GPS problem

[Cor]

Hi there,

I recently got my first Android phone and I am very happy with it, after all the problems I had with other types of cell phones..... But I have discovered one problem in my Apollo: i can't get the GPS to work. Is there something I have to switch on or something? I have been using navigation software for 5 years now, also with built in GPS phones, three different phones in fact, but I cannot get a fix with this one. I tried for hours but to no avail. Does anyone have an idea? I would be very grateful..

Cor

 

[Darkseas]

i can't get the GPS to work. Is there something I have to switch on or something?

GPS isn't on by default (or you'd see your battery drain even faster).

Check whether GPS is on by going to

Settings>Location and Security>Use GPS satellites

If the box on the right doesn't have a green check in it, GPS is off.

Touch to turn it on.

Many programs will turn GPS on automatically. Check the settings for the navigation program you're using.

You might also want to look at a free app called GPS Test.

There are also apps such as Quick Settings that will let you turn GPS on and off without going deep into the settings menu.

 

[Cor]

Hi Darkseas,

Thank you for your answer. The check box is marked, the GPS module should be able to get a fix. I have the suspicion that there is something not quite right in the hardware but I wish to exclude anything I could have done wrong. I am new to Android. When I start the Navigation program the phone is searching for GPS for hours, literally. GPS status can't find satellites, not even one. I have contacted the shop already, they are finding out what could be the matter.
But I will install the apps you mentioned and see if I can get anything the wiser from those. Thank you very much.

Regards,

Cor

 

[tcat007]

Also make sure you're outdoors.

 

[rbasusparky]

There was a short period of about 3 days where my GPS did not work when it used to before. I used GPS Test and then GPS Status & Toolbox. On GPS Status I went to Menu->Tools->Manage A-GPS State and clicked on Reset to clear all cached GPS Data. I then pressed Menu->Tools->Manage A-GPS State and clicked on Download to get aGPS Data (GPS assistance data) and when nothing worked, launched Navigation (Google Nav; don't use Google Maps as it uses wireless networks while Google Nav uses GPS) to try to get the GPS to work properly with the new aGPS data but to no avail. It finally worked after I did a hard reset (from a powered off state; different for every phone so you need to find out the exact external buttons to press on your phone to activate the hard reset or recovery mode) of my phone instead of a factory data reset (from a powered on state; Menu->Settings->Privacy->Factory Reset) which did not work. I still did the GPS Status, clear cache, download aGPS Data and launch of Navigation, wait about 10 minutes to get the GPS fix after the hard reset before it worked. Now, I get a GPS fix almost instantly, even on cloudy days and indoors at my home where I get about 9+ satellites!!! I also try to use the GPS for about 5 minutes every day or every other day if possible just to keep the aGPS Data current and in sync (the phone uses the data to figure out where the GPS satellites are for a given date, time, and position)

 

[funpig]

My phone can take a long time to lock on to the satellites. It can take 5 to 10 minutes to lock on while I lose about 10 to 20% of my battery. I use GPS Status/Toolbox. Once I get the first lock, it is pretty quick after that. But the next day, same thing with the long delay. If GPS was a necessity, I guess I would buy a proper GPS device. Otherwise, I am of the opinion that the GPS on at least my phone is a cheap add-on.

 

[Cor]

Hey people,

Thanks for the messages. I still am trying to find a way to do a hard reset. The manual (if you can call a thin booklet the size of the phone a manual) does not give any information on that subject. I will find out. This is the 5th phone with GPS and the first 4 phones worked relatively flawlessly once I got inavigation going. GPS is only a chip, whatever kind you get, but it should be installed properly. If not: problems.... Like mine, I guess. Some years back I bought a legal TomTom navigation add on and I could not get it installed. After weeks of trying, including frequent calls to the helpdesk, I found an illegal copy and it worked like a charm...... I tried the external GPS I still have but the Apollo does not connect to it, although the GPS is recognised. What to do?

Regards,

Cor

 

[Cor]

Hey people,

By accident, I tried to do a hard reset, I found a menu for checking the phone's all hardware functions: turn off the phone, keep volume up and down pressed together with the central round button and switch the phone back on. I know this will work for an Apollo Android but for other phones the sequence will be different. The GPS test failed (indication -8 and the words 'GPS test failed!' ) so I am certain now there is a faulty GPS in side the phone. I already contacted the seller. I hope I will receive an answer by monday.

Thanks for your help,

Regards,

Cor