Database Info

GPS fix confirmed and then some!

I know we are all hit and miss with the GPS, but after following a couple of tips out there GPS locks on Google Maps in 10-15 seconds, finally! And it tracks beautifully as well. These are older tips, but it is this combo that seems to work wonders!
I followed this...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=427888
(but change dPollInterval to 500 and MAxBufferSize at 256)
and...
GPS hardware settings:
Prgram port is COM4, no hardware port, and baud rate is 4800. I could not find the website that I got this info from so forgive me for not crediting you!
Google Maps is configured to let Windows manage my GPS.
After the GPS is "warm" it tracks in what relatively feels like an instant now! And it might just be me but it seems to find more satellites. I have a Fuze on ATT.

theres a bajillion fixes on here for gps. its just gonna have different results. easy thing to do is update radio to 1.12. though if you do that, dont change the poll interval from 1000 to 500. i found thats a bad thing in combination with it.

download the at&t test rom......fixed my GPS issues. Now I get a lock within 10 seconds.

the link above method works best when deltete gps log files and disable agps and using gps test software

p51d007 said:
download the at&t test rom......fixed my GPS issues. Now I get a lock within 10 seconds.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have to agree here.

Where may I find this ROM?

hmm
I must say . The updated rom from htc for the fuze pretty much fixed my gps (and made performance of the phone much better).

Fourstarzzzz said:
Where may I find this ROM?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can find it on blownfuze.org, but most of the newer roms have the aGPS fixed, so it is a lot easier to get GPS fixes

Google Maps can't get lock on GPS after upagrading to CM 7.0.2

Hello,
I upgraded to CM 7.0.2 and can't get lock on GPS when using google maps navigator. I tried using GPS Status and reseting GPS data, using MSL Reader does not work since Inspire is not CDMA which reader seems to work with. GPS Status and GPS Test work at locating GPS satellites.
Did anyone have the same issue and found fix for this?
thanks!

Try search please.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=11342772&postcount=1

knarfl1 said:
Try search please.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=11342772&postcount=1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try being less of a jerk please.
While those scripts do help some, it's not the end all be all fix.

I was in your situation... somewhere along my happy flashing i lost my gps capabilities. I decided on cm7 but still had a broken gps. I flashed that script using cwm and now my gps is perfect, better than any gps from my previous phones. I do suggest downloading gps status after you flash those scripts. It'll download some agps data and hopefully your gps will lock on flawlessly from than on. Good luck.

Thanks guys! Will try using the script.

For the person that said he flashed the script and it worked flawlessly on CM7, which one did you actually flash? South East or North America...
I was in the same position before with CM7 and GPS acting up....did both of those and nothing changed really...
now i just freshly re-rooted my phone after having my parachute savior of going back to ATT STOCK completely...(saved it since i know if all else fails i can always go back and go back to the drawing board)...
I want to carefully chose my roms and also i would like to go back to radio that i originally had...so that's my next step.

[GT-I9003] [FIX] Samsung Galaxy SL Easy GPS Fix

This small guide is an instant GPS Fix tried on Samsung Galaxy SL I9003 and may work on other phones. This small guide will reduce the time taken to lock to satellites and has been tested inside a building with 8 floors and I was able to achieve lock to 4 satellites.
A much better guide to GPS Fix is here : http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=13133654&postcount=142
Since that guide requires a little bit of manual work, so this is just a small software tweak
So here is what you have to do:
1. Turn Off GPS
2. Open LibTestMode. If you do not know how to open it then you can open it by typing the following code in the dialer (Froyo Only): *#*#3214789650#*#*
3. Under "Application settings" Change "Operation Mode" to Standalone. (Some people have reported better accuracy with MS Mode)
4. Under "Application Settings", Change "Timeout(s)" to 100
5. Under "SUPL/CP Settings" Change the SERVER & PORT to supl.google.com and port 7276
6. Reboot
NOTE: The attached screenshot is inside the building. I have received better results outside and accuracy of upto <40 feet was achieved.

Cold Start- GPS.
Hi there,
My Samsung Galaxy Pro was a bit reluctant in locking on to satellite signals, it used to take no minimum than 5 minutes.
Then I chanced upon an app in the market: "GPS Aids"... Do check it
Just wanted to know your views on "GPS Aids" & such alike apps...
Im now getting GPS lock in less than 5secs with 9-10sats in view & 7 in use inside my 3storey building surrounded my such more buildings and tall trees.
The best accuracy rate I have achieved is 2metres & most of the time it is 4metres
Thanx,
S.K.Pingua,
New Delhi.

