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Help Poor GPS signal on Galaxy S2

dg111 said:
7-8
Click to expand...

With 7-8 green, locked, satellites there should be no problem with your fix. I usually reckon a minimum of 6 satellites, 4 for fix and two for timing.

Providing in Settings > Location and Security... you have, Use wireless networks, Use GPS satellites and Use sensor aiding ticked and you do not have data disabled... you should get a pretty good and fast fix from following my instructions, to the letter, that slug linked to.

As a last ditch attempt.... Go to Settings > Applications > Manage applications > All > Navigate to GPS Status and select Clear data > Navigate to Maps and select clear data.

Now repeat the instructions in my post here:-

http://androidforums.com/2918122-post88.html

Hope this helps. :D
 
Thank you for the detailed info.
Today Samsung released through Kies the 2.3.4 version, baseband KI1 and kernel KI4. Trembling of curiosity I've installed and indeed with the same setup of SGS2 an indoor time to first lock of 28 sec. Case closed for my SGS and I think it speaks by itself of the reasons for the lock lag.
 
ironass's guide is fab

personally i found the faster fix app was all I needed to get lightening speed lock-on, but you do need to be rooted for this app.
 
God I hope there isn't an issue when I pick my GS2 on Sunday. The crappy GPS on the Captivate is what made me return it and get an iPhone 4.

-Funk
 
Please be gentle guys as I'm not a phone tech by any stretch.

Here is what I have experienced so far regarding the use of phone encryption and how it relates to the gps not working.

Has anyone else found this... I have an epic touch 4g sgs2 and noticed my gps icon and ability to locate a sat was broken due to the new android 2.3.4 feature that allows you to encrypt phone and sd card under settings, location and security.

I decrypted the phone and sd card and my gps started working again. It locks on in seconds
 
Had the same issue here with my 11-day-old Galaxy S II Epic 4G Touch. Lo and behold, I also had recently enabled encryption. Hmmm. Google Maps showed my location as across the street from me, but nav was showing I am 6-7 miles away from where I really am and the position never tracked or changed. At the bottom of the Telenav window appeared the words "WEAK GPS";...

I had been digging around on this for a few days with no results, and I uninstalled many apps for troubleshooting. The GPS icon that used to appear in my status bar when GPS was active was GONE. I did encrypt my phone about a week after I started using it... so I thought I might try decrypting it to see what that did.

After decrypting my Galaxy S II Epic 4G Touch, and my 32GB miniSDHC card (which got wiped in the process), I still had the GPS not tracking issue. I uninstalled apps that I thought could be responsible to no avail.

Then I found a setting under Menu > Settings > Location and Security > Credential Storage called "Use secure credentials". Once I checked this and entered my password, I tried the GPS again and IT WORKED!!! I remember creating a password for this and setting it when I got the phone almost 2 weeks ago...

The most important piece of this puzzle is that your GPS location is a privacy concern, yet you have to authorize apps to use it like GPS, Google Maps, etc. to get valid location data. I may have seen a prompt along the way to allow all apps access to my location, to which I think I denied this, effectively shooting myself in the foot.

After being without GPS for a long time, having it back is AWESOME! I also got a cool app for free that gives you some really good GPS signal troubleshooting data and tools in the Android App Market called GPS Status.

Hope this helps out some other folks with the same issue... Dan
 
SC20111105-035527.png


So far so good with mine. It is a TON better than the nonexistent GPS on the first Galaxy S series.

(The above is an INDOOR test.)
 
Pete71 said:
The GPS signal on my Galaxy S2 seems to be very poor, and won't lock on to my location for navigation. Last week I used Google Navigation (or tried to) for a 6 mile trip, and I actually reached my location by the time the phone found it's position !

Is anyone else having a similar problem with their Galaxy S2, and is there a fix for it ? My HTC Desire used to lock on to the satellites for navigation in seconds.

My Firmware is : PDA:KE1 / PHONE:KE1 / CSC:KE2 (VOD)
Click to expand...

+++++++

I HAD THE SAME ISSUE! My SGS2 would never lock and now it seems to be working!

I have been from forum to forum trying to solve this issue and now I have. It is very, very simple (in hindsight).

Here is what to do:

1. Root your phone (if you don't know how to do this then spend much time reading about it before you do it as you want to get this right!)

