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Quick GPS fix. From Samsung!

Samsung just wrote that apparently the use wireless networks, which is the option above use gps satellites must be selected to get proper locks.
I was skeptical because i just assumed that when I went exploring I selected it, but it actually wasn't.
Put it on, and agreed to the disclaimer and then right away the maps got my location and the live wallpaper map got my location.
you'll get an email saying google knows where you are and yeah its pretty ****ty that you have to do this, but it does work. at least for me.

not a real fix, I've had that on forever and still dont get a proper lock

Confirming that this does seem to work. It might merit mentioning that I've also messed around with my GPS settings quite a bit as well.
Regardless, I got a lock within two seconds after opening Google Maps. Cheers!
-deuX`

The phone used networks to locate you. Not GPS.

PuffinNugz said:
The phone used networks to locate you. Not GPS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh, good to know. Thanks for the info!
-deuX`

This is to assist in the GPS lock. This is not a fix.

True it isn't a real fix, hence the "quick" fix in the title.
it's just another way to help maps get a lock.
obviously this won't help in no service zones but if you're using the data anyways might as well use it to help.
plus it unlocks all the fun location based services, and that maps live wallpaper is pretty freakin sweet!

This will only give you the location of the nearby cell tower. Unless you live under the cell tower all the time, I don't think this is useful. It might be useful for things like check the nearby stores and attractions. But will not give you navigatable fixes and does not speed up your GPS lock. If you're using Google maps, try to zoom out, and you will notice a big circle. Your location is anywhere inside that circle.
That's Samsung tip is pure BS and Engadet should be ashamed to even believe in that BS.

I not only allowed the use of wireless networks for location, but also changing the GPS setting to MS Based to allow for simultaneous use of triangulation and assisted GPS... before this change I NEVER got a successful GPS lock...after I changed the settings I finally can get a GPS lock after about about 3 minutes with direct line of sight outdoors.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

foxbat121 said:
This will only give you the location of the nearby cell tower.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not quite. its actually doing cell tower triangulation, using the signal of all nearby towers your phone sees. In the city, this can be pretty accurate and is rarely off by more than a couple blocks. To see the accuracy, turn off GPS and click 'locate me' in google maps. The blue circle around your location shows the margin of error. The more towers you are in range of, the more accurate the fix.
As far as helping GPS, all this location can really do today is help you grab the most appropriate gps almanac/ephemeris info - if youve got an internet connection. I suppose it could possibly also be used in conjunction with the gps error in some kind of a filter to improve accuracy, but as far as I know that is not being done.

I actually started getting quicker locks with just using the GPS and having the wireless networks unchecked

Just an update:
I changed the SUP/LCP setting to Auto-config and the Operation mode to MS Based. I tend to get a gps lock within a minute or two with it sitting on my dashboard. I also tried it with the"Use wireless networks" setting turned off and it worked the same.
Also, I did try out the MS Assisted SUP/LCP setting and I was able to get GPS signal while indoors, but it was less accurate all around.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

I'm not saying it's completely 100% accurate, but much in the same vein that an iPod Touch can get a location using just the wi-fi this is using much the same.
it uses whatever a-gps it can and then it helps with the cellular data. triangulation. it's useful and if it keeps getting me a signal then its all good

Nexus S GPS

Hi guys! New to the forum and the Android OS. I've just purchased the Nexus S a couple of weeks ago and the phone is great except for a couple of minor details, but one thing really bothers me is the GPS. When I'm connected to wi-fi, Google maps is able to tell me my location fairly accurately. However, outdoors with no wi-fi, I try to have the settings to locate me based on satellite, but that always give me a "your current location is temporarily unavailable" message. I'm basically completely outdoors with view of the clear blue sky and it will always give me this message. Is something wrong

I've searched on the forum but nothing that answers my question. Anyone?