Gps aids? does it really work so well? let me try it

Yes GPS AIDS V2 is a great software. I am getting GPS lock within 3-10 seconds on XXKB3 FW.

i'll try it and then post about thanks for the advice!

Gps aids works really well indeed, i get a lock within seconds, thanks a lot mate

Gprs
can any1 provide free gprs/3g for airtel??

is all i9003 need this fix ? cause in my device gps is OK .

awazil said:
is all i9003 need this fix ? cause in my device gps is OK .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its an application, not a fix. You should try once. Its amazing...

GPS FIX i9003
I purchased my i9003 a fortnight back and had wonderful opinion , till the time i checked the GPS and surprisingly it did not work, could not understand how a product can be defective out of box. however when i googled for a fix , came to know there was significant issues with galaxy S phones
Contacted Samsung customer care , the technical folks have no clues and seems to from a different planet,all of them either denied there was a problem or asked me to do a hard reset, one tried to convince me for an hour that A-GPS worked only on network triangulation and did not have a actual gps and will give only an approximate location.
coming back to the problem , The earlier issues in Galaxy s related to configuration which were rectified by a fix and 2.2 update
the problem with i9003 i feel had something to do with the inbuilt sensor, i tried lot of software from android market including GPS Doctor, GPS Aids, GPS Fix, GPS Status, GPS test and GPS essentials among others... none of them were able to fix the problem , although few of them were able to detect gps satellites ( sometime even 12) but were not able to get a fix. the sad part was two of the apps were paid apps and total waste of money
In my trial and error approach I tried a software called Turbo GPS (its free) from android market, the major difference in this software vs. others was it had its own software to manage the sensors and after installing software the problem vanished. all you need to do is to run Turbo GPS wait for a couple of minutes and then start google maps. it worked like a charm.....

adgdeepak said:
I purchased my i9003 a fortnight back and had wonderful opinion , till the time i checked the GPS and surprisingly it did not work, could not understand how a product can be defective out of box. however when i googled for a fix , came to know there was significant issues with galaxy S phones
Contacted Samsung customer care , the technical folks have no clues and seems to from a different planet,all of them either denied there was a problem or asked me to do a hard reset, one tried to convince me for an hour that A-GPS worked only on network triangulation and did not have a actual gps and will give only an approximate location.
coming back to the problem , The earlier issues in Galaxy s related to configuration which were rectified by a fix and 2.2 update
the problem with i9003 i feel had something to do with the inbuilt sensor, i tried lot of software from android market including GPS Doctor, GPS Aids, GPS Fix, GPS Status, GPS test and GPS essentials among others... none of them were able to fix the problem , although few of them were able to detect gps satellites ( sometime even 12) but were not able to get a fix. the sad part was two of the apps were paid apps and total waste of money
In my trial and error approach I tried a software called Turbo GPS (its free) from android market, the major difference in this software vs. others was it had its own software to manage the sensors and after installing software the problem vanished. all you need to do is to run Turbo GPS wait for a couple of minutes and then start google maps. it worked like a charm.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi adgdeepak, tough but successful experience. everyone has a share of GPS challenges, nice to know yours.
I crosschecked & double checked but could not find "Turbo GPS" on Android market!
Anyway, happy navigation

Not to take anything away from the OP author or anyone else, but would anyone be willing to test mine out? It is in my sig. If it helps you great, but its more for me to see if my theory is right that any android phone will work.
So far, it works on the Droid, Captivate, Aria, Inspire, Desire +HD, HD2, and the list goes on. I will not be checking this thread But its another alternative I wanted to point out, and am curious of its success.

'good old fix' for captivate or vibrant strikes again...same with 'press antena' one, nothing new...
again users have to fix their phones by editing service menu and with a piece of paper/coper =)
as it is PROBABLY the same BCM4751 chip - with same crappy board-antena contact as in sgs - you SL users are GPS handicapped ;]
could someone check what chip it carries?
//edit regarding hardware fix -> http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=878970
dont forget to say thank you samsung ;]

$omator said:
'good old fix' for captivate or vibrant strikes again...same with 'press antena' one, nothing new...
again users have to fix their phones by editing service menu and with a piece of paper/coper =)
as it is PROBABLY the same BCM4751 chip - with same crappy board-antena contact as in sgs - you SL users are GPS handicapped ;]
could someone check what chip it carries?
//edit regarding hardware fix -> http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=878970
dont forget to say thank you samsung ;]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No buddy, we do not have problem with GPS. Locks within 5 seconds with XXKB3 firmware.
I saw you your post on [ROM][ODEX] SATAN.XXJVO beta1. Would you like to help us in porting few goodies from I9000 or can you guide us whom to contact for porting clockwork recovery for I9003. Thanks in advance.

