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Hi Guys,
I've been hearing about lots of problems with the GPS not picking up low SNR satellites and the GPS being wildly inaccurate on the samsung vibrant and also the euro variants of the galaxy s.
Does the captivate have the same issue?
Its true. I bought it on sunday an notice that issue. Hope there will be a update(Bug fix) soon.
Compare to my G1, the Captivate take about the same time to lock and GPStest says the SNR is better. I'm happy with it.
MFister said:
Hi Guys,
I've been hearing about lots of problems with the GPS not picking up low SNR satellites and the GPS being wildly inaccurate on the samsung vibrant and also the euro variants of the galaxy s.
Does the captivate have the same issue?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Define Wildly inaccurate. On my Captivate it is dead on (within 9 feet)
I am having major problems with GPS. I am getting a lock but only within 50-75 feet. It isn't good at all. The GPS is slow to update and throws me everywhere.
I amthinking of returning the phone if Samsung doesn't make an announcement about s fix for this.
dial this from your phone:
*#*#1472365#*#*
Change startup from hot to cold.....worked for me. GPS locks much much faster
What are the settings on your phone Citznfish? My phone is off by anywhere from 100-500ft. Thanks!
Ok, I tried it again... In the house I'm about 500 ft off from where I really am and placed in a golf fairway. Outside I am FURTHER off: I'd estimate at least 5 blocks and placed in the middle of a different golf fairway. For comparision sake, my wife's iPhone 3Gs has her within 10-20' while inside the house. To me, this is unacceptable and a great cause for concern. What can I do???
Smalls2 said:
dial this from your phone:
*#*#1472365#*#*
Change startup from hot to cold.....worked for me. GPS locks much much faster
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm having the same problem here. My iPhone 3GS GPS responded way quicker then this phone does. I have a Weather Channel widget up, and it doesn't find the location to display the weather for a good minute and a half after. Same goes for using Google Maps to find my location. Lot of times it says, "Your location is unavailable." I even tried switching the startup from hot to cold, and that didn't have much effect either.
When I was driving today, the GPS locator had a bad lag in it, I would be down two blocks before it would catch up, and I live in a 3G area, and not a giant city like NY or something.
I wonder if it's because it's so bloated with Samsung UI on it, or if it's just the a bug. Either way, if I'm still having issues with it, I'll see if AT&T will exchange it out for a different one. Otherwise back to the 3GS, which I really don't want to do since I'm loving Android right now.
What does hot start and cold start do?
skizzz said:
What does hot start and cold start do?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hot Start - The GPS receiver remembers its last calculated position and which satellites were in view, the almanac used, and the UTC Time. It then performs a reset and attempts to acquire satellites and calculate a new position based upon the previous information.
Cold Start - The GPS receiver dumps all information and resets. It then attempts to locate satellites and then calculate a GPS lock. This takes the longest because there is no known information. The GPS receiver has to attempt to lock a satellite signal from all of the satellites, basically like polling, which takes a lot longer than knowing which satellites to look for.
Danm a cold start sounds like it would be slower. I tried it and I still can't get a lock within a reasonable range.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA Appb
I've been reading online that the Galaxy S got a firmware update that greatly improved/fixed the GPS problems we are experiencing. I can only assume that we will have to wait as well for this firmware to completely fix the gps issue.
Try the fix/workaround in the Vibrant forum.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=728611
I went from seeing 1 satellite and none locked to 7-10 seen and 5-7 locked.
tbae2 said:
I've been reading online that the Galaxy S got a firmware update that greatly improved/fixed the GPS problems we are experiencing. I can only assume that we will have to wait as well for this firmware to completely fix the gps issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where did you read this? I've been looking for something like this, preferably from Samsung.
i havent had too many problems with GPS here
Google maps usually locks me in a few seconds
Third party applications can take much longer, however
The problem might be the way the third party apps utilize the GPS
lyu370 said:
Try the fix/workaround in the Vibrant forum.
I went from seeing 1 satellite and none locked to 7-10 seen and 5-7 locked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually that isn't a fix at all. It makes locking onto satellites much faster, but nothing to address the sensitivity issues, and there is definitely an issue. I 'found' 9 satellites, but could only lock onto two of them, for a few seconds at a time, then back to zero, out in the open.
Hopefully a software fix is on the way.