2. Get the app 'FasterFix'

3. Click on 'Select an optimised server' and select custom

4. enter into the box: europe.pool.ntp.org

My GPS actually locks and within seconds! Never thought it would ever happen. I am in the UK and I first had this set to America, then to the UK, but if you do it to the one I have given above it locks onto Europe and you have more chance of locking. Good luck!
 
On Vodafone at least, this is starting to look like a 'known problem', and there is a thread about it on Vodafone's forum which their techs are starting to take seriously.

I can't link to the thread, but if you Google the phrase "GPS issues - taking ages to get a lock" (including the quotes), it's the first hit.

Some people are saying that changing the NTP server from north-america to europe should work, but we don't have access to without rooting - some others are saying it shouldn't make any difference. Either way, there's a problem on Vodafone that many people are having. If anyone else here is having this problem on Vodafone with Galaxy S2, please add your details to that thread as requested by Vodafone so they can escalate this and get us a fix.
 
danonh said:
Then I found a setting under Menu > Settings > Location and Security > Credential Storage called "Use secure credentials". Once I checked this and entered my password, I tried the GPS again and IT WORKED!!! I remember creating a password for this and setting it when I got the phone almost 2 weeks ago...
Click to expand...

Thanks for this tip. I tried everything else and found your post. I didn't see any replies so i wasn't sure this would work, but it did! My Navigation kept losing the GPS after a few minutes. After months of a frustrating search I was ready to turn in my SGS2 an iPhone. I did as you instructed and it works great now. Thanks for your help!!!!
 
I had been battling with my GPS UK t-mobile S2 only to find out that my aluminium battery cover was the culprit!! with the cover off 11 satellite fix in 3seconds.
Battery cover on no satellite fix!!

All I did is take the battery cover off make sure all 3 boxes are ticked in my location settings donwload gps fix from android market. run the app gets a fix in 3seconds. and now i have amazing gps signal. inside my office not outside gps fix 3 seconds 11 satellites and accurate pretty much to a couple of metres.
 
my girlfriend also has an s2 stock white no root t-mobile uk, gps was working perfect then stopped. reason... same as my rooted s2 the metal back cover interfering with gps antenna.
 
The Samsung Galaxy S2 GPS receiver barely works and simply won't work in Airplane mode. After struggling to get a accurate reading with my Golfshot golf range finder and BackCountry Navigator maps, (which had worked just fine with my old Sprint EVO 4G), I visited the Sprint Store.

Using the app GPS Status & Toolbox, we were unable to see even one gps satellite without assistance from the mobile network. Even with the network enabled we were able to lock only 4-6 satellites intermittently.

In contrast the less pretty EVO 3D was able to lock 11 satellites in seconds without assistance form the mobile network.

I was willing to live with the Galaxy's quirky non standard USB connection. I replaced its primitive POP email client. But I can't live with a GPS that barely works. Fortunately, I was able to return the device for something less pretty but a lot more functional.
 
hello guys, i need some help. how can i use my gps from my samsung galaxy s2 gt-i9100? it is very hard to use it, i could not get any signal, i try to put in flight mode and no signal too. i have an iphone 4 before and i use tomtom and gps works fine and great even on the flight mode. but gs2 wont. im so dissappointed on this phone, gps wont get signal!
 
hi everybody
i just was looking on the net for a GPS fix since my SGS2 wouldnt fix at all no matter whatever i did (i readed, i downloaded, i hardresetted, i pointed the mobile to the sats yelling at them, i cried and 101 more things

then one thing came in my mind

before the upgrade to ICS it used to work
maybe ICS is buggy for the GPS ?
nah... my wife GS2 with ICS works perfect, mine doesnt...

then i was thinking, well my mobile fell 5 times, maybe i broke something inside
but hey it used to work (the gps) after the last time it fell... it can't be because of that..

hm hm hmmmm

reinstalled ICS from factory, nothing

and then ALLELUJA ! COULD IT BE THE METAL BACK-COVER (replacement of the plastic one that comes by default) that i got from EBAY ? (metal you know)

just the time to take it off, restart the gps, and few seconds and GPS is back to normality

that must be the reason for the plastic cover :D


welcome back my dear GPS !
DONT USE METAL BACK COVERS FROM EBAY !
 
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