Develop Bugs

Why am I in Ojai?

Hello everyone,
I found it a little strange, but when I do not have a GPS lock and rely on agps to get my weather updates, the weather widget claims I'm in Ojai, CA. As soon as I go outside, I get a lock and the weather is at the right location. Google maps reflects this anomaly as well.
I've flushed agps using GPS status and tried a few roms, but the same result. Is this something documented, or is something faulty with my device? This is the first any of my devices has come across this peculiar issue.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

Need peoples help to prove GPS HW or SW issue?

So to my surprise I do not see this topic for the Galaxy Nexus yet. I want to see if this is a batch issue or an actual SW bug most haven't noticed yet.
Basically, if I only have GPS turned on my nexus running 4.0.1 will not find a GPS signal. I've used the GPS tool on the market to confirm that only when I enable the Google assisting using mobile towers and wifi will I get a signal. But GPS is still searching. My wife also has the same phone bought at the same time with the same scenario.
After Googling this I see that Google forums and the android community forums have topics like this indicating similar issues. Some posts even have someone comparing with a colleague if their nexus under the same condition works and sure enough it does. Other posts indicate Samsung mentioning that there may be a problem.
Can people try to turn off the mobile tower and wifi assistance then see if GPS locks on quick (or at all) then post their comments? I'm going to exchange these phones and need as much proof of defect as possible.
I appreciate the time.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App
Edit Starts here:
So first, I appreciate the responses.
Second, my story in more detail:
- I bought the phone and wanted to prevent battery drain so I unchecked the "Google's location Service" box.
- Once I started Maps, by Google, I noticed my location wasn't being found at all. In fact the Searching for GPS timed out and said that this is temporarily unavailable
- I checked my wife's phone that was purchased at the same location and found the same issue.
- Accuracy with the "Google's location Service" box was up to 50 meters. It did NOT improve...
- After looking online, I found these two forums:
https://groups.google.com/a/googleproductforums.com/forum/#!topic/maps/bGfGFRWCmIA
http://androidforums.com/verizon-galaxy-nexus/467949-galaxy-nexus-gps-issue.html
This is where I found people comparing devices...
- Today I downloaded a GPS Status app and found that the search was yielding no satellites.
- No Joke, I updated my Maps program (google market notification) and now I have no issues. No matter what setup I have I am found within 9 seconds with just GPS and accuracy to 10 meters. while with aGPS I'm found with accuracy to 5 meters...
The latest release for Maps has a mention of "Bug fixes for newer devices"
Make your own conclusions.

Try 4.0.3 and see if that fixes it for you? Battery life is way better than 4.0.1 anyway

When I ran 4.0.2 stock my GPS was connecting in under 30 seconds, currently on a 4.0.3 rom it connecting in about the same time

Gps is slower without agps. These arent dedicated gps units. Starting a new thread about it isnt going to solve the issue any better either.
My grandma beat me down and took my nexus. Sent from a jitterbug with beats by dre.

@rbiter said:
Gps is slower without agps. These arent dedicated gps units. Starting a new thread about it isnt going to solve the issue any better either.
My grandma beat me down and took my nexus. Sent from a jitterbug with beats by dre.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And why does it matter? Is it really that inconvenient to check one extra box?

joshnichols189 said:
And why does it matter? Is it really that inconvenient to check one extra box?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I would not wait 5 to 10 minutes to get gps fix.

This has been discussed time and time again...
The phone must download orbital data or an almanac for the GPS satellites in order to establish a lock. With assisted GPS, the phone can download what it needs via the mobile network, however, with assisted GPS turned off it must download it from the GPS satellites which can take a very long time - anywhere between 15 minutes and a half hour.
There is nothing wrong the the GPS in the Galaxy Nexus - mine locks on me, in my house, within a 5 meter radius within 5 seconds.

actually hes right. i too dont get locks till about 4-5 mins on just gps, w/o agps. this shouldnt be the case. Gnex has GPS+GLONASS support with barometric assistance built in. It should be locking in very quickly w/o agps. My captivate, with the galaxy S broken gps, locked on in 3-4 mins w/o agps. It must be some kind of software issue.
As to the questions of why you need it, say you are in another country, you wouldnt be able to use your gps, and would be in deep **** if you got lost or watever. I was in the Bahamas and it would never lock in for me, even when outside.

