Ok, so I've about had it with the Epic. I love this phone and all but the random problems are really irking me now. My GPS used to work perfectly until sprint "fixed" my phone for another problem I was having. Now my GPS doesn't work at all. I mean, I have tried all the fixes on here and it doesn't work at all. If I take this phone back to sprint, do you guys think they will just format the phone and say it's fixed or do you think they will actually test it and replace it for me if it doesn't work? I am really close to calling up customer service and just complaining the hell out of this phone and hope they will hook me up with a replacement or an EVO at this point.
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All Things GPS
- Thread starter SamsungVibrant
- Start date
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- samsung epic 4g
thanks I am going to give that a try.
Your problem is difference than the endemic bugs, the main one being failure to lock about 10 to 20% of the time and failure to place all usable sats in use slightly more often.
I would guess your phone has a different unique problem and you should indeed have it checked out.
JettMartinez
Newbie
Those trying out the leaked Froyo beta over at XDA are reporting seemingly better GPS performance.
Has anyone with the knowledge/time to do a real test given it a try? From reading this thread, I'm guessing it just could be that with the freshly wiped/rebooted phones they're not affected by the cache problems yet. But we can hope, right?
[ROM] Froyo DJ29 leak, deodexed, zipaligned and pre-rooted - xda-developers
Has anyone with the knowledge/time to do a real test given it a try? From reading this thread, I'm guessing it just could be that with the freshly wiped/rebooted phones they're not affected by the cache problems yet. But we can hope, right?
[ROM] Froyo DJ29 leak, deodexed, zipaligned and pre-rooted - xda-developers
boomerbubba
Android Enthusiast
It does sound like one of the bugs -- the bogus 30.0 meter estimated accuracy -- may be fixed. But the way I read those anecdotal reports about the GPS, the results are mixed about the more serious satellite locking problem. For example, see this. I see no indication so far from those trying the release that any rigorous GPS testing has been done, and not enough time has really passed anyway. Although I'm curious, I choose not to risk my own phone flashing the leaked beta.
No, the opposite is true, most are reporting more GPS problems and at best no improvement whatsoever, and everyone has just flashed their phone which of course is should eliminate any problem of several day old cache.
Of my three epics, the one I flashed with the new Froyo took longer to get a fix and it should not have.
NSXLA
Well-Known Member
For anyone who cares, i purchased a EPIC for a family member but after encountering the GPS lock bug, i returned it. Its interesting, in the fotos you can see on some occasions the EPIC would lock up with more sats compared to my EVO, but still register a lower accuracy, hence the 30m bug. and yes the epic has a lower SNR,
For the days i had the EPIC, the GPS lock would be inconsistent (wouldn't lock for ages), and too slow at times compared to my EVO. Yes yes i tried the bloody cold start/warm start, i didn't even bother with GPS Status app clearing the cache since that is only a temporary fix.
Just for anyone who is looking to purchase a EPIC i would wait for samsung to fix this bug if they ever will
, and froyo leaked rom doesn't seem to be helping.
EPIC ON RIGHT.
P.S EPIC didn't always lock up with more sats compared to the EVO.
For the days i had the EPIC, the GPS lock would be inconsistent (wouldn't lock for ages), and too slow at times compared to my EVO. Yes yes i tried the bloody cold start/warm start, i didn't even bother with GPS Status app clearing the cache since that is only a temporary fix.
Just for anyone who is looking to purchase a EPIC i would wait for samsung to fix this bug if they ever will
, and froyo leaked rom doesn't seem to be helping. EPIC ON RIGHT.
P.S EPIC didn't always lock up with more sats compared to the EVO.
the diluti0on of precession numbers on the left look great, is that the Evo? Epci redumetnary GPS data reporting doesnt seem to give HDOP or any DOP to applications for some reason.