Hi,
Based on your question I am not shure if you are aware of the following:
GPS is only one of several location detection methods used by your phone. Another one is based on WIFI hotspots in range. Basically the phone scans the wifi frequencies to look for ALL hotspots in range and then sends this list of hotspots to google (only if some kind of internet access is available to the phone!). When this combination of hotspots is known to google, your phone gets an estimated location back from the google server. So from what you write, it is possible that you never had a gps fix, even when you got a (fairly good) location based on wifi.
I suggest you install some gps software other than google maps to check the functionality of your device. I use "GPS test", should be on the market. All it does, is scanning for satellites and displaying the list of discovered satelites. When the signal is good enough, you get a "U" in the column "flags" for the locked satellites.
Attention! You must start the scan manually from the apps context menu.
cheers

Yeah you gotta turn on your GPS for a more accurate reading if you're using maps or other navigational app
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using XDA App

Just an update. I haven't needed to use the GPS lately, but this week I decided to try again, and before, I have gotten a GPS fix with the GPS Test app. But that signal never lasts very long and it also takes a really long time for the app to use the satellite to lock on to my location. The GPS indicator on the top left of the app is usually yellow and only after a long time does it turn green, but sometimes it never turns green even with 7 or 8 satellites in view. Is this just a limitation of mobile GPS in cell phones?
I don't have a data plan so I can't connect to the internet while on the road, hence the need for GPS without having internet access.

As long as you have the SIM inserted, not on airplane mode and gps is turned on, and nothing is wrong with your phone hardware I don't see why it shouldn't get location fix outdoor.
There are some good offline maps like Osmand and MapDroyd.

GPS - always wrong locations at beginning

Well, I've been using my Sensation for about a week now and so far everything is fine, EXCEPT one major bug i found:
Every time I turn in the GPS-Option, I get a completely wrong location (ie in weather, maps, places, etc) and have to wait and refresh a short time later to get my actual real position and even short time later, the signal goes back to the wrong place.
example:
I enable GPS and refresh the weather, it goes to "Fürth" (some city in Bavaria, South Germany), but I'm actually located near Berlin (on the complete opposing end of Germany). Same goes for any other location based function.
I even disabled the "allow false locations" option, but don't know further, anyone experienced similar problems?

satani said:
Well, I've been using my Sensation for about a week now and so far everything is fine, EXCEPT one major bug i found:
Every time I turn in the GPS-Option, I get a completely wrong location (ie in weather, maps, places, etc) and have to wait and refresh a short time later to get my actual real position and even short time later, the signal goes back to the wrong place.
example:
I enable GPS and refresh the weather, it goes to "Fürth" (some city in Bavaria, South Germany), but I'm actually located near Berlin (on the complete opposing end of Germany). Same goes for any other location based function.
I even disabled the "allow false locations" option, but don't know further, anyone experienced similar problems?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't seen this. I'll take a wild guess. Part of the A-GPS system can use cell towers and wifi to get a rough estimate of your location in order to speed up the GPS sat acquisition and lock. Perhaps the cell tower/wifi mapping in some parts of Germany is incorrect, so when it's using the local networks to find you it's flipping to another part of the country, the GPS kicks in and it locates you accurately. You could try a couple of things to test this. Turn off GPS and open Google Maps. It will normally locate you on the map within a few blocks of where you are and show a large blue circle due to the inaccuracy. Does it show you near where you are or in the other part of Germany? If it's way off then the local network mapping database is messed up. Not sure who to contact about that, but I guess you would start with your service provider.
As I recall Google has had a bunch of problems with the German authorities regarding the mapping they have done of wifi networks. Maybe that's a factor here, but who knows.
If this is the problem you could turn off the local network feature in Settings > Location. Problem is it will rely only on GPS then and take longer to get your location. But if my theory is right, right now the local network locator is hurting more than helping you.
If that's not the problem then install this app:
http://www.appbrain.com/app/gps-test/com.chartcross.gpstest
Turn off GPS, run the app, press the Menu button on the phone then Settings. At the top press "Clear AGPS" then "Update AGPS". Exit the app, turn on GPS and see if that helps. The initial lock after updating AGPS may take longer than normal, but that's expected. After that it will be back to normal.