I'm on 4.0.1 bought in sweden late november and in roughly 1min i get a fix with satelite only.. a few min after first test i enabled airplanemode and got a fix within seconds.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

psycho2097 said:
actually hes right. i too dont get locks till about 4-5 mins on just gps, w/o agps. this shouldnt be the case. Gnex has GPS+GLONASS support with barometric assistance built in. It should be locking in very quickly w/o agps. My captivate, with the galaxy S broken gps, locked on in 3-4 mins w/o agps. It must be some kind of software issue.
As to the questions of why you need it, say you are in another country, you wouldnt be able to use your gps, and would be in deep **** if you got lost or watever. I was in the Bahamas and it would never lock in for me, even when outside.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually the Galaxy Note has GLONASS, not the GN, i'm sorry to say :/
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

Here's a general rule: Don't turn off the A-GPS unless you want it to take a long time to get the initial fix. Pretty simple.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App

From in my work (Near window) I locked on to GPS with only GPS sats clicked on with in 7-8 seconds.

faizalmzain said:
Yes, I would not wait 5 to 10 minutes to get gps fix.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It doesn't take that long if you just check both boxes.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

with just GPS, I get a lock quickly. I connect daily with cardio trainer.

Let me explain myself a little more
So first, I appreciate the responses.
Second, my story in more detail:
- I bought the phone and wanted to prevent battery drain so I unchecked the "Google's location Service" box.
- Once I started Maps, by Google, I noticed my location wasn't being found at all. In fact the Searching for GPS timed out and said that this is temporarily unavailable
- I checked my wife's phone that was purchased at the same location and found the same issue.
- Accuracy with the "Google's location Service" box was up to 50 meters. It did NOT improve...
- After looking online, I found these two forums:
https://groups.google.com/a/googleproductforums.com/forum/#!topic/maps/bGfGFRWCmIA
http://androidforums.com/verizon-galaxy-nexus/467949-galaxy-nexus-gps-issue.html
This is where I found people comparing devices...
- Today I downloaded a GPS Status app and found that the search was yielding no satellites.
- No Joke, I updated my Maps program (google market notification) and now I have no issues. No matter what setup I have I am found within 9 seconds with just GPS and accuracy to 10 meters. while with aGPS I'm found with accuracy to 5 meters...
The latest release for Maps has a mention of "Bug fixes for newer devices"
Make your own conclusions.

Reason for me to uncheck Agps is to use pree loaded maps when going abroad and still need to find my way around so it is a good thing to be able to turn off network location assistence.. using data when in another country can cost you PLENTY of money
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

there is absolutly no reason to uncheck agps.
unchecking it DOES NOT increase your battery life.
at least not drasticly. the agps is only used when you use apps that are location aware. such as maps, alfred, google+ and many others.
if you just leave agps on, it will not decrease your battery at all until it is being used.
as as it's been brought up, and as you saw, your lock time goes from a few seconds to 5-12 minutes.
i just took a trip up to orlando, and while traveling at 80Mph my galaxy nexus got a GPS lock with agps on EDGE, not 3G, in about 5 seconds.

sometimes people want to hike 50 miles into the woods where there is no cell service, and still use their GPS. sometimes people travel to china where they dont want to pay roaming, and hence use their GPS with no data enabled. hopefully most people understand this point now.

Tjotte said:
Reason for me to uncheck Agps is [...]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is no option in ICS to "uncheck" A-GPS.

RogerPodacter said:
sometimes people want to hike 50 miles into the woods where there is no cell service, and still use their GPS. sometimes people travel to china where they dont want to pay roaming, and hence use their GPS with no data enabled. hopefully most people understand this point now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So why not purchase a pre-paid foreign SIM for the people who use roaming as their excuse? Or better yet... Why not purchase a dedicated GPS device? People these days.

GPS is suddenly EXCELLENT!