Source: /showthread.php?t=728611&page=5
This fix did help me so now i get a quick lock...as ling as i dint start moving around. It stays close enough to exact to use for driving around but not more accurate than that. The problem isn't really getting a lock so much as keeping it.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
tdusen said:
Compare to my G1, the Captivate take about the same time to lock and GPStest says the SNR is better. I'm happy with it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I change my mind. While what I said still stands, I've since found that the GPS and the Compass don't track very well. I tried find a geocache using the same GeOrg software I use on my G1. The location seemed to be stuck as I was walking. From my experience with the Tilt, I'd say the GPS is running in "Static Navigation"
The clock is ticking, GPS has to be fixed in 28 days, or the phone gets returned.
lyu370 said:
Try the fix/workaround in the Vibrant forum.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=728611
I went from seeing 1 satellite and none locked to 7-10 seen and 5-7 locked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was having problems w/ GPS on my phone as well. Would be way off in Google Maps, Navigator took forever to lock, and geo-tagging photos was also way off. I did something similar - dialed the code to get to the GPS settings. However, all I did was turn Skyhook to ON and switched configuration from manual to auto. I don't seem to have any problems between yesterday and today. It locks incredibly quick and is very very accurate.
Some of you should try this method and see if it helps with anything. Good luck.
guys give this a try and let me know if it works for you.
http://theandroidrevolution.blogspot.com/2010/07/android-tips-tricks-samsung-galaxy-s.html
Why are they running flash on that site? Bummer,i'll check later.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Seems to me that all this is going to do is have the placebo effect that the other "fixes" have had, and give you a coarse location, something my Eternity could do, and not really a fix for the GPS issue as it uses triangulation from cell towers to locate you.
amazingtaters said:
Seems to me that all this is going to do is have the placebo effect that the other "fixes" have had, and give you a coarse location, something my Eternity could do, and not really a fix for the GPS issue as it uses triangulation from cell towers to locate you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No.
Cell tower can't lock onto you exact coronates
phlunkie said:
Why are they running flash on that site? Bummer,i'll check later.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My site works on the Vibrant and N1.
If you don't have flash or flash lite your YouTube player should open
siberslug said:
No.
Cell tower can't lock onto you exact coronates
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, one tower can't. However, 3 or 4 towers can, basically you bounce a signal to multiple towers, and the time it takes for a full loop to be finished by the signal between you and the tower can be used to calculate how far you are from that tower. If you know how far you are from three separate towers, you can get a decent lock on your position. That's what the "Use Wireless Networks" function in the Location menu does.
Anyway, I tried this fix, and it didn't change the fact that my GPS signal was spotty, constantly fluctuating the number of satellites seen, and often dropping all satellites, while taking just over 7 minutes to get a lock on me that had the piss poor accuracy of approximately 30 meters.
amazingtaters said:
No, one tower can't. However, 3 or 4 towers can, basically you bounce a signal to multiple towers, and the time it takes for a full loop to be finished by the signal between you and the tower can be used to calculate how far you are from that tower. If you know how far you are from three separate towers, you can get a decent lock on your position. That's what the "Use Wireless Networks" function in the Location menu does.
Anyway, I tried this fix, and it didn't change the fact that my GPS signal was spotty, constantly fluctuating the number of satellites seen, and often dropping all satellites, while taking just over 7 minutes to get a lock on me that had the piss poor accuracy of approximately 30 meters.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
3 or 4 towers can not give you an exact location, the best I have seen was 200 meters with cell tower location.
All GPS systems fluctuate that's normal but dropping all is not unless your in a big city. for example, I have not found 1 GPS unit that works reliably in downtown Detroit and I have had 9 Nav systems in 2 years.
I turn on tower location and MS assist for faster pinpoints and indoor use .
So far out of over 300 views and 49 posts and emails only 6 people say it does not work for them everyone else says it works.
siberslug said:
3 or 4 towers can not give you an exact location, the best I have seen was 200 meters with cell tower location.
All GPS systems fluctuate that's normal but dropping all is not unless your in a big city. for example, I have not found 1 GPS unit that works reliably in downtown Detroit and I have had 9 Nav systems in 2 years.
I turn on tower location and MS assist for faster pinpoints and indoor use .
