The Galaxy S4, S5 and Note 3 all have a rather cumbersome magnetometer (=compass) system installed. Out of the box the compass is not calibrated, it does not point to north. You have to calibrate it yourself using a lengthy process of turning the device about several axes repeatedly. And everytime you turn off the device, the compass looses calibration. Even if you dont turn it off it tends to get less precise over time, so you need to recalibrate every 2 months or so. Makes using apps like Google Sky Map almost impossible.
How is the magnetometer chip in the Tab S? Will it automatically calibrate itself (like most other phones), or does it need calibration?
klausa2 said:
The Galaxy S4, S5 and Note 3 all have a rather cumbersome magnetometer (=compass) system installed. Out of the box the compass is not calibrated, it does not point to north. You have to calibrate it yourself using a lengthy process of turning the device about several axes repeatedly. And everytime you turn off the device, the compass looses calibration. Even if you dont turn it off it tends to get less precise over time, so you need to recalibrate every 2 months or so. Makes using apps like Google Sky Map almost impossible.
How is the magnetometer chip in the Tab S? Will it automatically calibrate itself (like most other phones), or does it need calibration?
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Sorry cant help here. I got the 16gb version yesterday (sent back for Bestbuy 32gb). All I did was with wifi on open maps let it load my zone. Quit it then turn off wifi and open map and it found me and as I turned with the tablet the map turned so it new which way I was facing. I have no clue if this helps. So the GPS was working.
Related
Just got my Galaxy Nexus yesterday and already love it
But the compass seem to have a mind of its own. I usually use GPS Essentials, but the compass there is almost not moving at all when I rotate the phone. Only little arbitrary movements. I opened up Google Sky Map which also utilizes compass for proper direction measuring, but it seemed to follow only loosely which direction I moved - just only at half the pace and then suddenly it reverses 180 degrees or jumps around. It seems that some signal does get from sensor to software, so my first thought is that it's software related.
Any ideas? Have anyone else had issues with this?
I'm having the same issue. I noticed horrible performance in google sky map -- the map barely moved as I rotated around. It might have moved a maximum of 45 degrees overall. I then downloaded Compass from the market and am also seeing poor performance, with the app always telling me "abnormal magnetic field" when I start it up.
On the plus side, google maps seems to do pretty well at showing my correct heading when stationary.
I was recommended to try the app "gps status " which has a calibration feature. After running the app and without actually doing the calibration the compass worked perfectly now when I try sky map it functions like it should. It seems that maybe some kind of initialization was needed - and is now done.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
Well GPS Status calibration improved my compass apps, and google maps compass behavior. Thanks for that. But sky view is still terrible, so is skeye which is a similar app. I hope this gets fixed. My mom's ipod touch 3 performs way better than this in its sky view app... just sayin...
I am really concerned about the GPS compass issue (not the magnetic one). It makes navigation applications like NDrive and Sygic unusable. While I am driving the nav app would suddenly recalculate the route on a different road then a few seconds later it comes back to my actual location, and it keeps doing that even if u are not moving.
This is really irritating, do any of u face a similar issue? Do u think its a hardware or a software problem?
mbushnaq00 said:
I am really concerned about the GPS compass issue (not the magnetic one). It makes navigation applications like NDrive and Sygic unusable. While I am driving the nav app would suddenly recalculate the route on a different road then a few seconds later it comes back to my actual location, and it keeps doing that even if u are not moving.
This is really irritating, do any of u face a similar issue? Do u think its a hardware or a software problem?
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Install GPS status from market and clear agps data. Worked for me !
Sent from my HTC One X using xda premium
matmar said:
Install GPS status from market and clear agps data. Worked for me !
Sent from my HTC One X using xda premium
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Can you please provide me with the market link, I really would appreciate it
EDIT: I got it, and cleared the agps data but still the same issue. The wierd thing is that while I stand still, the speed keeps increasing and descreasing at very high number.
I tested another one x and it was far more accurate and stable than mine I think mine is defective :S
Mine is quite amusing it says i'm at home then you will see it move at light speed and place my gps target in a whole other country whilst saying its got 5m accuracy, have tried clearing aps to make no diff
mbushnaq00 said:
Can you please provide me with the market link, I really would appreciate it
EDIT: I got it, and cleared the agps data but still the same issue. The wierd thing is that while I stand still, the speed keeps increasing and descreasing at very high number.