samnada said:
I haven't seen this. I'll take a wild guess. Part of the A-GPS system can use cell towers and wifi to get a rough estimate of your location in order to speed up the GPS sat acquisition and lock. Perhaps the cell tower/wifi mapping in some parts of Germany is incorrect, so when it's using the local networks to find you it's flipping to another part of the country, the GPS kicks in and it locates you accurately. You could try a couple of things to test this. Turn off GPS and open Google Maps. It will normally locate you on the map within a few blocks of where you are and show a large blue circle due to the inaccuracy. Does it show you near where you are or in the other part of Germany? If it's way off then the local network mapping database is messed up. Not sure who to contact about that, but I guess you would start with your service provider.
As I recall Google has had a bunch of problems with the German authorities regarding the mapping they have done of wifi networks. Maybe that's a factor here, but who knows.
If this is the problem you could turn off the local network feature in Settings > Location. Problem is it will rely only on GPS then and take longer to get your location. But if my theory is right, right now the local network locator is hurting more than helping you.
If that's not the problem then install this app:
http://www.appbrain.com/app/gps-test/com.chartcross.gpstest
Turn off GPS, run the app, press the Menu button on the phone then Settings. At the top press "Clear AGPS" then "Update AGPS". Exit the app, turn on GPS and see if that helps. The initial lock after updating AGPS may take longer than normal, but that's expected. After that it will be back to normal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the exact same problem as the op. soon as I open google maps it shows me 10 miles away from my house. always the same spot 10 miles away. a few seconds later when it gets a lock on my location it pops me back to where I actually am. If I close google maps and open it again it jumps back to the wrong spot again, waits a few seconds and then jumps back to my true location at home.
I tried what you mentioned above but it did not help. wifi on or wifi off same difference. I read about some people saying it shows their old address and I did recently move and the wrong location it shows is about 1.5 miles from my old house. also the wrong location it shows me in is on the edge of this private reservoir that I have never been too.
Anyone else have this problem or read on how to fix it?

GPS sucks in my Inspire 4G

I am very dissapointed with GPS accuracy in my inspire. it is very inaccurate. nothing compared with my old Aspen. not even when I have downloaded a couple of APP to fix this, it sometimes (most of the times) show inaccurate position. For example When I am on the Road in a bus, it shows me out of the road.
I was at my girlfriend house and I wanted a friend to see me there, but GPS shows I was in another place near my home, that sucks. My friend doesn't beleive I was at my girlfriend home, he says I was at home, and I opened my google maps and I was going to use Latitude to show him I was in my girlfriend house, but GPS played a dirty trick to me.

Have you tried this?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1250226

Joshp406 said:
Have you tried this?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1250226
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, I am going to try it..

Try this on system/etc/gpsconf
NTP_SERVER=1.pool.ntp.org
NTP_SERVER=2.pool.ntp.org
NTP_SERVER=0.europe.pool.ntp.org
NTP_SERVER=1.asia.pool.ntp.org
NTP_SERVER=2.north-america.pool.ntp.org
AGPS=http://xtra3.gpsonextra.net/xtra.bin
AGPS=/data/xtra.bin
XTRA_SERVER_1=http://xtra3.gpsonextra.net/xtra.bin
XTRA_SERVER_2=http://xtra2.gpsonextra.net/xtra.bin
XTRA_SERVER_3=http://xtra4.gpsonextra.net/xtra.bin
XTRA_SERVER_4=/data/xtra.bin
DEFAULT_AGPS_ENABLE=TRUE
DEFAULT_USER_PLANE=TRUE
DEFAULT_SSL_ENABLE=FALSE
INTERMEDIATE_POS=1
QOS_ACCURACY=50
QOS_TIME_OUT_AGPS=100
QosHorizontalThreshold=1000
QosVerticalThreshold=500
AssistMethodType=1
AgpsUse=1
AgpsServerType=1
AgpsServerIp=3232235555
SUPL_HOST=FQDN
SUPL_PORT=7276
SUPL_SECURE_PORT=7275
SUPL_NO_SECURE_PORT=3425
SUPL_TLS_HOST=FQDN
SUPL_TLS_CERT=/etc/SuplRootCert
ACCURACY_THRES=2000
CURRENT_CARRIER=common
PHONE_TYPE=UMTS
Sent from my MB865 using XDA App

I use absolution rom on my inspire with the gps script from crypted. When i run gps status i get accurate to 12ft when outside. nothing in apartment but i dont get signal in there either.