My GPS has all of sudden started working FLAWLESSLY. I have changed nothing on my phone in the last couple of weeks. While sitting sitting in my living room today, I decided to turned on my GPS as I do often in the same spot. The only difference, instead of picking up zero satellites, I picked up at least 5 and Google maps is working great.
Has anyone else noticed sudden improved GPS?? I hope this lasts...
Sent from my SPH-D710 using XDA App

I can't offer much historical performance, as I just got my Epic yesterday, but I was able to quickly get a gps lock at my house last night, and while driving today. I leave GPS on all the time.

I'm pretty sure this is due to me wearing my tin foil hat.
You're welcome.

Maybe this is a dumb question, but how do you check?

SRT300 said:
Maybe this is a dumb question, but how do you check?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can do this a few ways.
1) Make sure GPS is on, and go into Google Maps. See if it finds your location when you are indoors.
2) Make sure GPS is on, and download GPS test from the market. It will tell you how many satellites you are connecting to, and how strong the lock is. It also tells the accuracy of your location, in meters.

http://www.spaceweather.com/

GPS Status & Toolbox is another great free app from the market. Tells you how fast the GPS locks in seconds, number of satellites, longitude, latitude, compass bearing, etc. It will let you clear and download A-GPS data as well which one should do regularly.

tokuzumi said:
You can do this a few ways.
1) Make sure GPS is on, and go into Google Maps. See if it finds your location when you are indoors.
2) Make sure GPS is on, and download GPS test from the market. It will tell you how many satellites you are connecting to, and how strong the lock is. It also tells the accuracy of your location, in meters.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
These are the methods I use.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using XDA App

perhaps a neighbor cut down a tree which has been blocking the gps signal to your phone. haha.

Awesome!!!!
Mine says I'm at home too... Even though I'm currently at work about 10 miles away.
The GPS on this phone stinks!!!! But everything else is flawless.

I noticed a huge improvement a week or two before el29 went officially OTA. I was already running the leaked el29 modem/kernel mind you. Maybe Sammy/sprint changed something to play nice with the new release *shrugs*. Before this it would take awhile for GPS Status to lock on sats, now it usually locks in under a minute!
Sent from my SPH-D710 using XDA App

crzchn said:
http://www.spaceweather.com/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
^^this
The massive solar storm probably had a lot to do with it.

Not sure how the epic touch works, but I believe most phones do not use true GPS. The GPS module is usually assisted by the cell radio. Sprint probably improved cell coverage in your area.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk

Yes the phones do use the towers as a "rough location" while searching for satellites.

and if we have no tower signal.. we get no GPS
GPS should work.. cell signal or not. boooo A-GPS.

autoprime said:
and if we have no tower signal.. we get no GPS
GPS should work.. cell signal or not. boooo A-GPS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You should be able to uncheck the option to use the cell network to assist with GPS lock. I think it's under Settings, Location, or Security. It will then only use the GPS antenna to determine your location. It will probably take about a minute to get a lock, however.
I haven't tested this out, so it's all theory, but on paper, the theory should be sound.

My old Samsung phone had major gps issues but once I got a good lock and started using gps regularly it worked fine till I started trying out different roms. This phone gps seems to be working fine so far

I've never had a problem with GPS, but I live in an area with good cell coverage

GPS Problem with new S2X

Hi all, exactly 2 weeks and 1 day ago I got a S2X, everything has been running great except it has a problem..
The GPS does not seem to work at all.
I've searched the net for any possible solution and most people have said to download GPS status or other similar app and wait till the phone gets an initial lock with more than 6 satellites. But here's my problem, my phone's GPS does not seem to work at all, whenever I try to locate my location it'd just gets stuck on SEARCHING FOR GPS for a looong time.. I've made sure I tested this on a clear day/sky so it should work..
Although, it seems like the GPS unit is able to get fix/sat but on 1-10 sattelites, it still says it is searching for GPS..
Because I bought this phone out from Koodo without a contract and It has been over 14 days I can no longer go back and exchange it.. Is there anything I can do to help fix the GPS problem?