I tested another one x and it was far more accurate and stable than mine I think mine is defective :S
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Pyung said:
Mine is quite amusing it says i'm at home then you will see it move at light speed and place my gps target in a whole other country whilst saying its got 5m accuracy, have tried clearing aps to make no diff
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+1: GPS is unusable...
escalator said:
+1: GPS is unusable...
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The best way to test GPS is to put the phone in airplane mode, turn off GPS, and reboot it. After it reboots then activate GPS. That way it won't be using aGPS (wireless or Wi-Fi) and be relying solely on the GPS chip for location.
Download an app from the Market called GPS Test. When I run it I see the phone's kind of screwy. It sees 16 satellites immediately (excellent) and locks on about half of them (average) but then keeps changing which satellites it's receiving from.
It will get down to 9' in accuracy which is actually very good but it's odd that it keeps shifting satellites instead of staying locked on the ones it has previously identified and read. I set a route in CoPilot using nothing but the GPS chip and it seemed fine; my origin remained stationary. When I go out later I'll actually try using it in the car for a full route.
It's really hard to say whether it's h/w or s/w at this point.
Edit: After doing all the above I noticed I lost a pretty hefty amount of battery. Looking in the battery stats Android OS was the number one battery user exceeding even the display. That's abnormal which leads me to guess the issue is probably s/w.
What is a "GPS compass", please? (There's no such thing.)
Used GPS for the first time yesterday, for a two hour trip with Sygic maps' 12.1 beta. Worked perfectly the whole way.
BarryH_GEG said:
Edit: After doing all the above I noticed I lost a pretty hefty amount of battery. Looking in the battery stats Android OS was the number one battery user exceeding even the display. That's abnormal which leads me to guess the issue is probably s/w.
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That could be a red herring. A rather large issue has been discovered with the battery stats that it does not go down correctly when the phone is on standby (screen off). When it suddenly realises the true battery status, it plummets to the correct level.
Yeah. There is something strange going on with the compass and GPS.
Google Maps has my arrow moving around a lot and also changes direction significantly even when I'm stationary. Not sure what is going on there. There is a certain amount of uncertainty and jitter when using GPS but it should be smoothed out.
I've tried disabling the WiFi/Cell location system and only using GPS but it doesn't affect it. Resetting the AGPS data doesn't help either.
The GPS issue seems to be big and i use GPS and Navigation too often with my phone. Tonight or tomorrow i am getting my One X and i hope they will sort this out sooner.
zekit said:
The GPS issue seems to be big and i use GPS and Navigation too often with my phone. Tonight or tomorrow i am getting my One X and i hope they will sort this out sooner.
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That's debatable. I have no noticeable issues when actually moving (even at walking pace), and get an accurate lock. When sitting still, the GPS does show slight motion, but only in the area immediately around my actual point, and even my dedicated GPS receiver does that to a degree. It's a fact of life that consumer GPS doesn't give better accuracy than a couple of yards.
I used Google navigation yesterday for a 25 mile trip. No issue. I've not tried it for walking but then I never really use it for that. Maybe I can have a go and report back.
Sent from my HTC One X using xda premium
I too am noticing an issue with GPS accuracy as detailed in my post here using sports trackers:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1599057
Hard to say if its a software issue or hw issue... I havent "Tracked" myself over a long distance so it could be the GPS getting confused with only small changes in distance?
Can someone track themselves on a long-ish road that doesnt have many/any slow moving areas so we can see the accuracy of it?
I'd be curious to know what cases people with problems are using. We've already had one report of reduced wifi range with a third-party case, not beyond the realms of possibility that it could also reduce gps reception.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using XDA
Guys, I just replaced my phone yesterday, I have to say the replacement has far more better accuracy than the old one. It seems to be a hardware defect and if you have the same problem then have it replaced asap.
To check, just download speedview, stand still outside with clear vew to the sky, and see how the speed jumps. If its between 0 to 5 and mostly 0 then you have a good unit, otherwise if goes to 20 then 40 and even 220!! then u definitely need to replace the device. I dont think any method u try will resolve this issue cuz its a hardware problem and not software.