So far out of over 300 views and 49 posts and emails only 6 people say it does not work for them everyone else says it works.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would argue that cell tower triangulation can get you to a much closer accuracy than 200 meters. If my eternity hadn't taken a divot to the screen that prematurely ended it's life a month ago I'd take a video with my captivate to prove it. Sadly, you'll just have to take my word that my eternity often got my location right within about 100 feet, and while it would at times be kilometers off this was the exception and not the rule. I'm just saying that cell triangulation (or quadrangulation or pentangulation or however many towers you have) can be quite accurate, especially in urban areas where there a lot of towers to bounce signal off of. And 7 minutes to get a lock on my location within 30 meters is absurd, I don't think anyone would argue that.
siberslug said:
guys give this a try and let me know if it works for you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Waste of time...
This was already mentioned in the sticky GPS thread.
We need a fix not an intermittent workaround.
I got my GPS to work PERFECT!!!!
The trick is.............. turn on "AutoConfig"
bassahaulic said:
I got my GPS to work PERFECT!!!!
The trick is.............. turn on "AutoConfig"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I doubt it. Try drive around using Google Navigator and see if you get precise lock through out the time. I'd bet money it won't.
So far, all the fixes are only tackling the initial quick lock on. None can fix the precision errors of the Galaxy GPS.
Hmm actually Auto Config gave me super good accuracy(5 meters), slower lock time and really laggy while driving.
YellowGTO said:
Hmm actually Auto Config gave me super good accuracy(5 meters), slower lock time and really laggy while driving.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
bassahaulic said:
I got my GPS to work PERFECT!!!!
The trick is.............. turn on "AutoConfig"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Still good accuracy?
It works for about a day.
If you want to fix your GPS, you have to flash to the JH2 firmware. It contains the real fix for GPS. Whatever setting you play with the JF6 firmware won't make much of a difference after a few days. The driver in all the early firmwares are completely broken.
foxbat121 said:
If you want to fix your GPS, you have to flash to the JH2 firmware. It contains the real fix for GPS. Whatever setting you play with the JF6 firmware won't make much of a difference after a few days. The driver in all the early firmwares are completely broken.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Granted there may be 2 completely separate problems, with that firmware update fixing one of them, but I'm sad to say that the JH2 firmware fix didnt make it past the 8 hour point for me. GPS refuses to lock without a reboot. I've been fiddling with the GPS configuration as well to see if the combination will be the answer, but so far no luck.
I can go ahead and say IMO its not a total fix with the new firmware, It's better, but my wifes my touch 3g slide blows this one out of the water when it comes to initial lock and tracking. I just flashed the new rom today and the gps isn't all that great now I'm scared about what my gps is gonna look like tomorrow!
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
works MUCH better with AutoConfig on for me also
and wireless turned off
usually get a lock in 10 seconds or less
occasionally takes longer..
I finally had luck today by going with the supl.google server and changing my accuracy to 100 and my mode to ms based. Locked and was great for a good 3 hours. Later on it took a while to get a lock, but would lose it quickly, then wouldn't lock at all again. I exchanged it for a new one tonight and the gps is working great....just like when I first got the other one >.>
My question is this: If I wait for the "fix" they are releasing and it takes me past my 30 days, what recourse do I have? GPS is a MUST for me, without it this phone to me is broken and I can't settle for it. Do you think I would have any chance of swapping it for another model like the aria?? I hate that gps is that big of a deal but it simply is for me. Love the screen, the power, the speed, all the potential....but come ON how hard is it to make gps work these days? I am very function over fashion. I need my phone to work, if it doesn't I will get a less flashy, more reliable device.
Ricparr said:
My question is this: If I wait for the "fix" they are releasing and it takes me past my 30 days, what recourse do I have?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With AT&T - zero, zip, nada. I spent a lot of time on the phone and in the store with them trying to see what options I had in this situation. They were very clear with me that in the case that a real problem with GPS is found but never gets fixed, its Samsung's issue not theirs and that I must go through Samsung for a resolution. They did also say the stores do have the power to make exceptions and possibly allow you to exchange your device for something else, but there is no obligaton for them to help you out.
I was reading SlashGear's Nexus S Review and found something interesting.