EDIT:
I've tested this with a Telus SIM and Mobilicity Sim and both seems to work! GPS Status tells me that it is able to get fix/sat however the GPS icon still flashes and Google map still doesn't work..Also, there is no latitude or longitude or last fixed or even altitude as this picture..https://lh5.ggpht.com/JSUWXboRPtXJ_jTkWPx1MFizLa2TXA5U3kUHSunuNYY_CuE6FJpkTu2AFum_jlCcqydw
It only shows fix/sat and direction

No need to test Sims. It should be able to lock on without a Sim. So the problem is that your, phone doesn't lock on even though your apps says it does?
haven't heard of that problem. Have you tried a factory reset? Or a clean wipe if running custom roms?
What fixed it for me is flashing a modded radio.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda app-developers app

qwerty123321 said:
EDIT:
I've tested this with a Telus SIM and Mobilicity Sim and both seems to work! GPS Status tells me that it is able to get fix/sat however the GPS icon still flashes and Google map still doesn't work..Also, there is no latitude or longitude or last fixed or even altitude as this picture..https://lh5.ggpht.com/JSUWXboRPtXJ_jTkWPx1MFizLa2TXA5U3kUHSunuNYY_CuE6FJpkTu2AFum_jlCcqydw
It only shows fix/sat and direction
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can try GPS Test on Play store. Open that app first, and wait until the satellites are locked, then open Google Maps. It will make Google maps locks faster. For me, google map is lazy and refuses to fix most of the time, but other gps-related apps still work great. I think its google map's issue, not your phone.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda app-developers app

I also own galaxy s ii x. I have same issue. It has been like that since official ICS came out. No matter which radios or ROMs I use from JBs to ICS, I can never ever get GPS lock on google map period.
I was only able to get gps working again When I had gone back to Telus stock gingerbread.
I am still searching for a fix. It is not that your phone is defective. But I also wanna know how to solve this issue.
Sent from my SGH-T989D using xda app-developers app

t mobile galaxy s ii
To hopefully help, I have a t mobile galaxy s ii. Had the same problem, brand spanking new phone and never really been able to get a GPS lock. I finally called t mobile and described the problem to the tech support people, went through my troubleshooting steps (reset, upgraded, etc, etc...). My new phone arrived yesterday....its a totally different phone. Same phone but it feels different. GPS locks with no issues...
You may have a hardware problem....

I have a s2x from Koodo as well, just ran navigation/google maps and got a gps signal in my basement with no probs. I am using AOKP rom though.

Did ur phone originally come with ICS or did u update via OTA?
Before u ever installed AOKP that is.
Sent from my SGH-T989D using xda app-developers app

came stock with ics
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda app-developers app

After I used odin back to Telus GB stock 2.3.5, I gained gps back.
I just rooted it and then flashed ptmr3's koodoo v3 ROM along with koodoo ics stock radio.
After several tests with gps status app and google maps, I have just confirmed gps locks in and works fine. Though gps does lock in very slow, I am just happy that the gps works now even on ICS
Sent from my SGH-T989D using xda app-developers app

Does a gps fix it exist for the siii?

I am having issues with gps connectivity and was wondering if a gps fix exists for this device that will up the satellite feed. I remember they had one for the epic. I didn't think I would have this issue on this phone as well but I am. It takes a few minutes for my gps to get a lock.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda premium

Assuming you tried GPS tuner and cleared the AGPS data then take it outside where you can see the sky and let it get a new fix?
If I remember right, there's a ## code you can go through and with your MSL code, clear all GPS stats to start it over. You'll have to dig around to find it.
Mine gets a lock in about 15 seconds to 7+ sats and is consistent all the time and quite accurate.

RealTic said:
I am having issues with gps connectivity and was wondering if a gps fix exists for this device that will up the satellite feed. I remember they had one for the epic. I didn't think I would have this issue on this phone as well but I am. It takes a few minutes for my gps to get a lock.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The gps should be much better than on the Old Epic. The problem before was that Samsung was using Google gps coding which had some major flaws. They switched to their own proprietary coding in the same way HTC did long ago and it has strengthened the gps immensly. You may have a defective unit. Only place I don't get a lock is inside old city buildings with a lot of metal and concrete (where no one is getting locks either) or in terrible signal areas.