+1: GPS is unusable...
and 1.28 yesterday did not better my gps stability
zilmer said:
and 1.28 yesterday did not better my gps stability
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If GPS is unusable, you most likely have a hardware problem. Get the phone replaced.
Tiersten said:
Google Maps has my arrow moving around a lot and also changes direction significantly even when I'm stationary.
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+1 to this as well, the compass isn't working correctly, maps showing me in completely different direction.
Got bored and decided to film it.
Makes me laugh
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcbtRUHBo40
Sitting on my desk right under the window. Nexus one right next to it doesnt do this.....
Demented-Idiot said:
Got bored and decided to film it.
Makes me laugh
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcbtRUHBo40
Sitting on my desk right under the window. Nexus one right next to it doesnt do this.....
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That's funny to watch. Here's what I've found. When you download and view GPS Tracker you can see that the phone's not staying fixed to specific satellites and is instead bouncing around between them. The weaker the signal (indoors) the more it bounces. Outdoors with a clear signal it's fine. But because it's still locking on satellites, even randomly, it still maintains its accuracy. My accuracy indoors is 9' vs. 15' for my SGS2. I haven't compared it to another One X so can't comment on whether they all behave the same way.
You might want to run GPS Tracker on both your One X and GN to see how differently they perform. Also keep in mind that the way GPS works in flight mode (no aGPS support) is very different than when it's using Wi-Fi or a wireless signal. The former is the best way to test the GPS chips function. To really test the GPS chip put the phone in flight mode and then restart it. It'll be much slower to lock (they all are) and the results you'll be seeing are the GPS chip working on its own.
Hi,
I am planning to use Endomondo for skiing for the whole day (09:00-16:00) to track my progress.
Two questions:
1) To save battery I will switch to Airplane Mode. GPS accuracy will be ok?
2) Endomondo have a setting to save battery. Dont know what it means. It says that accuracy wont change. Strange. Has anybody tried to ski all day long without charging with Endomondo?
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
bat0nas said:
Hi,
I am planning to use Endomondo for skiing for the whole day (09:00-16:00) to track my progress.
Two questions:
1) To save battery I will switch to Airplane Mode. GPS accuracy will be ok?
2) Endomondo have a setting to save battery. Dont know what it means. It says that accuracy wont change. Strange. Has anybody tried to ski all day long without charging with Endomondo?
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
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1. No. GPS is disabled when you are in airplane mode. Mobile Data connections (3G, wifi) and your phone connection (you will not be able to make or receive phone calls) when you're in airplane mode.
2. I don't know what endomondo does specifically, but most GPS apps, when they say they save battery, do so by recording your location at longer intervals. For example, the app, in a battery saving mode, may record your location every 8 or 10 seconds, instead of 4 or 5 seconds.
I use my Galaxy Nexus while bicycling, I find that 7 or 8 seconds produces pretty accurate GPS trace (To record where I've been) but it depends if you are surrounded by buildings or lots of trees, which would prevent your device from reading the satellites and getting an accurate device.
Overall, I'd advise you to experiment, 2-3 times for an hour or so for each setting in endomondo (the battery-saver) and non-battery saver and see what's the difference. Don't use airplane mode, you won't be able to get an accurate GPS measurement.
Thanks!!!!!!!
Will try what you suggested.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
Actually, it's not. Turning on airplane mode leaves GPS on, at least on a stock Galaxy Nexus. I just tested this. Makes sense, since a GPS receiver does not transmit.
Takes longer to get a position fix, though, without AGPS. Accuracy seems unaffected, though I haven't tested that thoroughly. Just give it a minute or two to lock on to all the satellites.
Also, you can turn back on Wifi in airplane mode as well. Not really relevant here, though.
If it takes time to catch the satelites its a bit risky to lose gps once I will step into gondola to go up the mountain.
Just tested and it really took time to lock on sats without AGPS
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
Hello,
As the title says, the compass on my 5x always needs calibration.
After the calibration is working fine, but after few hours it is messed up again, without restarting my phone or using any gps application, it just needs a new calibration to show the cardinal points correctly.