i also have instant fix, that never was an issue
real problem is with recorded tracks (eg mytracks) - while i am not moving fixed position likes to travel around, and wile moving it likes to record me off position
what bothers me is also fix stepping - every 5m not by 1m ad in my 5 years phone
as for CWM ask Chainfire

$omator said:
i also have instant fix, that never was an issue
real problem is with recorded tracks (eg mytracks) - while i am not moving fixed position likes to travel around, and wile moving it likes to record me off position
what bothers me is also fix stepping - every 5m not by 1m ad in my 5 years phone
as for CWM ask Chainfire
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for replying. I have never tried to record tracks while navigating. Will test it and post the results here. I have sent PM to chinfire, hoping for positive response towards the custom/CWR for I9003

GPS Aids helps but not that much.. I couldn't find the 'Turbo GPS' either! Any links or directions to that app?/

rxpaul said:
GPS Aids helps but not that much.. I couldn't find the 'Turbo GPS' either! Any links or directions to that app?/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is probably not available to your country yet, by google market..Just use market enabler or market unlocker and you will find it..
http://www.appbrain.com/search?q=Turbo+GPS

KonfusedGeek said:
This small guide is an instant GPS Fix tried on Samsung Galaxy SL I9003 and may work on other phones. This small guide will reduce the time taken to lock to satellites and has been tested inside a building with 8 floors and I was able to achieve lock to 4 satellites.
A much better guide to GPS Fix is here : http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=13133654&postcount=142
Since that guide requires a little bit of manual work, so this is just a small software tweak
So here is what you have to do:
1. Turn Off GPS
2. Open LibTestMode. If you do not know how to open it then you can open it by typing the following code in the dialer (Froyo Only): *#*#3214789650#*#*
3. Under "Application settings" Change "Operation Mode" to Standalone. (Some people have reported better accuracy with MS Mode)
4. Under "Application Settings", Change "Timeout(s)" to 100
5. Under "SUPL/CP Settings" Change the SERVER & PORT to supl.google.com and port 7276
6. Reboot
NOTE: The attached screenshot is inside the building. I have received better results outside and accuracy of upto <40 feet was achieved.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No such luck.
My setting were already set to the above. Not a single GPS lock.
Firmware version 2.2.1
Baseband version I9003DDKA5

Got it to work. This is specific to me.
background:
Samsung i9003 from India.
Provider: AT&T, Airtel
Current Location: California
Here what I needed to do.
1. Root your phone
2. Down GPS Aids from the Marketplace
3. Use the forced LTO method from the setup wizard of GPS Aids. (this requires your phone to be rooted. Native method does not work for me.)
4. run LibTestMode and change the Application Settings -> Operation Mode -> MS Mode (Standalone did not work for me)
5. Reboot
Looking for to use this when I go back to Bangalore again.

GPS Locking

Hi all, is it only me having difficulty locking on GPS? I tried stock, leaked gb, bionix and eagleblood but no lock. It shows 5 or more available sats but it won't lock.
Any help is appreciated.
Sent from my Gingerbread powered Nokia 3210.

No, definitely not just you. There's something definitely off about the GPS driver in this phone. If you use an app like GPS Status or GPS Test, you'll see that the signal-to-noise ratios are all lots higher than they should be; whether that has a direct effect on TTFF (time to first fix), I don't know, but it's certainly indicative that the interface isn't right. It's also clear that it's not using the AGPS the way it's supposed to; it should load the ephemeris data and give essentially a hot fix (<15 seconds) every time, but I only get a warm fix (75-120 seconds) if it's been long enough for the ephemeris data from the satellites to have expired (~4 hours) since the last time I used the GPS. It also happens that occasionally I won't get a fix at all, but generally rebooting allows it to get a fix quickly.
I don't know whether it will help or not, but you could try fiddling with some of the GPS system parameters via the hidden menu (dial 1809#*999# and find "GPS Test").
I'm hoping that this is one of the things that will be fixes when we get the Gingerbread/bug-fix update, but I don't have any basis for that hope.

wmm said:
No, definitely not just you. There's something definitely off about the GPS driver in this phone. If you use an app like GPS Status or GPS Test, you'll see that the signal-to-noise ratios are all lots higher than they should be; whether that has a direct effect on TTFF (time to first fix), I don't know, but it's certainly indicative that the interface isn't right. It's also clear that it's not using the AGPS the way it's supposed to; it should load the ephemeris data and give essentially a hot fix (<15 seconds) every time, but I only get a warm fix (75-120 seconds) if it's been long enough for the ephemeris data from the satellites to have expired (~4 hours) since the last time I used the GPS. It also happens that occasionally I won't get a fix at all, but generally rebooting allows it to get a fix quickly.
I don't know whether it will help or not, but you could try fiddling with some of the GPS system parameters via the hidden menu (dial 1809#*999# and find "GPS Test").
I'm hoping that this is one of the things that will be fixes when we get the Gingerbread/bug-fix update, but I don't have any basis for that hope.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried dial 1809#*999# but i get process acore FC.
Sent from my Gingerbred powered Nokia 3210.

