTC Inspire, which could sit on my lap in the car, lock within 10-15 seconds, and not show me driving in the trees.
With my Infuse, I have to hold the phone up to the windshield, with the back facing out (cannot lay it on the dashboard), to acquire a lock in 2-10 minutes. After I get a lock, if I do not keep the back of the phone at the windshield, I loose lock.
I have worked with Angry GPS & GPStest. I have tried ATT Stock UCKD5 & UCKE3, S7 (awesome ROM), Infused and Stock with Community Kernal.
Is this just how bad the Infuse performs or should I call Amazon and send it back?
Try my fix click on my name and search posts you'll.find it. If you follow directions it works. Pm me for help
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using xda premium
tyshemi said:
Try my fix click on my name and search posts you'll.find it. If you follow directions it works. Pm me for help
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your fix was one of the fixes I have already tried. I tried it under Stock and S7 and tried it again today with S7. Still no improvement.
Question for you Tyshemi which might help clarify this problem. When you have your Infuse indoors and outdoors what are the typical DBHZ (AngryGPS) or SNR (GPSTEST) #'s that you get for satellites?
Here are my typical numbers
[1]Laying on desk 2 foot from window (one floor house), 28-35
[2]in hand 2 foot from window, 17-25
[3]outside laying on leg, 22-28
[4]outside fingers only holding phone by the sides with back of phone to the sky, 25-32
[5]laying on the hood of my wifes Toyota RAV4, 35-45
[6]in the RAV4 on my lap, 20-27
When the phone is on the hood of the RAF 4 it will lock very quick, even after clearing data. But, after locking, not clearing data, I can go to any of the other positions, except #4, and it will not lock.
I am very interested in hearing what you numbers are.
Thanks for the quick response!
Also, it would be interesting to hear from other people what numbers they get and if they have issues or a working GPS.
6
First inside two story house
Second outside
These are just tonight just for you
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using xda premium
I.can help you step by step if ya want
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using xda premium
tyshemi said:
I.can help you step by step if ya want
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I really appreaciate the offer but I feel at this point I have followed the directions as well as trying other fixes.
Please correct me if I am wrong but your fix as well as other fixes do not actually change or affect how the OS uses the hardware or how the hardware processes the incomming signals. I believe most fixes just affect how the phone processes available location services. The fixes may help but I doubt the fixes can help failing/deficient hardware.
I think a very clear example of a hardware issue is the fact when my phone is laying in my hand, outdoors, it may or may not reacquire a lock and if it does lock my accuracy will never go less then 100ft. When I place the phone in a metal cake pan (indoors) or on the hood of the RAV4,, my TTFF is about 60sec and accuracy holds 13 to 25ft.
I really wish you could help me but I am convinced this is hardware and I am going to try and return it and get another one.
I will follow up to let you know what happens.
Thanks again for your help.
Hmm thats weird man... i used thie fix proposed by tyshemi thread:
http://www.darkyrom.com/community/index.php?threads/guide-gps-quickest-fix-solution.2022/
Now i get locked under 30 secs In and out doors no matter the situation....
Maybe you do indeed have a bad gps on that phone.... Probably change it as gps not working, just remember to flash back to stock xD and risk it with another Infuse or change.... but those radically unfuctional gps are not common... i seriously havent had ONE single trouble locking my position on different countries, including north and south america...
sixn,
Are you sure you applied the fix and turned on auto in angry gps?
Powered by Infused v2.1.0
marty331 said:
sixn,
Are you sure you applied the fix and turned on auto in angry gps?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, but thanks for checking. I have tried multiple scenarios over the last week and have spent a lot of hours trying to figure this out. I think I finally have the answer. Check out this thread I just created, http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1260944
SOLVED
I contacted Samsung and discussed my GPS issues. I was issued an RMA on 15 Sep. I just received the phone back today and there is a huge improvment. Right out of the box (I flashed back to stock before sending of course) locked in less then 30 seconds. Much more accurate then prevously. Repair ticket indicates they "replaced component".
At least it is working better

Anyone with GPS problems????

I've searched the threads for are Verizon variant of the SGSIII. If this has been discussed , mod please remove.
I'm not a noob by any means. My GPS is driving me up a freaking wall. I've tried from on a pure stock ROM, yes out the box and both rooted .img's. Plus all available ROM'S .