Similarly frustrating can be GPS performance; we haven’t observed the dire positioning problems originally found on the Galaxy S, but at times the Nexus S proved simply incapable of getting a GPS lock: we drove for around 30 minutes of open, clear freeway and the handset continued to show “Searching for GPS.” The issue is intermittent, however, with the phone not liking it if you try to get a fix while moving.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://www.slashgear.com/nexus-s-review-14119387/
Now they probably have a preproduction unit, but what are the chances of GPS behaving similarly to the GPS in the Galaxy S/Captivate/Vibrant (all have the same standalone GPS chip as the Nexus S -- BCM 4751). Doesn't appear as severe, but somewhat problematic (from the review) nonetheless.
I'm interested to see how the GPS performs while the Nexus S is in user's hands
big suprise, the GPS dosn't get a fix while moving. this is a common issue on tons of phones.
Me and my girlfriend were driving around once and it took my phone almost 40 minutes to get a GPS lock, CM5 on a Nexus One.
Yet later that same day, standing still, it worked in under a minute.
Every phone can have GPS issues for a massive amount of reasons.
The Galaxy S issue was a software issue where it worked under 5% of the time, even if you were standing still ontop of a building.
Other ones sometimes randomly have the issue while moving, this is usually because the phone has issues connecting to the satelite. You gotta remember the GPS chips in these phones are not that great.
my mytouch4g gets a gps lock while driving, a bit longer then standing still but id say still under a few minutes
neok44 said:
big suprise, the GPS dosn't get a fix while moving. this is a common issue on tons of phones.
Me and my girlfriend were driving around once and it took my phone almost 40 minutes to get a GPS lock, CM5 on a Nexus One.
Yet later that same day, standing still, it worked in under a minute.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is also how my dedicated TomTom and Garmin GPS work. Stand still, lock in less than a minute. On the move, I usually give up after 10-15 minutes and stop for a minute.
Oh ok cool.
shrivelfig said:
This is also how my dedicated TomTom and Garmin GPS work. Stand still, lock in less than a minute. On the move, I usually give up after 10-15 minutes and stop for a minute.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is not correct TomTom devices do get a lock while moving and so does Nexus one and iphone 4. If this review is correct that means that Samsung has no fixed the GPS in Nexus S and that it may be suffering from the same problem as Galaxy S
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
darkoroje said:
This is not correct TomTom devices do get a lock while moving and so does Nexus one and iphone 4. If this review is correct that means that Samsung has no fixed the GPS in Nexus S and that it may be suffering from the same problem as Galaxy S
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
were not saying that they can't, it's that it CAN take longer. in some places you can be going 60MPH and get a lock within a minute, but in another place you can be walking at 5MPH and it'll take 20 minutes.
Sorry but our phones don't get priority on any gps satellite lol
darkoroje said:
This is not correct TomTom devices do get a lock while moving and so does Nexus one and iphone 4.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, TomTom devices get a lock while moving. They get a lock much, much faster standing still, though.
For any GPS to work, it needs to download the complete almanac from at least 3 different satellites. The almanac is sent every 30 seconds, so the GPS must have an uninterrupted view of each satellite for at least 30 seconds, possibly up to 60 seconds.
A-GPS can get the almanac data faster, and TomTom has something called QuickGPSfix that pre-downloads almanac data a week in advance.
But what if you don't have A-GPS or QuickGPSfix, and the GPS hasn't been used in a week, so all the almanac data is outdated?
If you are moving so much around that the GPS antenna never sees any satellites uninterrupted for the necessary 30-60 seconds, then the GPS will never get a lock. Never.
neok44 said:
Sorry but our phones don't get priority on any gps satellite lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is no priority because there is no "connection". GPS receivers (sic!) don't send anything.
umbrella42 said:
There is no priority because there is no "connection". GPS receivers (sic!) don't send anything.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol true, was just trying to emphases the point that our phones aren't going to connect as fast as pure GPS devices.
neok44 said:
lol true, was just trying to emphases the point that our phones aren't going to connect as fast as pure GPS devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, with A-GPS the phones have an advantage to get first lock quicker. But the pure GPS devices have better antennas, so should give more accurate navigation.
I wander if they ever restarted the navigation app, because you know, sometimes restarting the app works. From my experience anyways.
shrivelfig said:
Actually, with A-GPS the phones have an advantage to get first lock quicker. But the pure GPS devices have better antennas, so should give more accurate navigation.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah thats when the A-GPS works. both mine and my dads phone's A-GPS has been just terrible. usually showing us 20+ miles away from where we actually are
neok44 said:
yeah thats when the A-GPS works. both mine and my dads phone's A-GPS has been just terrible. usually showing us 20+ miles away from where we actually are
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you sure that was actually GPS, and not location by cell tower or WiFi hotspot? A smartphone without GPS lock will try to find your location by other means.