As far as the SNR it seems every single galaxy has difference SNR tolerance before locking. I think in Samsung's crapshoot attempts at dealing with GPS led them to have extremley low SNR tolerances (as low as 11) on Epic, which creates other problems, where you can see your Evo is using the best sats at >30 SNR. Evo will use lower SNR if needed but will depend on high snr if available.
As far as the SNR it seems every single galaxy has difference SNR tolerance before locking. I think in Samsung's crapshoot attempts at dealing with GPS led them to have extremley low SNR tolerances (as low as 11) on Epic, which creates other problems, where you can see your Evo is using the best sats at >30 SNR. Evo will use lower SNR if needed but will depend on high snr if available.
Sedan_Clan
Member
With all of the GPS problems being mentioned, I tried the GPS on my phone. Everything seemed to work fine with the driving directions via GPS. It found my location quickly. Are there any other tests that I should run? I've tried GPS Test (..and the native GPS test), but it doesn't seem to function at all.
- Sprint Navigation (..check!)
- Navigation (..check!)
It isn't about navigation software, it is about initial location and accuracy. Epic has a number of bugs on that front, including one serious one.
Sebnotic
Newbie
Doesn't work for Epic 4G. If I recall correctly, the Epic 4G has a different chip for GPS than the captivate or vibrant.
Has anyone figured out how to get the cold start workaround after updating to DK28? I cannot get a lock after manually updating to DK28. I got a lock fairly quick with the cold start workaround. I tried putting *#1472365# into the dialer, but it doesn't do anything anymore...
markstibbyspot
Newbie
^ same question. Dialer does nothing on froyo 2.2
boomerbubba
Android Enthusiast
That has been the case on all the various Froyo leaks IIRC. The older dialer code to invoke the GPSSetup utility has been changed or disabled. Perhaps someone will discover or leak a new dialer code, which is what happened with similar but different functionality on Samsung's Vibrant, Captivate and I9000 models. (They use a different dialer code and a different GPS utility, but the general principle is the same.)
Meanwhile, someone running the Froyo build might try using LauncherPro to set up a shortcut directly to GPSSetup.
Pitbull329
Member
The GPS issue is fixed in 2.2.
For some people, it worked right away as soon as they went to 2.2. For others (like me), GPS broke (in a way).
It wasn't getting any satellites locked in when I would run the GPS Test app. When I would run google maps, it showed me anywhere from 2 neighborhoods away to.. almost 2 miles away. The accuracy on google maps said it was about 2300meters.
First, do a backup (if youre already on 2.2 and your gps is broken)!! After that, I had to flash back to DI18, turn on gps, run gps test, get a lock, reboot into clockwork recovery, flash dk28 (froyo), reboot, run GPS test, get a lock, re-root, reboot into clockwork recovery, do a restore of the backup. GPS now works perfectly fine!
Accuracy to 6 feet. Yes, feet. lol. Not using wireless networks.
Learned all that from ss4rob over at xda-developers.
xda-developers - View Single Post - [Q] So who's having dead GPS after Froyo update?
I followed his steps, and they worked for me. Im sure it'll work for anybody else having issues with GPS after updating to 2.2.
For some people, it worked right away as soon as they went to 2.2. For others (like me), GPS broke (in a way).
It wasn't getting any satellites locked in when I would run the GPS Test app. When I would run google maps, it showed me anywhere from 2 neighborhoods away to.. almost 2 miles away. The accuracy on google maps said it was about 2300meters.
First, do a backup (if youre already on 2.2 and your gps is broken)!! After that, I had to flash back to DI18, turn on gps, run gps test, get a lock, reboot into clockwork recovery, flash dk28 (froyo), reboot, run GPS test, get a lock, re-root, reboot into clockwork recovery, do a restore of the backup. GPS now works perfectly fine!
Accuracy to 6 feet. Yes, feet. lol. Not using wireless networks.
Learned all that from ss4rob over at xda-developers.
xda-developers - View Single Post - [Q] So who's having dead GPS after Froyo update?