Here is where my adventure begins. It takes forever if at all , to get a lock. If I do get a lock it will stick but that is about 1 out of ten times. I've tried to modify the GPS.conf , with known general tweaks and NTP servers to pull from with no luck, also a few general build.prop tweaks. Then I turned to the market and we all no how that goes , thousands of apps claiming to give you the world with a click of a button. Nada , nothing. I've done full restores, formatted system, efs etc ect, a clean start. Still no luck. Now I thought at one point that maby my GPS is fubared, I highly doubt this. I can see all satellites in my region and it connects to about one or two at the most. When I just look at my maps on my location it is close , it will show me about 100 ft away from the road I'm on or the next road over, or show me on the road but riding along side it. If I'm in navigation it just says follow route , searching for GPS. So I no its close.
This is frustrating cause I'm a self employed contractor and I depend on my phone for everything. So if anyone can confirm some of the problems I've been having or any links or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
(EDIT) After some reaserch and tinkering with the gps.conf I have made my GPS 50% better. See page 2.
DirtyDroidX
Sent from my SCH-I535 or XT913
I've had the same problem. My GPS takes forever to lock on (if I try to start it up while navigating, it usually doesn't lock at all). And when it does lock on, the accuracy is terrible.
I haven't tried any of the tweaks, apps, or different ROMs or anything, but I shouldn't be really have to. GPS worked great on my now 2.5 year old HTC Incredible, and works fine on the Rezound I play with a lot. This was one of the things I was worried about when I bought this phone... HTC phones are known for having the best radios around... and Samsung radios are known to be ****. Well, this has only reinforced that for me.
For a comparison to the Rezound, see the attached screenshots taken at pretty much the same time, in pretty much the same spot. In fairness, I was moving (although coming to a stop) when the SGSIII one was taken, but the results that came out were actually one of the better ones. Around the time I took the screenshots, I was getting measurements similar to this as well as much worse than this, while both moving and stopped. Hell, you can even see that the 3G signal is weaker on the SGSIII.
I've seen these same issues discussed in a number of forums on here, and I recognize that not everyone has this problem. Most people's GPS locks on instantly and the accuracy is great. But there are still a lot of people who do have this problem, so it's definitely not just a couple isolated cases. I realize that I can take it in for a warranty replacement, but then I get a refurbished phone back, and those usually come with even more problems... which is the thing that pisses me off about the Verizon warranty program... I buy a brand new phone... it doesn't work... I get a refurbished phone in it's place. Samsung needs to just stop making shoddy hardware and it won't be a problem.
Don't get me wrong, I'd still take this phone over the Rezound any day. It's sexier, has a way better processor, camera, and battery life, and has a bigger screen. I just miss Sense and having radios that actually work well
For whatever reason, the old GPS issue thread disappeared. Initially I had no problems on stock, but when I flashed Invisiblek's JB 8-10 build, I wasn't able to lock on.
What I did was download FasterFix from the PlayStore. With GPS off, I launched it, set the region to my region, closed, and then turned on GPS, waited a minute and launched navigation again. See if that works for you. I think FasterFix calibrates your region or something if it's trying to find you somewhere in the world and is taking a while.
xmrlazyx said:
For whatever reason, the old GPS issue thread disappeared. Initially I had no problems on stock, but when I flashed Invisiblek's JB 8-10 build, I wasn't able to lock on.
What I did was download FasterFix from the PlayStore. With GPS off, I launched it, set the region to my region, closed, and then turned on GPS, waited a minute and launched navigation again. See if that works for you. I think FasterFix calibrates your region or something if it's trying to find you somewhere in the world and is taking a while.
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FasterFix seems like it might fix the lock-on time but not the accuracy, which is the (much) bigger problem.
I hope I don't. S2 had a POS GPS at first that took forever to fix.
Yea I can get a lock faster with a few play store apps. The thing is like said before, the accuracy is ****ty. Plus the navigation won't function cause of this. I hope someone with in depth knowledge can see what the problem is. I have not given up hope yet lol. I have a few things I want to test out and then I might throw my hands in the air. I need to get ahold of nitroglycerin33 on talk and ask him a few questions.
Jmo. I flashed the radio before Verizon got there ignorant hands on it. I forget what the version name is . I live on a fringe area and I was dropping calls left and right ,bad 4G conection. Now I would say its 60% better.
Sent from my SCH-I535 or XT913
You should exchange the phone if you can. Mine was terrible before and now its perfect on the new phone.
ChrisNee1988 said:
You should exchange the phone if you can..
