Help GPS Won't initiate

[Danielson2047]

Hi folks. Havin an issue with my VZW S4. When i go into an app that uses gps (ie ingress) the gps won't initiate. if i toggle it on and off it turns on and locks immediately. Its done this 3 times now in the past few weeks, i've factory reset twice which fixes it and it just did it again. I've cleared data on ingress, maps and google search, trying to think of anything that uses location. i'm getting tired of setting up my phone again, any ideas? Thanks.

 

[teddyearp]

I am not intimate with this device, but if you have had it new for less than a year, I would go ahead and try for a factory warranty replacement. You should not have to do a factory data reset more than once to fix that problem.

The only other thing I could suggest is try the free app, "GPS status". It is possibly a long shot, but I have been using it from time to time to 'kick start' my GPS lock on my Android devices since Nov 9, 2009 (release of Droid 1).

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.eclipsim.gpsstatus2

good luck

 

[Danielson2047]

nope i've already tried a couple of those apps. I highly doubt its a hardware issue, like i said if i toggle gps off and on again it works fine, locks on immediately. Its almost as if something is blocking it from starting up again.

 

[teddyearp]

nope i've already tried a couple of those apps. I highly doubt its a hardware issue, like i said if i toggle gps off and on again it works fine, locks on immediately. Its almost as if something is blocking it from starting up again.

That is what makes me think it is a hardware issue.

good luck

 

[Danielson2047]

To me a hardware issue would mean i'd have trouble locking on to satellites.

 

[BigRedGonzo]

I'm not quite sure how to go about doing this, but maybe trying to clear cache and data on the GPS application (not the Ingress app, but the actual GPS app). To me it sounds like maybe your tracking database is corrupt and when you restart it redownloads. If your data/cache were squirrly, that would make since.

Give it a try. What can it hurt?

 

[Danielson2047]

Any idea what the name of this app is? I've never seen an app for the gps hardware.

 

[teddyearp]

To me a hardware issue would also display the symptoms you describe.

 

[Danielson2047]

So figured out the issue. Its something with google play services. I went into the location menu and guess i just never noticed that google play services was down in the list of recent apps to use location. When the gps issue starts, if i go in and clear data on google play services, the gps kicks back in in a second or two. So not sure why, but thats the app thats causing it. At least i don't have to do a factory reset anymore when it happens. sigh.