AT&T Note 3: GPS Signal Lost

[jneusch]

My first Note3 worked without issue for about 2 months and then the problems started. I am on my 3rd device and it is now worse than my first one. I can't keep gps signal more than a few minutes. I see no value Inn turning off all other location based apps. I shouldn't have to. It should work without jumping through hoops. I love my big screen and Android, but it might be time to revisit iOS.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[aegould]

I'm with you on that one... I finally did go back to iOS...and have been very, very satisfied ever since. The only thing I'm missing about my Note 3 is the larger screen size but...hey...Apple should be taking care of that later in the year. My GPS hasn't dropped once on my iPhone....even going from WiFi ---> 4G ---> LTE....or vice versa.

 

[pdqgp]

I tested it extensively on my business travels this week and they way to 100% prove it was easy. Put the phone in Airplane mode, then turn on GPS and Bluetooth (to get sound through my car stereo). This will 100% disable the cell phone portion but will show that the GPS will indeed work just fine. ZERO drops in GPS Signal doing this. However, I'm without my phone being turned on. That's okay for me for now as I really shouldn't be driving, talking and navigating all at the same time. However, it's a band aid and I really do need my phone on in case a customer or appointment calls while I'm in route. It also forces me to use Sygic or TomTom with preloaded maps vs Google Maps that need cell tower reception to pull down data/graphics. I can do this but again, a work around that shouldn't be required.

The end cause for me is when the phone cell towers jump from LTE to 4G or back again. If that's allowed to happen, 100% the GPS will drop. Good news is after a couple minutes it comes back, but it's not good when I'm navigating around and it drops.

 

[JoJoCal19]

GPS should work fine when you have "use wireless networks" checked in location services. Uncheck it and see how great it works on GPS alone. Your better off using the sun or stars. Verizon phones don't have the option to not use cell service so no complaints form them. I'm on my second N3 and plan on contacting ATT to put them on notice this one is junk too. ATT and or Samsung is not doing it for me.

Why would you want to not "use wireless networks" for the GPS? I've had that option checked on every phone that had GPS that had the option. Just curious. Also, how can I tell the manufacturing date. I was thinking of picking up a AT&T Note 3 on my lunch break today. I've been following this and other threads on the issue but I'm not against rooting so I know I can fix the problem on my own if need be.

 

[ehosey2]

^ As for finding the manufacturer date go to the Play store and get the application Phone Info*Samsung*. I leave all the options checked and in the few weeks I have had my Note 3 the GPS has worked flawlessly. And I have been testing it extensively. Also get the application GPS Status. This provides a lot of info while activated and works in conjunction with the Google Maps GPS. And one more thing, I use S Nav to launch the GPS because it allows me to store numerous destinations.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0.

 

[jabo75]

I downloaded the "Phone Info*Samsung" app (Thanks ehosey). It told me that my replacement phone was manufactured on 1/10/14. My previous phone that was purchased new on 10/30/13 kept dropping GPS signal regularly. Literally unusable.
I have used the GPS on the new phone for about 1,000 miles: In and out of 4g, 4gLTE and even complete loss of signal areas. I used voice quite a bit while connected to bluetooth hands free too. I have only dropped the GPS signal 2 times, and it came back by itself.
The mapping aps used were both Google maps and TomTom (offline).
Initially I assumed that the issue had to be all of the crapware that AT&T loads on the phone, but at this point I have to believe that it may really be a hardware issue.

 

[ehosey2]

^ I believe it to be a hardware issue as well but for some:

Edit: I also believe that it is a software issue for others. Some have rooted and flashed the international version's gps files and have reported it to be fixed. When I had a Note 2 I used AT&T's paid Navi software and actually did experience GPS lost messages several times. Between that and for some reason when opening it I would encounter having to re-download software of AT&T's Navi I ended up dropping that service.

So, with my Note 3 I have used it for 3 weeks now on a regular basis, even when I know where I am going. I have just been testing it and have had zero situations of losing the GPS signal. As a side note, the GPS Status and Tool Box is supposed to help secure a faster GPS lock by working with the sensors of the phone. I have had this for a few days and I just upgraded to the Pro version.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0.

 

[DavidsTech]

I had that problem. But instead of giving up and going back to my iPhone 5s I got it replaced. I had to get a couple replaced. I used my Nexus 5 until I could get a Note 3 that worked how it should. My current Note 3 works great. Forgot how great it is to have a IR blaster and control any TV and DVR.