dennis5pia said:
I am very dissapointed with GPS accuracy in my inspire. it is very inaccurate. nothing compared with my old Aspen. not even when I have downloaded a couple of APP to fix this, it sometimes (most of the times) show inaccurate position. For example When I am on the Road in a bus, it shows me out of the road.
I was at my girlfriend house and I wanted a friend to see me there, but GPS shows I was in another place near my home, that sucks. My friend doesn't beleive I was at my girlfriend home, he says I was at home, and I opened my google maps and I was going to use Latitude to show him I was in my girlfriend house, but GPS played a dirty trick to me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds like your friend has some issues...
On top of the agps patch suggested earlier, have a look here too (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1101066)

homeslice976 said:
Sounds like your friend has some issues...
On top of the agps patch suggested earlier, have a look here too (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1101066)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My Friend? not at all. GPS fail in my device.
and now it is worse, I notice that the Big Clock of the main screen was wrong, it was one hour behind of my real time and it shows I was in Cincinnati, I opened google maps and the F...ing GPS locate me in Cincinnati and I am very far way from there. I live in Dominican Republic. So now my GPS is crazier than before..
Ohh no. I miss my Aspen GPS accuracy, this sucks. I had a excellent accuracy with my Aspen and I had to do nothing to fix it. and With this s..t I am tired of doing things to fix it and nothing works...

Showing you in Cincinnati is not an accuracy issue. Sounds like it isn't connected period. Also shows that in your location settings you don't have "use wireless networks" selected or you would start off in the correct country at least.
Sitting in your girlfriends house will not give you a good gps connection. Go outside and allow the phone to get a connection in the open sky with all the satellites available. Same as when you are in your car. Get that phone up on your dash and not on your lap.
As far as time I would say it is an incorrect setting on your phone? Are you using ATT? Is your phone set to use the "Automatic" setting for network provided values or did you set your time and timezone manually?
Not once have you mentioned what ROM you are running on your phone? This can make a difference. If the GPS connects (the satellite icon in taskbar stops blinking) then you should be connected and it should be fairly accurate. If it is blinking then you are not connected yet. Get it in the open sky.
After doing the basics it could end up being a faulty antenna connection on phone. But before discussing that you need to cover the basics and give more basic info. Turning on a GPS app in your girlfirend's bedroom, not giving it clear sky, or waiting for a few minutes for initial connection is not good basics. Always have to think there might be operator error present.

Joshp406 said:
Have you tried this?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1250226
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks very much. I never new there was an option to fix it, just figure I was stuck with a lame GPS.

Agoattamer said:
Showing you in Cincinnati is not an accuracy issue. Sounds like it isn't connected period. Also shows that in your location settings you don't have "use wireless networks" selected or you would start off in the correct country at least.
Sitting in your girlfriends house will not give you a good gps connection. Go outside and allow the phone to get a connection in the open sky with all the satellites available. Same as when you are in your car. Get that phone up on your dash and not on your lap.
As far as time I would say it is an incorrect setting on your phone? Are you using ATT? Is your phone set to use the "Automatic" setting for network provided values or did you set your time and timezone manually?
Not once have you mentioned what ROM you are running on your phone? This can make a difference. If the GPS connects (the satellite icon in taskbar stops blinking) then you should be connected and it should be fairly accurate. If it is blinking then you are not connected yet. Get it in the open sky.
After doing the basics it could end up being a faulty antenna connection on phone. But before discussing that you need to cover the basics and give more basic info. Turning on a GPS app in your girlfirend's bedroom, not giving it clear sky, or waiting for a few minutes for initial connection is not good basics. Always have to think there might be operator error present.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks for your interest... I am using Android Revolution HD 6.3.1 by mike...
The phone came back to normal again. Thanks for the info. I haven't noticed that GPS icon stop blinking.
Regarding time. Well is not incorrect settings. I have it manually, because if I chose "automatic" it shows one hour ahead of my local time. I think it is maybe because of summer time which we don't use it here. Time issue begin when the phone started to locate me at Cincinnati, and in the big clock shows Cincinnati time, anyway phone clock was unchange, but since I've always tell the time by the big clock it became a problem to me.
When I was at my girlfriend house wanting to be located there, I wasn't inside the house neither in open sky.