Other than stock, which would lock super fast for me, I have had the best results with the Ultimate rom. The first lock took about 2-3 minutes but since then it has been fairly quick. Could just be dumb luck though lol.

phburks said:
Other than stock, which would lock super fast for me, I have had the best results with the Ultimate rom. The first lock took about 2-3 minutes but since then it has been fairly quick. Could just be dumb luck though lol.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With mine, the notification icon won't even show. Also, the 1809#*999# still gives me acore FC. Maybe someone else has this issue and can help.
Sent from my Gingerbred powered Nokia 3210.

jose makalolot said:
With mine, the notification icon won't even show. Also, the 1809#*999# still gives me acore FC. Maybe someone else has this issue and can help.
Sent from my Gingerbred powered Nokia 3210.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You need to copy hiddenmenu.apk and two others to /system/app! It's there in one of the GPS fix threads on Development section! Search for it!

Thanks.
Looking...
Update: found the one you said but still i cant get the gps icon to come out.
Sent from my Gingerbred powered Nokia 3210.

Was talking about the FC when dialing 1809#*999#! That should be fixed once you put the apks in /system/app! From there you can run hiddenmenu -> GPS Test -> Start button and see if that brings up your GPS icon!

Pat123 said:
Was talking about the FC when dialing 1809#*999#! That should be fixed once you put the apks in /system/app! From there you can run hiddenmenu -> GPS Test -> Start button and see if that brings up your GPS icon!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I already did that, still no icon.
Sent from my Gingerbred powered Nokia 3210.

This may sound crazy, but download and give "GPS AIDS" (I know dumb name) from the market.
That app (even the free version of it) has helped every phone that I've ever had GPS issues with. The comments for that app speak for itself too.
Give it a try before buying to make sure that it is compatible with your phone first. Best of luck...
Sent from my MB860 using XDA Premium App

ccrows said:
This may sound crazy, but download and give "GPS AIDS" (I know dumb name) from the market.
That app (even the free version of it) has helped every phone that I've ever had GPS issues with. The comments for that app speak for itself too.
Give it a try before buying to make sure that it is compatible with your phone first. Best of luck...
Sent from my MB860 using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same thing. As if the GPS can't be turned on.
Sent from my Gingerbred powered Nokia 3210.

ccrows said:
This may sound crazy, but download and give "GPS AIDS" (I know dumb name) from the market.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The setup always fails for me. The two files it needs to download don't download; the light is red for both and it says the file failed. I'm running CM7 so maybe that's the problem, but it just is not working at all.

newb questions about GPS on my phone

Hi everyone,
Running a galaxy sII lte, rooted on official 4.0.4 and my carrier is Rogers. I believe this is the same phone a the skyrocket so I hope I'm in the right forum.
I have a problem with the GPS on my device, or maybe the option is not available on my device I don't know. I did some research about it but still couldn't address this problem. I turn on my GPS signal and it tries to locate me for hours never actually pinning me anywhere on the map. Now I don't have a data connection, but the maps are all cached to my phone, it's the pinning that doesn't work for me. My question is, is my phone capable of doing this without a data connection? If not, what makes an iPhone different that it can do this? Why even have a GPS toggle if I'm getting limited through data?
Thanks in advance!

First off, let me say welcome to xda! Also yes u are in the right section.
Secondly, look for the "agps fix.". It will address the issue with non-locking. With it, I went from 20 seconds to 3.
If that doesn't work look for the galaxy nexus GPS fix, its pretty much the same as agps, which I recommend u try first.
Lastly, caching of Google maps is frankly, [email protected] U need a data connection to use them. For offline GPS, theres really only one app capable, sygic. Look for it in the play store. I have no experience with it so I can't comment on its effectiveness.
If I helped hit the thanks button