All A-GPS does is to jumpstart the GPS, and when GPS has a lock, then the error should be way below 100 meters.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A-GPS
my GPS is working fine right now,but it does act up randomly with no reason :/
GPS work flawless
Rounding out this section is a note that the Nexus S suffers from none of the GPS issues that plague the Galaxy S. I tested thoroughly - fixes are fast and accurate over GPS and work like they should using Google location services with WiFi trilateration.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
link
Excellent!
The BB Bold I'm using right now has quick and accurate GPS fixes, usually within 0.2-0.3 meters.
shrivelfig said:
Are you sure that was actually GPS, and not location by cell tower or WiFi hotspot? A smartphone without GPS lock will try to find your location by other means.
All A-GPS does is to jumpstart the GPS, and when GPS has a lock, then the error should be way below 100 meters.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A-GPS
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah once i get an actual GPS lock it's perfect, but until then it's been terrible. Cell tower only has been really bad as well.
This, for me, was on CM6, haven't tested it on CM6.1. ANd for my dad on a stock vibrant, so i'm just gonna chock it up to the crappy gps in it (happened before fix)
It's apparently plagued by the same GPS bug as other Galaxy S phones; it took forever to get a GPS lock
gizmodo.com/5713986/samsung-nexus-s-review-how-to-build-an-android-phone-for-2011
So if we want to be scientific I believe thats more sources claiming there is an issue than not
Anandtech says there is no GPS issues:
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4059/nexus-s-and-android-23-review-gingerbread-for-the-holidays/6
As you may know by now I've been having problems with GPS on my Nexus S (i9023, bought factory unlocked from Amazon Germany, carrier code EUR, running rooted stock 2.3.4 AKA GRJ22). A quick search of the Nexus S forums will tell you that I'm not the only one who complains about GPS issues - I always assumed that the GPS was just sub-par on the model and I'd have to live with it.
Only now a few helpful souls over in the accessories section said it was probably defective and I should exchange it. (I've already exchanged it once for this and the new unit I got performed exactly the same.) So I'm just going to tell you the current situation and I'm hoping you'll tell me if that's within the normal tolerances for the model: [All tests done outside in suburbia]
"Network location" (geolocation, wifi / cell triangulation) is fine since 2.3.4 [just to get that out of the way]
Time to First Fix (TtFF) is decent now, usually 15-30 s cold and < 15 s hot. I've seen much better (yes, on a phone), but that doesn't bother me.
Accuracy however, is still bad. GPS Status shows 20-10 m mostly, but it fluctuates wildly going from 5 to 30 in a heartbeat even when it's just stationary. Other phones don't show this behavior. This translates into real-world problems in Maps (checked via sat view): The blue circle goes from large to enormous and back and while my true position is somewhere within the circle most of the time, the center dot is way off. Most other implementations manage to guess the location correctly even when the accuracy is bad (as tested side-by-side).
Stability is my biggest concern. The lock'll be fine for a few minutes, especially if the phone was just rebooted, but then the GPS will lose it every few (say 5-10) seconds and take time to reacquire it. Additionally, it doesn't pick up movement very well. I did a few tests watching my position in Maps while on the tram (in a window seat) and basically it would register an (approximately correct) location every now and then but then just hang there for a while. Usually it wouldn't register that the tram had left a stop before it had arrived at the next one or even just left it again. All other phones trace the tracks almost perfectly and in real time. There goes any kind of usable navigation and - in concert with the compass issues - all augmented reality apps.
Again, this isn't meant as a complaint or even a request for a fix (though if you have one I'll gladly take it) - I'd only like to gauge if my particular phone's have been bad or if "that just how it is".
Thanks for listening.
I have a nexus s4g from sprint and my gps was working great and then one day it just stopped. I can never pick up a signal and if out does it takes about five minutes our more. I have a gps radar app that shows me signal strengths and stuff and our barely picks up give signals and they are always really weak I have to refresh the agps status all the time to even get a lock and like I said it still takes about gives minutes or more if it even locks at all. I am looking for a fix my epic had the same problems and then with the latest update for it, it was amazing and fast accurate locks. And help with the nexus s4g would be great
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using XDA App
Get your msl, go to your dialer and dial *#*#gpsclrx#*#*, then put in msl and it will clear gps for you. It will reboot on its own
snandlal said:
Get your msl, go to your dialer and dial *#*#gpsclrx#*#*, then put in msl and it will clear gps for you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What's an msl and what does "clear gps" mean? Also, way to derail a thread ...
