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Help GPS doesn't work unless I turn on Google's location service?

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blahblahyoutoo

Well-Known Member
If I only turn on GPS satellites and then try to use Maps to track my location, I always get "your current location is unavailable".

It's only when I turn on Google's location service that the phone is able to tell where I am, leading me to believe that it's triangulating my position with cell towers instead of GPS.

And yes, I'm not doing this just indoors. It doesn't work when I'm in a car, walking the streets, etc.
 
this is correct. The GPS has to have an active data connection for it to work. Unless you cache an area.
 
i don't get it.
so is this by design, to prevent you from using the phone as a standalone GPS device or something?
i don't see why they would do something like that.

a gps radio should not have to have a data/voice connection for it to work.
 
Here's the box that NEEDS to be checked in order for GPS to work.

Google's location service
Let apps use data from sources such as Wi-Fi and mobile networks to determine your approximate location
Click to expand...

So you're saying I need data (which I still can't make sense of) which I do have with a good cell signal, and the GPS radio to be on.
Nope, Maps still can't track me.

I MUST have Google Location Service checked in order for it the phone to track where I am.
Then when I select it, I have to give it consent to collect anonymous data.
So basically I'm being forced to send data to Google in order to use GPS.

Heck, I don't even need the GPS radio on. It will just use cell and wi-fi to determine my location.
 
blahblahyoutoo said:
If I only turn on GPS satellites and then try to use Maps to track my location, I always get "your current location is unavailable".

It's only when I turn on Google's location service that the phone is able to tell where I am, leading me to believe that it's triangulating my position with cell towers instead of GPS.

And yes, I'm not doing this just indoors. It doesn't work when I'm in a car, walking the streets, etc.
Click to expand...

The Location Service setting shouldn't matter. My gps/maps work just fine with it turned off. Even in my house now, it's dead on. Wifi is off too.
 
GPS radio alone will only give you your coordinates, nothing else

the Google services provide you a location on Google maps, which requires data so that it can pull the data from the internet (as you probably don't have time to download the gigs worth of maps that they have)

my assumption is that you could purchase the upcoming Tom Tom or other nav apps and use them without having Google services check, but this is only an assumption
 
The GPS chip and a data connection are all that are required to show your location on a map. Turning on the 'Googles location service' setting only helps apps with getting a fix by also using cell and wifi triangulation.
 
i actually had a convo about this today. I would like to say that i may have been wrong in a way. It seems that the GPS does work in a sense without a data connection but without a data connection Google Maps obviously can't pull the mapdata up. Now as someone else said it will give you a location without a data connection. I was using a compass app the other day and had no data connection at all and it gave me a coordinate that i was at. I know it was right.

Today i went into the Lab section of Google Maps to try the map cache feature. It caches a 10mile radius of whatever location you want to use as the center point. So i'm about to go downtown and see how that works. I will not have a data connection for most of it (because i'm in South Korea). Also another reason i would like to say i was wrong is because with apps like Tele nav and Tom Tom they download the whole map data base and don't require a data connection. So this has to mean that the GPS does work without data. I guess the better thing to say is "google maps" doesn't work without data ....unless you cache the maps.
 
Exactly- nicely described. Trophy, I'm curious to see the results of your test!


OP- I believe you have a problem. It should work with that setting off as long as you have a data connection or cached maps.
 
well i walked around downtown and it pulled my location fine. Only because i had cached the maps back at the hotel while i was on WiFi. The maps came up and everything while i was walking around.
 
trophynuts said:
i actually had a convo about this today. I would like to say that i may have been wrong in a way. It seems that the GPS does work in a sense without a data connection but without a data connection Google Maps obviously can't pull the mapdata up. Now as someone else said it will give you a location without a data connection. I was using a compass app the other day and had no data connection at all and it gave me a coordinate that i was at. I know it was right.

Today i went into the Lab section of Google Maps to try the map cache feature. It caches a 10mile radius of whatever location you want to use as the center point. So i'm about to go downtown and see how that works. I will not have a data connection for most of it (because i'm in South Korea). Also another reason i would like to say i was wrong is because with apps like Tele nav and Tom Tom they download the whole map data base and don't require a data connection. So this has to mean that the GPS does work without data. I guess the better thing to say is "google maps" doesn't work without data ....unless you cache the maps.
Click to expand...

what app was that?
i seriously think something is wrong with the GPS on my phone.
 
trophynuts said:
well i walked around downtown and it pulled my location fine. Only because i had cached the maps back at the hotel while i was on WiFi. The maps came up and everything while i was walking around.
Click to expand...


Exactly, had this discussion on here several months ago. If you have app like "GPS Status" you can go outside and it will pull you location with the phone in airplane mode.

Google Maps (up until the recent cached maps feature) needed data to work at all.
 
blahblahyoutoo said:
what app was that?
i seriously think something is wrong with the GPS on my phone.
Click to expand...

I believe he's using the stock map app. Use the 'cache' feature in labs to save a map section (away from where you are now). Then go to that area, turn off your data connection, location services, and turn on GPS. You should be accurately shown on the cached map section.

I also suggest the GPS Status app.
 
There you go- good stuff there. If you use the data connection and wifi, you'll get better results, of course.
 
yeah, i tested it again today on the way home with GPS only. it took 80+ seconds. I guess i just wasn't being patient enough.

with location services on, it was a lot quicker. problem resolved.
thanks all.
 
Also, I think Google just announced this week that its moving map cache-ing out of labs and into full feature status.
 
Tim K said:
Also, I think Google just announced this week that its moving map cache-ing out of labs and into full feature status.
Click to expand...

yes i read that as well. It makes sense. "maps" is a big topic at the moment with IOS about to release their own map service and with Tom Tom soon to be available for Android. Goog has to try and step their map game up.
 
The location services make a GPS fix way way faster than the satellites alone.
I have a top of the range garmin, which locates well, but if I drive a long way with it off, which confuses them, then turn it on and the phone on with locate via network on, the phone can get a GPS fix in a few seconds, the garmin takes a couple of minutes. Without the network help, the phone takes as long or longer than the garmin
 
tenchy said:
The location services make a GPS fix way way faster than the satellites alone.
I have a top of the range garmin, which locates well, but if I drive a long way with it off, which confuses them, then turn it on and the phone on with locate via network on, the phone can get a GPS fix in a few seconds, the garmin takes a couple of minutes. Without the network help, the phone takes as long or longer than the garmin
Click to expand...

great point and i forgot about that. I have a Tom Tom and just like you described if i turn it off or it's been off for a while it takes a few minutes to lock on to a satellite.
 
Untappd definitely doesn't give location unless Google Location is turned on. Learned that last week during Philly Beer Week.
 
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