Hi!
I totally agree with Icenight89. I also have the Rogers' Skyrocket (the model number is SGH-i727R; you can verify this under the battery inside the phone), and I got problem with GPS position locking. It took about 10 to 15 minutes to lock my position; after I applied the fix, locking takes seconds.
Google Maps needs an active data connection -- be it WiFi or a data plan from Rogers -- in order to guide you through the maps. Caching just takes an instant of the map/area you want, and allows you to view it while you are offline. Without a data connection, though, you won't be able to, say, search for a specific address, look for restaurant/gas station/touristic attraction or get directions. If that is what you are looking for, you might be interested in another GPS navigation app.

icenight89 said:
First off, let me say welcome to xda! Also yes u are in the right section.
Secondly, look for the "agps fix.". It will address the issue with non-locking. With it, I went from 20 seconds to 3.
If that doesn't work look for the galaxy nexus GPS fix, its pretty much the same as agps, which I recommend u try first.
Lastly, caching of Google maps is frankly, [email protected] U need a data connection to use them. For offline GPS, theres really only one app capable, sygic. Look for it in the play store. I have no experience with it so I can't comment on its effectiveness.
If I helped hit the thanks button
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Alexandre-P said:
Hi!
I totally agree with Icenight89. I also have the Rogers' Skyrocket (the model number is SGH-i727R; you can verify this under the battery inside the phone), and I got problem with GPS position locking. It took about 10 to 15 minutes to lock my position; after I applied the fix, locking takes seconds.
Google Maps needs an active data connection -- be it WiFi or a data plan from Rogers -- in order to guide you through the maps. Caching just takes an instant of the map/area you want, and allows you to view it while you are offline. Without a data connection, though, you won't be able to, say, search for a specific address, look for restaurant/gas station/touristic attraction or get directions. If that is what you are looking for, you might be interested in another GPS navigation app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks guys, the patch worked wonders!
I wonder if there is a fix for those that don't root, because doesn't that take away one of the key functionalities of the phone? Was this addressed in jelly bean?

It looks like the GPS is working wonderfully for some people, but awfully for others. I had no problem with the GPS when I was on stock Gingerbread. I did not stay long enough on stock ICS to tell if the problem started when I upgraded, I went pretty quick to CM9 nightly, and I had the GPS to work not so good. Applying this patch was like night and day, now the GPS is working great.
So no, I'm not sure that this patch will make its way into a stable ROM -- in your case, Rogers' stock ROM. You may want to take a look at Rogers Community Forum and ask if someone had problem with the GPS. If a lot of people report GPS malfunction to Rogers, Rogers might consider patching its ROM.
And about your other question: I don't think there is a way to patch the GPS on an unrooted phone. This patch write/replace a system file, which means you have to have root access to apply the modifications.

Alexandre-P said:
It looks like the GPS is working wonderfully for some people, but awfully for others. I had no problem with the GPS when I was on stock Gingerbread. I did not stay long enough on stock ICS to tell if the problem started when I upgraded, I went pretty quick to CM9 nightly, and I had the GPS to work not so good. Applying this patch was like night and day, now the GPS is working great.
So no, I'm not sure that this patch will make its way into a stable ROM -- in your case, Rogers' stock ROM. You may want to take a look at Rogers Community Forum and ask if someone had problem with the GPS. If a lot of people report GPS malfunction to Rogers, Rogers might consider patching its ROM.
And about your other question: I don't think there is a way to patch the GPS on an unrooted phone. This patch write/replace a system file, which means you have to have root access to apply the modifications.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Technically u don't need a rooted phone, merely a custom recovery on Samsung based devices, which u can flash via Odin, and reflash stock after but yes, in principle u are correct. U cannot use it with a non-stock phone

Thanks everyone that helps a lot!

fornoggg said:
Thanks guys, the patch worked wonders!
I wonder if there is a fix for those that don't root, because doesn't that take away one of the key functionalities of the phone? Was this addressed in jelly bean?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why wouldn't you want to root? I feel so naked without it
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727R running SKY-ICS 4.2F6-2.7

mymusicathome said:
Why wouldn't you want to root? I feel so naked without it
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727R running SKY-ICS 4.2F6-2.7
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Everything I have bookmarked about GPS:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1726565
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1239713
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1438129&highlight=gps+lock
http://rootzwiki.com/topic/21453-optimal-gps-settings-for-galaxy-nexus/
They all work with everything from GB up to JB on multiple models...
Most of them require root permissions or a custom recovery (CWMR) to install.
Hope this benefits SOMEBODY, I spent a great deal of time researching this...

I had similar issues with my galaxy s2.
There is a free app in the play store called "gps status".
Tools/manage a state/reset
Fixed it.
~Samsung Galaxy SIII (SPH-L710) - Blazer ROM v1.6 - TWRP~