I followed his steps, and they worked for me. Im sure it'll work for anybody else having issues with GPS after updating to 2.2.
Epicurean
Android Enthusiast
Glad to hear it can be fixed but, holy crap! I'm not ready to go thru all that. Hopefully a shortcut/patch will be available soon.
NO. You are confused, know nothing about the GPS problem and over at XDA we have checked and it is NOT fixed.
Don' t you know over at SXDA with the thread you mentioned we were referring to a NEW bug introduced by the flash to beta of Froyo 2.2 that totally hosed GSP and NOT the existing and still existing in beta 2.2 bug of cache not refreshing?
Please do not post bogus and ill informed information here. We know about the new bug in the froyo beta, and that new bug doesn't even exist in the froyo final so what you suggest DOES NOTHING
We're not worthy! We're not worthy!Although that last sentance you state does elude to the probability of this most recent leak not being the final version released by Sprint, no?
markstibbyspot
Newbie
Post # 50 works great!!
Have GPS now/ did not have to use odin
[Q] So who's having dead GPS after Froyo update? - Page 5 - xda-developers
Have GPS now/ did not have to use odin
[Q] So who's having dead GPS after Froyo update? - Page 5 - xda-developers
Yes, my GPS is finally working as expected (with an accuracy of 2-20m) and I verified it runs in a stable manner with a long drive for 40 miles. Will have to do thorough testing in coming weeks for sure with more long drives. Overall I am very impressed with how FROYO is running on my epic.
Here is a brief summary of how FROYO has been running for last 3 days on my EPIC:
==============================================================
Battery life is around 20-40% more when comapred to stock 2.1D18, GPS locks within 5-15 secs every time with great accuracy, FLASH is very stable in DOLPHIN HD browser - couldn't be more happier. The change in "Messging" application is very trivial change for me.
I use Launcher PRO PLUS as well and I got an update with "Virtual looping on home screens" & Dock Popu: Recent Apps update today. Finally I feel the $249 I paid to get my EPIC On release day is justified now
Here is a brief summary of how FROYO has been running for last 3 days on my EPIC:
==============================================================
Battery life is around 20-40% more when comapred to stock 2.1D18, GPS locks within 5-15 secs every time with great accuracy, FLASH is very stable in DOLPHIN HD browser - couldn't be more happier. The change in "Messging" application is very trivial change for me.
I use Launcher PRO PLUS as well and I got an update with "Virtual looping on home screens" & Dock Popu: Recent Apps update today. Finally I feel the $249 I paid to get my EPIC On release day is justified now
Epicurean
Android Enthusiast
Yes, this worked for me too. I now have a functional GPS with the rest of FroYo with no other issues (yay!)
Some things that noobs (like me) should be aware of, though:
1. You will be rooting your device with ClockworkMod. You will need to have the full Android SDK installed, along with the latest Java JDE (just follow the bouncing ball in the instructions)
2. The instructions tell you to backup/restore using Clockwork. OK no prob. But the instructions don't mention that Clockwork overwrites the update.zip file on your SD card's root folder, which is where you put the Froyo leak/release to begin with. So after I was done setting the GPS and coming back to restore Froyo, all it did was apply the backup that I made. It took me several cycles of rooting/going-back-to-2.1/rooting/going-back-to-2.2 before I figured this out. By that time, I lost my GPS lock so I had to go back and do it all over again. (yes, I am an expert at rooting now!)
3. I kept getting crashes on the stock Calendar (don't know why). I had to wipe its data by going to menu > settings > applications > manage applications (click the All button at top to see all apps) > Calendar Storage - then click Clear Data. I didn't have any Calendar data configured so not sure if the Google/Synch would have recovered it.
4. While switching back and forth, do not activate LauncherPro until you are done. It had issues with widgets and kept restarting. (I had the misfortune of selecting LauncherPro and set it as default so I had to go thru the whole process again).
