GPS not Locking

[TisMyDroid]

Ok, big question and probably a stupid one... did you have Wi-Fi service when you turned on Wi-Fi? Every time I get that prompt I think it is absurd because I am on the road when I'm using GPS so no Wi-Fi.

 

[Bacchus224]

Ok, big question and probably a stupid one... did you have Wi-Fi service when you turned on Wi-Fi? Every time I get that prompt I think it is absurd because I am on the road when I'm using GPS so no Wi-Fi.

I don't think that's a stupid question. That's the reason I have never turned on my wifi when it prompted me to, I didn't see the logic off it.

To answer your question, no. At the time, I was driving through a neighborhood, so there were surely networks in range but none that I would connect to.

 

[TisMyDroid]

Same here, I never acted on that prompt because it made no sense. Wow, that is interesting. I'm going to have to try that the next time I'm out. I wonder what exactly it is that makes that work.

 

[doctboo]

Well, it's been a. Couple days since the factory reset and I haven't had any GPS issues. We'll see if this keeps up.

 

[bman6074]

I went to best buy where I guy the phone and the geek squad guy turned on all GPS settings down in three screen shot and note GPS is working fine. I don't jabber to turn all of then on again just stand alone GPS and it works. I winner if it was just engaging something by turning then all on once. Hope it helps others

 

[doctboo]

Yea. The factory reset worked for a few days, but now I can't see any satellites at all.

I'm convinced this is a software issue, but I shouldn't have to debug my brand new phone. I'll see what the VZW rep says, but I'm ready to swap this for a GS3.

 

[06M6TorridGTO]

I was having this same problem today. The GPS was searching for close to 10 minutes. As I was messing with the phone, I recieved the prompt that tells you that turning on your wifi can enhance your location services. While I do not understand the relationship, I relented and turned on my wifi. The phone immediatley locked on to my location and so far today has continued to do so. I have no idea if this is coincidental or not. As I said before, I do not understand how having wifi on would effect GPS locking, but in this case it seemed to.

Location services use not only GPS but also cell towers and WiFi to pinpoint a location. Three cell towers can be used to triangulate and find a pretty close location. WiFi is the next best for finding a particular spot. Many WiFi networks have known locations. Because most SSIDs are broadcast, when a device sees them, especially multiple ones, it can tell where it is. WiFi is more accurate that cell towers when it comes to location because of their small range. The most accurate location source is GPS. If you noticed, Motorola's SmartActions requires that WiFi be on (not necessarily connected) to use a location trigger. They did not go with GPS, even though its more accurate, because it can use more battery than WiFi might. However WiFi is the second most accurate so they went with that. That should explain why you got a better lock on location when WiFi was connected. Using all three should net you a pretty much perfect location.

 

[doctboo]

Well, they wanted to swap the sim card as a possible solution first. We'll see if that has any real impact. The VZW rep thought it might and was pleased when the GPS worked with the new card. Of course, I had already pointed out that it would work with a reboot which adding the new card requires.

 

[doctboo]

No surprise here. The sim card swap didn't make a difference. I bet there next step is a new device even though this is most likely a software issue.

 

[dmbatcofc]

No surprise here. The sim card swap didn't make a difference. I bet there next step is a new device even though this is most likely a software issue.

Don't bother. I've gone through 3... All have the same issue.

 

[charliez916]

I've had mine for two days and GPS working fine...hope you resolve your issue!

 

[dmbatcofc]

I've had mine for two days and GPS working fine...hope you resolve your issue!

Even zoomed in all the way in Google Maps? No hovering around?

 

[doctboo]

I was reading about a similar issue on another forum and they went through the painful steps of:
1. Running in safe mode for a few days to rule out a hardware/default software.
2. Using aSpotCat to get a list of all of the applications that have GPS permissions. I have 29.
3. Uninstalling all of them.
4. Reinstalling each one at a time and waiting 2-3 days before reinstalling the next one. Until one causes the problem so you know what app is causing the problem.

On that thread, Poynt was the culprit. I had that app too and uninstalled it. I'm still having the problem though. I'm debating going through the whole process, but it's ridiculous that I should even consider it.

 

[dmbatcofc]

After quite a bit of trouble shooting this evening, I have made the determination this is a Google Maps software issue. When I load the navigation application it is spot on and does not bounce around like a jumping bean. I also tested the MapQuest app and it didn't have any issues either.

 

[RETG]

I went to best buy where I guy the phone and the geek squad guy turned on all GPS settings down in three screen shot and note GPS is working fine. I don't jabber to turn all of then on again just stand alone GPS and it works. I winner if it was just engaging something by turning then all on once. Hope it helps others

I really wish I knew what you are trying to say in this thread!