Facebook For Android Acting Strangely

[billynibbles]

For the last few days, every time I use my HTC Desire S to access my FB account and update my status, the resultant message reports my current position as 'Cobham' a town some 22 miles from where I actually live in west London. This happens all over west London - Hounslow, Brentford, Ealing etc. However, when I spent the weekend in Nether Stowey, Somerset, it reported it correctly despite Nether Stowey not exactly being 'big'!

Where does FB for Android gets its location information - I'm guessing Google Maps? This only seems to have happened since Google Maps updated, although removing updates doesn't seem to make any difference. Any ideas?

 

[rahulvittal]

Umm, location is always tricky... If GPS is on, it should give an accurate location, however when it's switched off, it approximates your location using the cell tower your phone is accessing.

 

[Shining78]

I also have a desire s, when Iupdate it doesn't say anything about my phone or location, how do I turn this feature on?

 

[billynibbles]

Umm, location is always tricky... If GPS is on, it should give an accurate location, however when it's switched off, it approximates your location using the cell tower your phone is accessing.

Turning on GPS (with a view of the sky) makes no difference, and anyway, my network has a tower only half a mile away, so in the case of, say, Google Maps or Navigation, it's always pretty accurate at pinpointing my house. It's just that the Facebook app insists on reporting that I'm somewhere 22 miles away. I'm wondering if whatever database they use for map co-ordinates is just plain wrong in this particular detail (I'd assume they tap into Google Maps). It just seems rather strange that I go to a small village and it reports my location just fine. I come back to somewhere more populated and it's innacurate by many miles. It's only just started doing this.

Think I'll stick to sending in my FB updates by SMS until I get this sorted.

 

[billynibbles]

I also have a desire s, when Iupdate it doesn't say anything about my phone or location, how do I turn this feature on?

I assume you're talking about making a Facebook update, right?

When you run the FB for Android app from the Profile page and tap the Status option, you get the keyboard appear. Across the top of the keyboard there's what looks like a fat exclamation mark - that's the location button.

In my case it correctly loads a list of my local shops, restaurants etc, but reports my town wildly incorrectly. I hope you have more luck.