Sent via Note 3

 

[texter805]

My gps worked well , until i got close to the destination and i had to find my way around.
Im preety shure will get a fix soon

 

[Holly Louise]

Personally never significantly had the problem before March 2014! Now, it has made Google Maps Navigation virtually useless and unreliable.
Verizon service. Motorola RAZR MAXX HD. Latest update to KitCat did NOT fix it. Happens all over the country, in cities and in country. So, it's not the specific phone, not the OS, not the specific service. Not the area. It's _something else_! Has Google said anything on the subject??

 

[Gary02468]

Verizon service. Motorola RAZR MAXX HD.

This forum is for the AT&T Samsung Note 3.

 

[Holly Louise]

Of course I see that this thread is by AT&T/Samsung phone users, but it ought to interest you that the problem is NOT with your phone or service since it happens with other brands. Have a nice day.

 

[marvinlzinn1]

I had that problem a week with cloudy skies and storms. Several people told me that was the problem, but today with sunshine it continues to fail most of the time. I do not have a solution, other than learning not to depend on it.

marvin

 

[Holly Louise]

I had that problem a week with cloudy skies and storms. Several people told me that was the problem, but today with sunshine it continues to fail most of the time. I do not have a solution, other than learning not to depend on it.

marvin

Yeah, it is not the weather. Sigh.

 

[Amanda Lannon]

Hi, My GPS has disappeared off my samsung s4 and been replaced with Location!. I have been into the location setting to set for GPS only, but there is no GPS. If I go to fb and use the check in, location says "searching for gps" but there is no gps! Where has it gone. I didn't delete it. Why has it gone and will it come back. The whole point of buying this style of phone was to have gps. I feel duped. Where can I get a new gps for my android?

 

[Holly Louise]

I am not sure I understand what is different on your phone that you are describing. When I posted my complaint about "GPS signal lost" it was my Google Maps application telling me the signal was lost. (This, incidentally, has not happened in a number of weeks.)

Have you checked all your settings to ensure you have turned on your phone's built-in GPS?

If you have such an app as Google Maps or Mapquest, how do those work for you?

It occurs to me, since other troubles I was having are no longer happening now, that because I am traveling often, I needed to reboot my phone periodically and perhaps I hadn't done so enough. Also, my phone's OS has recently been updated.

 

[Hennie Pretorius]

Hi Guy's

I have the same issue with my Samsung note 3 LTE phone , at first I read allot about this phones GPS issue and allot of people said that the android stock version 4.4.2 was to blame . I took my phone into SAMSUNG head office repair center and got my phone back a few hours only to discover that the phone still had the same version on . After waiting a extra month and not getting any feedback from Samsung I decided to update to lollipop Android new ver 5 and ungraded to the new base version N9005XEGBNL8 . So after all of this the phone is still having GPS issues so sadly i think it's the GPS chip they used with this model..The phone is just over a year old and I'm not sure Samsung will own up from their mistake and recall the product?

I'm from South Africa and allot of people here have the same issue with this phone

 

[Chuckcell]

Used mine briefly on a trip last weekend. While still on KitKat. Seemed to hold GPS signal better than before but we relied on Garmin GPS in the car and Wifie studied her iPhone 4 for alternate route in the motel room (I keep my Note3 Location service OFF).
In the car I noticed that, as before, if I had the Note3 away from the windshield it would lose the signal where the Garmin didn't.
Got Lollipop last night. So I'll need to see if any change is obvious.

 

[eve6er69]

My best friend said gps isn't working good on L. Kitkat had spurts where it lost like this weekend on the way to a concert a little under 2 hours away I think I lost gps 5 times for about 10 seconds at a time. He says using L is way worse now...

 

[risalazar]

The GPS was driving me nuts prior to the upgrade. It had become essentially useless and unable to lock on location. I was about to toss the phone. I took these steps:

1) Installed 5.0
2) installed and optimized GPS status - also download gps assist
3) went to the att store and had my Sim card traded out for free.
4) with back of the phone removed, gently tightened the screws on the phone
5) performed an NV rebuild via hidden menu

These are all steps on the web folks have posted in various discussion groups to help improve GPS performance. The one I haven't done is to adjust the antenna.

All that said, my GPS performance is very much improved. Sometimes locking in as fast as 3 seconds. I also unbloated the phone by uninstalling as I no longer use and disabling bloatware.