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Help Google Maps always say GPS failed

K

kinikalale

Newbie
It has been at least 3 month now. Every time I use Google Maps it will go as far as navigation and I start navigation and shortly after that a voice say that the GPS failed and then it does nothing. I have to resort to the turn by turn directions which is not easy while driving. A few times I have reported it through the app itself but I never hear anything back. Does anyone have any ideas? My phone updated to Android version 5.0.1 last week and it still does it. Thank you.
 
If you're using Mobile data, check your APN settings and ensure that you're not going through a proxy.

If you are that could have been the root of the problem all along.
 
EarlyMon said:
If you're using Mobile data, check your APN settings and ensure that you're not going through a proxy.

If you are that could have been the root of the problem all along.
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I am not sure what you mean by proxy in this situation. If you mean a wifi connection that is what I am using right now. As far as when I use Google Maps I am always on the mobile network. I am sorry to bother you again.
 
kinikalale said:
I am not sure what you mean by proxy in this situation. If you mean a wifi connection that is what I am using right now. As far as when I use Google Maps I am always on the mobile network. I am sorry to bother you again.
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I don't expect anyone to be on wifi navigating with anything.

I am talking only about getting a-GPS assistance data because you said that was hung up.

You have two ways to get it downloaded - Mobile data or wifi.

You mentioned that you had a good signal, I naturally thought you were talking about a mobile signal.

So - you need to get a-GPS assistance data downloaded in GPS Status.

If it won't work with wifi, turn off wifi on your phone and try it with mobile data.
 
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I have had my S4 for about 18 months. The GPS on Google Maps has always worked until the past few months. It constantlu fails. It failed prior to Lollipop so I don't believe that is the cause.
I open Google Maps and type my information in and select navigation and shortly after that it tells me that the GPS has failed. I downloaded a couple apps to check my GPS but nothing worked. I also researched it on the internet and found nothing. It is so frustrating. I can still check the turn by turn directions but would rather it tell me how to get where I want to go. Does anyone have any idea what I can do to fix it? It did work once last week and few other times in the past. Thank you.
 
kinikalale said:
Thank you. I didn't think it was a phone issue.
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Not trying to give you a hard time but I've seen how this often goes - trying to save you a lot of off the wall advice from people without the problem in the general population.

Last we chatted you were unable to load AGPS assistance data - did you get that cleared up, and are able to load it?

Once you've completed calibration, AGPS clear and download, how long does it take to lock on to your position?

If you let the phone idle after that, while the phone is at rest - say in your living room or back yard, for about an hour, does it maintain a lock?
 
I realize that. I am pretty technical but when I downloaded the GPS program it did nothing. I guess I don't totally understad what you are telling me. I will do what I can to check this all out. I am sorry to have bothered everyone on this matter again.
 
kinikalale said:
I realize that. I am pretty technical but when I downloaded the GPS program it did nothing. I guess I don't totally understad what you are telling me. I will do what I can to check this all out. I am sorry to have bothered everyone on this matter again.
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It's no bother - not having basic features suck and we're all in this together.

Apologies if you already know this but just to sure, here are the essentials.

The GPS constellation flies at a half-geosynchronous orbit with satellites constantly rising, crossing the sky, and setting within several orbital planes, multiple satellites per plane.

Your receiver calculates your position based on the arrival time differences of a common time code broadcast by each satellite.

In addition to that, each is able to keep a GPS device updated on the other satellites so that the handoff is expected and successful as they set and rise.

A GPS unit is designed to cold start to that without trouble.

Phones use AGPS - assisted GPS - meaning that data for the satellites (attitude and emphemeris) needs to be preloaded from the web to seed the calculations for the location cold start. After the cold start AGPS is the same as GPS (except cell phones can also use cell phone towers if the GPS signal is temporarily blocked).

Without the assistance data a phone can take a LONG time to achieve first lock and if that data are corrupted or very old, it will exhibit the symptoms that you're having.

That's what the importance is being able to reset and force the download of the assistance data.

The calibrations are equally important - position calculations can get screwy if the phone's magnetic sensor has a wildly different version of North than that calculated from GPS.

So what I'm saying is -

Ensure that you can calibrate and get the assistance data.

Ensure that after that you can get a fast lock on your correct location.

Ensure that if you leave the phone sit for a while that it doesn't drift or lose the ability to track satellites. (The error term can go up and down, it can wobble acceptably around your true position - but it can't think it's started traveling or worse, just loses all satellites altogether.)
 
Thank you for all of the information. I have printed it and will see what happens when I do what it says. I do have a few questions. Why is it doing this after a year of no problem? I have the same car, my phone is always in about the same place, no one else has this problem that I know of. It happens no matter where I attempt to use it. Do you think I changed a setting inadvertantly? I appreciate any help you can give to me on this matter.
Jane
 
kinikalale said:
Thank you for all of the information. I have printed it and will see what happens when I do what it says. I do have a few questions. Why is it doing this after a year of no problem? I have the same car, my phone is always in about the same place, no one else has this problem that I know of. It happens no matter where I attempt to use it. Do you think I changed a setting inadvertantly? I appreciate any help you can give to me on this matter.
Jane
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I'm hoping that in the end, we can File This Under Glitch in the Twilight Zone (apologies if I'm showing my age and that makes no sense).

Examples of what I mean -

Normally your phone has been using whatever network connection and updating that assistance data, secretly, behind your back without you having to know about it or think about it - because that's part of the overall design.

And maybe recently, without your knowledge or control, your ISP or whatever in the network out there lost the path between that update and your phone - the glitch is theirs. So you need an independent, non-secret!, way to verify the assistance data that says you're mad as heck and you're not going to take it anymore.

Or - your phone storage simply got tired for a moment, and stubbornly refused to update with the new information - the glitch is yours - and it needs the procedure to whack it upside the head and be told to pay attention.

Glitches are crazy, but we have tools to help out, that's my idea.
 
I just found I've had a glitch with mine - hadn't had an update in a day on my location in a day - couldn't get a lock for love nor money.

Solution - power reset - cleared some stuck bit in silicon.

On an SGS4, a power reset = power off, remove battery, wait at least 60 seconds, replace battery (lol yeah), and power back up.

If you have a stuck bit in silicon, nothing but a power reset is going to fix that. That's how silicon is.
 
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