I tried that before on my epic and it messed up my gps but I will give it a shot
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using XDA App
nice post. finally some oen who get it.that there are just failts in phones and thats just how it is.
thougfh.yes try returning it in the hope to get a proper nexus s xp
I did the clear gps code and it seemed to fix mine so thanks I would recommend people try it.
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using XDA App
whats an msl? can't find that on google so what is it? would like to try out that code...really have problems with GPS on my nexus s
floomat said:
my GPS does just not work at all, it can't get a fix for hours even if there are 10 sats.
but sometimes I'm lucky (really rare) and it gets a fix but the longest time it hold it was 5minutes, then lose GPS fix can't get one again. it's even not while i'm moving, phone lays on the table and outside to test.
really disappointing for me, second thing is my compass does not work after reboot and is really inaccurate and unstable (jumping around)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your GPS sounds even worse than that on my NSs, the compass doesn't work for anyone. Out of curiosity - where did you get yours?
for msl: http://goo.gl/x3IKR
i'd like to ask if this code is good for Nexus gsm or cdma??
freakness51 said:
for msl: http://goo.gl/x3IKR
i'd like to ask if this code is good for Nexus gsm or cdma??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
According to the article you linked: "This program reads your Master Subsidy Lock (MSL) code for your CDMA Android phone."
In other news, I'd really appreciate some on-topic replys
fallenguru said:
Your GPS sounds even worse than that on my NSs, the compass doesn't work for anyone. Out of curiosity - where did you get yours?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I even think my GPS is the worst of all the Nexus S.
Mine was bought from Ebay-UK and since it was on a repairing-tour to samsung germany i know its from CPW. Its a I9020 not I9023. BTW there was nothing repaired because they said "The discribed issue cannot be found" or something like that..
what do you mean with compass does not work for anyone?? does it really not work on any nexus? thats interesting, isn't it a little bit illegal to sell a device and say it has compass and than compass does not work at all?
freakness51 said:
for msl: http://goo.gl/x3IKR
i'd like to ask if this code is good for Nexus gsm or cdma??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
mh sounds like this will not work for GSM-Nexus
the GPS on my NS behaves similar (but better) to what you describe in the first post but overall it seems to have better accuracy and stability.
Have you tried recording a track while in a car? The results should be better. At least with mine it's mostly accurate and rarely looses signal (unless you go under a bridge/tunnel)
abrcrmdl23 said:
I have a nexus s4g from sprint and my gps was working great and then one day it just stopped. I can never pick up a signal and if out does it takes about five minutes our more. I have a gps radar app that shows me signal strengths and stuff and our barely picks up give signals and they are always really weak I have to refresh the agps status all the time to even get a lock and like I said it still takes about gives minutes or more if it even locks at all. I am looking for a fix my epic had the same problems and then with the latest update for it, it was amazing and fast accurate locks. And help with the nexus s4g would be great
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello,
I have the same phone, NS4G from Sprint, and the same symptoms. The GPS worked fine for a week or so, and now I'm lucky to get it to work at all. Sometimes I can get a lock after 5+ minutes (while not moving), but other times it never occurs.
I just tried resetting the GPS as is described in the post above. It says "it will reboot automatically" - does that mean the phone or the radio?
In any case I just pulled my device battery after GPS reset - I'll post back with results in a few minutes. In the meantime can you explain what you did after following the reset with dialpad/MSL?
Also attempted return...had to send in for repair
I also got a bad GPS Nexus S i9020 from Amazon.com USA site. The GPS would not lock without a wifi signal. I eventually caved in trying to get it working with rom flashes, drove me nutz, but tried to return for cash and missed the date. Had to send in to Samsung then and get the repair. I have been somewhat satisfied, having gone from no GPS to finally getting it to lock, but its a poor excuse for a gps chipset. The SiRFSTAR from my old WinMo days kicks this gps in the arse.
