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Help GPS not always working

N

NewArtDroid

Well-Known Member
I have a problem where it says it is Searching GPS and then can't seem to find the GPS. Today, I had it for my entire ride to work, and missed hearing about an accident that delayed me 30 minutes. It seems when I restart the phone, it goes away, only to come back later.
 
Is this in Google Maps or Waze or something else? What sort of environment are you in - flat rural farmland, hilly suburbs, completely surrounded by skyscrapers, etc?

Have you tried using GPS Status & Toolbox to see how long it takes to get a fix under different conditions?
 
This problem was happening with both Waze and Maps.

I live in suburbs between Philadelphia and Delaware. Lot of residential areas. No skyscrapers. I first noticed the problem last week when I was deep in New York City, but I've been out of there for 1.5 weeks.
 
That GPS Status & Toolbox app includes an option at Menu > Manage A-GPS state. Try using that to first Reset and then Download updated A-GPS data, which should help your phone get a faster fix.
 
That seemed to work for my ride home. I installed that App, did the reset and download, and then removed the App. Going out for lunch and going home did have a GPS signal. Thanks for the help. Hopefully it will last.
 
You really shouldn't need the app (I just installed it on my Pixel 3 yesterday to make sure it was the app I was thinking of, and I've not had any GPS issues) but it does seem to help in certain situations. Often just refreshing the A-GPS data once will do the trick and you can then safely uninstall the app (unless you just want to nerd out over the data it provides - can't blame you there!).

Hope it sticks!
 
Driving to work this morning with Waze was fine. Good to know I that uninstalling the App after doing a refresh is fine. I was concerned about the ads on it.
 
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