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I agree, GPS not working in these phones seems to be a hardware problem.
My G3 GPS works perfectly (better than my old Rezound in side by side comparisons, it locks almost instantly even inside where I work), but my boss had one that didn't work for ****.
VZ replaced his & now it works great.
My wife's S3 does something entirely different. GPS locks on fine and fast, but it says she's in Clintwood VA, about 500 miles off. First noticed it in the weather widget, but if she opens maps it starts in Clintwood, but locks on correctly in just a few seconds. Weather can be changed manually, but goes back to Clintwood after a while.
Never been to Clintwood, may need to see if there's anything worth seeing there.
johnnyvol said:
My wife's S3 does something entirely different. GPS locks on fine and fast, but it says she's in Clintwood VA, about 500 miles off. First noticed it in the weather widget, but if she opens maps it starts in Clintwood, but locks on correctly in just a few seconds. Weather can be changed manually, but goes back to Clintwood after a while.
.
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Click to collapse
That is just a bug in the [email protected] stock weather app, mine does the same thing. It always puts me in NYC which is a 6 1/2 hour drive away.
I use weather & toggle widgets flip clock/weather instead in Nova Launcher & that weather app always locates me perfectly no matter where I am.
Just got it and this is one of the best GPS's I have seen yet. Better than my S2 and my Razr.
My last GS3 had a similar issue too on top of the lock taking forever and it being a bit off. At one point it thought I was in Florida but I really live near DC. My friend noticed it when I was chatting with the FB app and it included Geotags and was wondering what I was doing in Florida.
johnnyvol said:
My wife's S3 does something entirely different. GPS locks on fine and fast, but it says she's in Clintwood VA, about 500 miles off. First noticed it in the weather widget, but if she opens maps it starts in Clintwood, but locks on correctly in just a few seconds. Weather can be changed manually, but goes back to Clintwood after a while.
Never been to Clintwood, may need to see if there's anything worth seeing there.
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Click to collapse
I'm leaning toward a hardware issue myself cause I'm adjusting the NTP servers as we speak. I've used about 6 different ones . No change. I'm going to try some prop tweaks now.
Sent from my SCH-I535 or XT913
dirtydroidx said:
I'm leaning toward a hardware issue myself cause I'm adjusting the NTP servers as we speak. I've used about 6 different ones . No change. I'm going to try some prop tweaks now.
Sent from my SCH-I535 or XT913
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Click to collapse
I could be misinterpreting what you are trying to do, but why would the NTP servers have anything to do with your GPS problem? NTP simply delivers UTC time....
GPS works prefer for me. Takes about ten seconds at most to lock
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app
Beemer533 said:
I could be misinterpreting what you are trying to do, but why would the NTP servers have anything to do with your GPS problem? NTP simply delivers UTC time....
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I'm not sure what the problem is that's why I'm trying to distinguish between hardware or software. Just exploring all options. Can't hurt.
Sent from my SCH-I535 or XT913
OK might be on to something
If anyone wants to try it out I will post it here in a little bit. From tweaking the GPS.conf file I got this>>>
When I started the day I got not one lock on a satt !
Sent from my SCH-I535 or XT913
dirtydroidx said:
I'm not sure what the problem is that's why I'm trying to distinguish between hardware or software. Just exploring all options. Can't hurt.
Sent from my SCH-I535 or XT913
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Click to collapse
No, it certainly can't! I was just wondering, as NTP just delivers time, and has no positional information...
Agreed the lock does take forever UNLESS you turn on Google Location Services (which I usually have off), and it is accurate as all hell even indoors. I wonder if turning that on with Standalone GPS will solve your issues.
Edit: GPS lock was great with Maps indoors, but switching to Navigation it never locked onto GPS even though it had my location perfectly!
OK if you want to prove my concept feel free to . Let me no if it works for you. Go out side or be in a car while locking on!
1) Download new gps.conf file>>>
http://db.tt/5xvFneRt
2) Replace it in /ect . Rename the original one from .conf to .bak. using a file explorer with R/W enabled , so yes you have to be rooted!
3) Download GPS toolbox https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.eclipsim.gpsstatus2
4) Reboot.
5) Enable standalone GPS and Google services NOT Verizon services.
6) Open GPS status select options/tools/reset . Then options/ tools/download
7) Reboot
8) Open GPS status and wait for lock . Mine took 5 min a friends took 3. Then open up navigation .
9) Profit
Sent from my SCH-I535 or XT913

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