5. And finally, if you use LauncherPro, be sure to use its backup feature before you do anything. I didn't and lost all my screen config. I do still have all my apps and data so no big deal.
Edit: I also got crashes on Handcent until I uninstalled/re-installed.
pvanwagner
Newbie
Works for me too.
Here's what I did.
1. Flashed DI18 using ODIN
2. Changed to Warm Start using #*1472365#
3. Used GPS Status and Toolbox to flush cache and download GPS assistance.
4. Used GPS Test to verify GPS lockon using 8 satellites (through an East facing window - it's too cold today to go outside).
5. Used Update.ZIP to flash DK28 (kept getting MD5 hash errors with the .tar file in ODIN)
6. Verified GPS will still lock on using GPS Test and GPS Status.
I'm satisfied. My theory is that there was bad data in the GPS cache on my phone when I went to DK28 and it was just hosed (pretty technical guess, huh.)
Basically I believe that is what Aero1 is saying is that it is a cache problem
Here's what I did.
1. Flashed DI18 using ODIN
2. Changed to Warm Start using #*1472365#
3. Used GPS Status and Toolbox to flush cache and download GPS assistance.
4. Used GPS Test to verify GPS lockon using 8 satellites (through an East facing window - it's too cold today to go outside).
5. Used Update.ZIP to flash DK28 (kept getting MD5 hash errors with the .tar file in ODIN)
6. Verified GPS will still lock on using GPS Test and GPS Status.
I'm satisfied. My theory is that there was bad data in the GPS cache on my phone when I went to DK28 and it was just hosed (pretty technical guess, huh
.)Basically I believe that is what Aero1 is saying is that it is a cache problem
Epicurean
Android Enthusiast
My GPS still doesn't work in flight (as noted in msg# 297 I am rooted on the 2.2.1 leak):
1. When I boarded the plane, I got a lock on 5 sats right away using GPS Status. To keep the GPS engaged, I used an app called GPS Essentials
2. I put the phone into Airplane mode, then locked the screen (did not power off)
3. At 10,000 feet when I unlocked the screen, I had lost the satellite locks. It would briefly see 1 or 2 in flight (if I held it close to the window) but never locked on them. That was about it.
I had the Assisted GPS turned on before takeoff. I turned it off in-flight but that didn't help. I used the GPS Status to reset and clear cache and that didn't help either.
I'll leave the A-GPS turned off and will see if it works better on the retrun flight on Friday.
1. When I boarded the plane, I got a lock on 5 sats right away using GPS Status. To keep the GPS engaged, I used an app called GPS Essentials
2. I put the phone into Airplane mode, then locked the screen (did not power off)
3. At 10,000 feet when I unlocked the screen, I had lost the satellite locks. It would briefly see 1 or 2 in flight (if I held it close to the window) but never locked on them. That was about it.
I had the Assisted GPS turned on before takeoff. I turned it off in-flight but that didn't help. I used the GPS Status to reset and clear cache and that didn't help either.
I'll leave the A-GPS turned off and will see if it works better on the retrun flight on Friday.
boomerbubba
Android Enthusiast
How are you toggling A-GPS without the dialer code to invoke the GPSSetup utility? I thought that dialer code was changed or disabled in 2.2.1. The way to change that setting would be to change MS Based mode (the default) to Standalone within that hidden utility. MS-Based should fall back to standalone satellite download of the almanac and ephemeris data.
If you mean you are changing the Settings -> Use wireless networks value, that is not A-GPS. It has nothing to do with GPS, but with cell tower triangulation. (There has been a lot iof misinformed commentary on various forums calling this wireless setting A-GPS.)
Did you leave the Cold Start setting in place before the firmware update? If that setting persists, it forces a download of the almanac and ephemeris data when the GPS starts.
It may be that the Epic's GPS receiver is just not sensitive enough to work inside an aricraft. It does't work well inside many buildings, either.