I also get the bouncing sensitivity and wandering location circle, but accuracy hovers around 5-10m now, but the location is never fixed solid, its wobbly, even outside with clear skies above. The compass is another huge weak spot. Samsung dropped the ball on this device, I wish I could return mine and grab an HTC unit. Google should learn from this and drop them for the Nexus Prime. I think this is unacceptable as location services are whats hot now and this device fails as a flagship product.
I like the gps on my sgs2 more (it has a sirfstar IV) but, i have to say, it's not that much better.
What i gained in stability i lost in TTL. Sometimes you need one more than the other.
The SGS2 has taken me up to 10 minutes to get a lock and if conditions aren't good (cloudy sky, tall buildings) it can easily take 5 minutes. Sometimes you just want to get some signal to get you going.
I did a trip of more than 2000 miles with my Nexus S, using the GPS most of the time, and it worked ok enough for navigation for most of the time. The only times it failed me were, as i mentioned earlier, in old parts of cities with narrow streets.
You are right when you mention HTC, because usually their devices have better working GPS.
Overall i wouldn't say it's a bad device, you have to keep in mind this is not a dedicated GPS device, it's a smartphone that does a lot of things, some better than others, it's still a good developer phone, which i think was the main goal of the Nexus.
After upgrading to the SGS2, the main differences i noticed were not the GPS but the speed and extra memory! The Nexus S is not slow and has average memory (512mb but with only around 380 free) but if you have a lot of apps running (and it's easy for this to happen) it will get sluggish and begin to close the launcher when you start a heavier app. I found this had a lot more impact on usability than the GPS weakness.
Does anyone find this phone has poor GPS reception? I have been on many ROMS since i've had my phone and the GPS locking is not good compared to an iPhone. Inside my house my iPhone 4 can lock on and get a perfect signal where as my desire can only lock onto like 3 sats and cant pinpoint me.
Venturing outside I can get a lock but it sometimes takes a while, compared to my iPhone 4 which is instant. When trying to lock on in a moving car also causes difficulty.
Is this normal for this phone? Its becoming quite frustrating now - When I just want to go on maps in the street and instantly know where I am I end up standing there trying to get a lock. I'm wondering if my phone has been damaged due to dropping it or something?
I agree, I have found the GPS on this phone to be terrible - I get faster and more accurate results just by having wifi enabled.
I have changed radios and ROMS and used different apps (actually, try Google Navigation - for some reason that seems to get a lock when maps or any other app can't). I have used the app FasterFix to make sure the phone is searching for the right satellites. Nothing makes any difference. Thankfully I'm in a city and wifi location is accurate enough for me.
1. update radio
2. use faster fix to change the area to where you are
3. use gpsfix to find your location
= no more then 5-10 sec to fix outside
INDEED ! it sucks.
This Desire S which so many people love (why??) has really dissapointed me and this GPS reception is one of the poor criteria. Coming from a HTC Diamond I have so say that the GPS reception and battery consumption was waaaaay much better,
My next phone will not be HTC anymore, too much trouble with the damn thing.
bongo1 said:
Does anyone find this phone has poor GPS reception?
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Click to collapse
Tik_Tak said:
1. update radio
2. use faster fix to change the area to where you are
3. use gpsfix to find your location
= no more then 5-10 sec to fix outside
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've done each of those steps multiple times in lots of ROMS, and it rarely gets a lock at all, even after minutes of waiting.
I have tried to make the excuse that in the UK the weather and cloud cover is often responsible, and GPS does connect faster on the rare sunny days but like the OP said, other phones work. To be honest the GPS on my old Huawei Pulse was better than I get from the Desire S.
I'll have to agree with OP is well. GPS reception is realy bad on DS. Nothing to compare to my previous phone - Galaxy S 2.
Sent from my HTC Desire S using xda premium
4myphone said:
I've done each of those steps multiple times in lots of ROMS, and it rarely gets a lock at all, even after minutes of waiting.
I have tried to make the excuse that in the UK the weather and cloud cover is often responsible, and GPS does connect faster on the rare sunny days but like the OP said, other phones work. To be honest the GPS on my old Huawei Pulse was better than I get from the Desire S.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Also tried different roms, steps and apps, GPS status is a good app as it shows you the sats locking on etc. Generally i can only get about 2-3 sats between tall buildings which is not enough for a accurate lock on where as other phones can get an instant lock fine. Also shouldnt be required to have to take steps and use apps to get a lock every time. I think its hardware and not software related.