Is it a common behaviour on this phone?
same here and cannot understand wether it's faulty hardware or what.
compass is a nightmare on my n5x
i notice this once every few weeks, and i always just dismiss it. GPS works fine without it IME
Is anyone (that use Google Maps frequently) having the compass always aligned to the north?
Mine, is constantly changing, sometimes I open maps and is 100% accurate, somtimes 90º off, and sometimes not accurate at all (180º off).
Depends on the location I'm using the compass, but sometimes, even at the street without electronic or metal devices around, i still have 45º off or 90º off.
If I calibrate the compass it works fine, but in less than an hour it goes random again.
I asked another friend with a 5X and had similar issues, well at least, his compass was off until he calibrated it (I asumme it will be off in the next minutes/hours too).
So I ask, anyone with a 5X that is always perfectly pointing to the north? (And in multiple outdoor/indoor places, not always at the same place). I have some spots where I open google maps an always points to the north. But some others, (like my workstation) that doesn't point north, and I have to recalibrate it all the time. (My old cellphone used to point fine in this spot).
thesebastian said:
So I ask, anyone with a 5X that is always perfectly pointing to the north? (And in multiple outdoor/indoor places, not always at the same place). I have some spots where I open google maps an always points to the north. But some others, (like my workstation) that doesn't point north, and I have to recalibrate it all the time. (My old cellphone used to point fine in this spot).
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I just need to calibrate once per reboot. From that point always points in the correct direction until next reboot.
In the past I've calibrated within Google Maps and gotten a bad calibration. In that case it was stuck pointing north. It might be conincidence, but since then, I've only calibrated from GPS Status and Toolbox app and have never had that issue repeat.
sfhub said:
I just need to calibrate once per reboot. From that point always points in the correct direction until next reboot.
In the past I've calibrated within Google Maps and gotten a bad calibration. In that case it was stuck pointing north. It might be conincidence, but since then, I've only calibrated from GPS Status and Toolbox app and have never had that issue repeat.
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Thanks for the feedback mate.
I just did the following:
1) Clear Data in Maps.
2) Download and Open "GPS Status and Toolbox"
3) Calibrated the compass
4) Calibrated the pitch and roll
5) Opened Maps, and I'm ok again at home.
I did something similar yesterday: wiped maps data, calibrated using another app, .but then at the morning, after 3 or 5 runs, Maps asked me to calibrate using the Wizard and I "maybe" that calibration messed the compass again. (Later..today I had to do a lot of swypes in Maps to fix the north).
Anyway, I'm sure that, after all the night charging (50cm near the phone at night sometimes there is a metal macbook air, maybe that could be an issue?)... and tomorrow at the office (using the elevator, etc), the compass will lose calibration ( I hope not...).
Everytime I open Maps I feel the is a chance to break the calibration.
This is an issue with my note 3 running a note 7 rom (Yes, I know it's not a real note 7). The always on display used to work but recently when I turn off the screen, the clock shows for a few second before flickering and turning off. Is it because I updated the app or i accidentally changed a setting. I tried disabling keep screen turned off but it did not work.
Please help!!!
Are you certain that the Note 3's hardware supports AoD? Just because it is an AMOLED display doesn't mean you should assume it works
If you're certain, you can try re-flashing the ROM...
I'm running the note7 rom on my note 3 as well and opted to ditch the AoD screen. It might be just my phone being near death but it stays on in my pocket too. It's also a battery hog because it's completely different type of panel i believe. The fact my phone's knackered might be the reason i don't have your problem as maybe it's not trying to detect darkness and maybe ypurs is, albeit incorrectly due to incompatible hardware. Just a thought anyways.
Karnax_ said:
I'm running the note7 rom on my note 3 as well and opted to ditch the AoD screen. It might be just my phone being near death but it stays on in my pocket too. It's also a battery hog because it's completely different type of panel i believe. The fact my phone's knackered might be the reason i don't have your problem as maybe it's not trying to detect darkness and maybe ypurs is, albeit incorrectly due to incompatible hardware. Just a thought anyways.
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The strange thing is that it works when i'm charging.
I found out what was wrong with the aod. Everytime i turn the screen off, the device will be put into deepsleep mode. So I acquired a wakelock and the cpu was kept running so the aod was shown. But I thought it might drain my battery so I set the maximum number of cores to be awake while screen off to 1.