nexus 4 GPS problem? or does google maps not work with gps offline?

skyrockett

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So, if your taking a trip (say a couple hundred miles) and you load up the destination address in Navigation, then start navigating, what specifically do you need to do to to download the offline maps for that trip?

Navigation requires Data connection. But if you download google maps then you can view your location on saved maps without data connection.. Just a location!
 

N4Newbie

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So, if your taking a trip (say a couple hundred miles) and you load up the destination address in Navigation, then start navigating, what specifically do you need to do to to download the offline maps for that trip?

Open Maps. Tap Menu -> Make available offline. Follow the directions to pan and zoom the map so that it entirely includes the area you will be driving in. Note how it estimates the storage space required as you make the map area larger or smaller.

Later, to use the offline map, tap "Maps" at the top left of the screen, select My Places, and then the "OFFLINE" tab at top left.
 

greydarrah

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Open Maps. Tap Menu -> Make available offline. Follow the directions to pan and zoom the map so that it entirely includes the area you will be driving in. Note how it estimates the storage space required as you make the map area larger or smaller.

Later, to use the offline map, tap "Maps" at the top left of the screen, select My Places, and then the "OFFLINE" tab at top left.

Thanks for the info and the instructions. Will that offline map work in the Navigation app, or does it only work in the Google Maps part of the app?
 

N4Newbie

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So far as I know, the actual "navigation" (planning the trip, rerouting when you miss a turn, etc) is performed by Google's (or TeleNav's, or ...) servers and so you must have a data connection for navigation to work.
 

greydarrah

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As an alternative, I have the free app ForeverMap2 which comes with one country's maps for free. You can elect to not download any of the states you don't think you'll need to save space. I'm pretty sure that it lets you use turn by turn navigation without a data connection, but I haven't tried it out on the road yet.
 

jinjin12

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ok so after waiting a while it finally picked up a signal lmao! i must say the nexus 4 GPs is horrible. i'm using it offline and even when i'm on a street, it shows me inside a building lol, it's so slow and buggy. this is sad because i've tested the same program on my brother's iphone 3g, with his gps on, and it performed better. and with wifi on, even if wifi is not connect to an access point, the iphone uses triangulation to calculate the location really fast. but on the nexus 4, with wifi on, it's still slow as hell, i thought it had A-gps and can do wifi triangulation?
 

anon(847090)

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ok so after waiting a while it finally picked up a signal lmao! i must say the nexus 4 GPs is horrible. i'm using it offline and even when i'm on a street, it shows me inside a building lol, it's so slow and buggy. this is sad because i've tested the same program on my brother's iphone 3g, with his gps on, and it performed better. and with wifi on, even if wifi is not connect to an access point, the iphone uses triangulation to calculate the location really fast. but on the nexus 4, with wifi on, it's still slow as hell, i thought it had A-gps and can do wifi triangulation?
then you are having a problem with your device or software. mine just picks up the gps in 2 seconds. I keep my wifi on for access points.

I used navigation a few times. it was fast and the location was accurate. i had couple of re routing and it worked well.
 

Mike Dupp

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i havent had any issues with google maps. The only GPS issue i have is when I try to use the speed test app it always thinks im in Texas or Kansas. (I'm in California)

Anyone else experience this?

yes, it is very odd. I am in NJ and it always gives me Kansas or Nebraska servers to test.
 

jinjin12

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then you are having a problem with your device or software. mine just picks up the gps in 2 seconds. I keep my wifi on for access points.

I used navigation a few times. it was fast and the location was accurate. i had couple of re routing and it worked well.
can you try it with google maps offline? no wifi though, just only gps and try walking around. when you walk on the streets, it'll mess up sometimes and show you inside of buildings
 

Raw Burt

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Wrong. Some ppl save a lot of money by turning off roaming on a Nexus 4 and not buying a data plan. A lot of money! You can blather about how cheap a data plan is but you have no idea how cheap my old plan is without data. I'm almost always within wi-fi reach. What good is a data plan for me? The answer is none. It'd be like throwing money away. Some ppl don't need a data plan but might want to use the GPS built into the Nexus 4. This is what this thread is about. How to do that without a data connection; not your chest thumping.
 

jinjin12

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Wrong. Some ppl save a lot of money by turning off roaming on a Nexus 4 and not buying a data plan. A lot of money! You can blather about how cheap a data plan is but you have no idea how cheap my old plan is without data. I'm almost always within wi-fi reach. What good is a data plan for me? The answer is none. It'd be like throwing money away. Some ppl don't need a data plan but might want to use the GPS built into the Nexus 4. This is what this thread is about. How to do that without a data connection; not your chest thumping.

exactly.... i hate when people think they their preferences are good for other people....that's why it's called a preference, not universal truth. there are many reasons and situations why people don't want data plan

anyway my phone won't pick up a gps signal again, not matter what maps app i use. forevermaps, google maps, maps with me, citymaps2go....none will pick up signal and gps is on...grrr. i said i was going to try this phone a few more weeks but i honestly feel like giving up on it now, so many problems. only reason why i'm thinking about keeping it is cause i can develop for android and have a device to test it on. but is it really worth it for a phone that has crappy life and can't even pick up gps signals and does alot of other things to piss me off??!?!....hard choice...
 

jinjin12

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Sorry; the intent was to find out the answer to this question: does your GPS work with GPS Test but not with map apps, or does it not work at all?
when i first got the first, it was not working with any. then it suddenly worked hours after. then now it stopped working with maps. so i dled gps test and it don't work with that either. i'm a test it throughout the day so see how it goes.
 

Mike Dupp

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Have you identified a fix for this?

For an unrelated reason, I powered down and removed my SIM and let my N4 sit for 2 days. I just now put the SIM back in my N4. I went to Settings>Apps>Speedtest and cleared the cache and data. When I was done, I restarted the app and it found a Wash. DC server. The change servers list is also now correct, showing me East Coast cities. I'm guessing it was the clearing of the data and cache that fixed it, but who knows.
 

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