[Q] GPS/Maps bug?

I have recently encountered more of an annoyance rather than a problem that got my head scratching. It is location and GPS related, so I searched for Galaxy S6 GPS problems in google, and I have noticed that some owners experience a lot of signal loss/searching in their phones. What I have found annoying in my case is that whenever the GPS signal is lost, Google Maps puts me in a wrong location that I have not been to for a while (around one month). I have lived in that location before, but I have since moved and no longer stay there. I have purchased the phone after moving. After a bit of experimenting I came to the conclusion that the building I currently live in blocks the GPS signal, since whenever I am in the balcony/near a window I get a signal and I'm put in the correct location in Google Maps. As soon as the signal is lost, Maps automatically puts me in that old location. This has also effected Google Now where I'm given incorrect travel times and directions, but not my weather location (set on current).
I have set 'Home' to my new location, I have also tried deleting my location history from google, tried a few GPS fixing apps, reinstalling Maps, and also installing other map applications like Here and Waze, which behave the same way and give me the same old location as my current.
At first I thought it could be a GPS hardware defect in the galaxy, but I turned on my old HTC One (M8) and it acted and behaved in the same way putting me in my old location. So it seems to me there's something in the Android OS perhaps since Here and Waze act in the same way. I also tested with the Maps app on an iPhone 6 and it gave the correct location although not 100% accurate. So is there anyway I can make Maps at least remember my last location before signal loss?
It is also absurd that my laptop can pinpoint my correct location while connected on Wifi while my phone with GPS, wifi and cell network cannot, which in conclusion seems like an android bug or something with location history in my google account which as I said already tried deleting the whole history.
Also note that the GPS and Maps work perfectly fine whenever I'm outside the building.

Google Maps has had weird location issues on Android since January or February. Affected the GPS accuracy / function of my Nexus 5 as well. I think the bug is actually in Google Play Services framework, not in AOSP or the Maps app.

s6 gps issue
ab1983 said:
I have recently encountered more of an annoyance rather than a problem that got my head scratching. It is location and GPS related, so I searched for Galaxy S6 GPS problems in google, and I have noticed that some owners experience a lot of signal loss/searching in their phones. What I have found annoying in my case is that whenever the GPS signal is lost, Google Maps puts me in a wrong location that I have not been to for a while (around one month). I have lived in that location before, but I have since moved and no longer stay there. I have purchased the phone after moving. After a bit of experimenting I came to the conclusion that the building I currently live in blocks the GPS signal, since whenever I am in the balcony/near a window I get a signal and I'm put in the correct location in Google Maps. As soon as the signal is lost, Maps automatically puts me in that old location. This has also effected Google Now where I'm given incorrect travel times and directions, but not my weather location (set on current).
I have set 'Home' to my new location, I have also tried deleting my location history from google, tried a few GPS fixing apps, reinstalling Maps, and also installing other map applications like Here and Waze, which behave the same way and give me the same old location as my current.
At first I thought it could be a GPS hardware defect in the galaxy, but I turned on my old HTC One (M8) and it acted and behaved in the same way putting me in my old location. So it seems to me there's something in the Android OS perhaps since Here and Waze act in the same way. I also tested with the Maps app on an iPhone 6 and it gave the correct location although not 100% accurate. So is there anyway I can make Maps at least remember my last location before signal loss?
It is also absurd that my laptop can pinpoint my correct location while connected on Wifi while my phone with GPS, wifi and cell network cannot, which in conclusion seems like an android bug or something with location history in my google account which as I said already tried deleting the whole history.
Also note that the GPS and Maps work perfectly fine whenever I'm outside the building.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bought a case that was supposed to be a clear view but doesn't work and needs a proximity sensor app installed to work. It has the magnet and a lump for the chip. I also couldn't get a gps lock. Was seeing up to 6 satellites but not locking. I removed the case and got 17+ and a 3d lock straight away.

I came to the conclusion that my building blocks the GPS signal, but the annoyance comes from Google maps locating me in a default location far away from me whenever there is no signal.