EVO 3D - GPS Issue: A Known Issue to Sprint

[hopefulfarm]

Other than trying to reproduce the problem for a replacement, why would you WANT to make it not work?

Didnt the LOL clue you in? I'm just curious if I'm having the same issues as those who've posted here. So far I can't replicate. I have only used G Maps once and it had me pretty spot-on the roads I was driving, had me turning corners on G Map when I was actually turning the corner, so I must be one of the lucky ones not to have any issues <yet>.

 

[1BadHEMI]

I haven't had any issues with the GPS on the 3D. Used it yesterday in a pretty country back roads area and it got us to the location spot on!. Of course, my 3D has been pretty much perfect from day 1, with no reported issues.

GPS lock was fast, and stayed locked, even inside the car for the entire trip...

 

[kashanova]

hey, my gps is way better after the google maps update.. anyone else try it yet?

 

[Jo_795]

I called Sprint customer service yesterday for something else (an account issue) and I asked her about the gps issue. According to the rep, this was a known issue. It is great that you work for the Sprint in the repair area. You may have access to more detailed information. Would you check and let us know that Sprint is really aware of this issue and is actively working on the fix? And whether it is software or hardware issue? The customer service rep, understanably, did not have that level of detail and no estimate as to when the fix will become available.

No where in our forum did I find any "known gps issues". If you are using Google Nav remember its (BETA) for a reason. I had a Evo Shift prior to the 3D and TeleNav worked like a charm unlike Google Nav. Keep in mind Telenav was made to work on Sprint devices , Google Nav is just a general app not device specific... Sorry If I cant provide better details but there is known issues and this is not one of them... I wouldn't say a issue based off a BETA app...

 

[anon(109164)]

Just a suggestion from reading this thread.. Have you tried turning off "use wireless networks" in the location settings? Because just going off of what I read it sounds like the bouncing around of the GPS may be from the phone triangulating your location. Think of it like when you come into range of a new cell tower your GPS will jump toward that new cell site momentarily while it recalculates the GPS. And yes this is still an issue even when sitting still as you may be picking up a faint signal that is throwing off your location.. So like I said to anyone having this specific issue can you confirm that it is still there with "Use Wireless Networks" Un-Checked.

If you have "Use wireless networks" enabled, that will allow your phone to get a quick location fix by triangulating its position using nearby cell towers and WiFi hotspots. However, as long as you have "Use GPS satellites" enabled, your phone will try to use the much more accurate GPS signal data to get a precise fix on your location, regardless of the other setting.

On my Evo 4G I always had both settings on and would get very accurate position fixes, even inside most buildings. However, with my new Evo 3D, if it's not sitting way out on my dash, nearly up against the windshield, I lose signal while using Google Navigation. Also, Google Maps often shows a blue circle more often than not.

I also use my phone for something called geocaching and never had a problem using my 4G to lead me to a specific lat/long to find a cache, getting about 7' accuracy, which is comparable with standalone GPS receivers. But with the 3D, the closest I've been able to get is about 25-30' before it bounces away and says I'm now 50 or 75' away from the spot.

There's an app in the market called GPS Status which is useful for seeing how many GPS satellites you have locked onto. It also lets you clear out the A-GPS data, which can help with slow fix times, especially if you've traveled quite a distance since you last had your GPS turned on. To do this, go into Menu->Tools ->Manage A-GPS State clear out all cached data and re-download the GPS assistance data to reduce the time needed to get a fix.

Definitely looks like a software update from HTC is going to be needed to fix this. Sure hope it gets released soon!

 

[bobvanjr]

I use MyTracks all the time for cycling. It worked with the Evo4g perfectly. In my pocket, in my backpack, anywhere. I was amazed. It worked better than my Garmin stand alone unit.

My first few trips with the 3d are completely whacked. It showed several miles difference in total distance (compared to my brothers Evo4g) and a completely crazy elevation gain. It also had several blank spots where it must have just lost reception.

This is yet another thing that you think would have improved, not gotten worse.

For the first time I'm actually thinking of taking it back. I hate to say it but I'm not too thrilled with this device. Sadly, there isn't anything else out there that blows my skirt up. I was actually thinking of going with a NexusS but then I started reading about all the problems it is having

 

[coastietech]

i've NEVER had a phone where gps didn't bounce around.

my evo has worked the best though. but my blackberry before and my winmo before blackberry both had the same problems.

none of them were bad enough for me to cry about though.

50 - 60 yards. nothing is perfect. i'd be more concerned if it were 1 mile.

This is the real answer... Hate to break it to you but GPS is only supposed to be accurate to about 20m. Often it's more accurate but a 50-60ft deviance is well within tolerance. DGPS however is accurate to about 10m, with an actual accuracy of a few feet, but isn't really available commercially unless you're willing to spend a substantial amount of money.

If you're curious as to where I got my information, I was a Differential Global Positioning Systems Tech for 3 years. I also have experience with GPS in avionic equipment and marine equipment, both of which are much more high tech then any phone out there and both that have the same bounce on GPS that you're describing with your phone.

If there is a glitch it could be with the amount of satellites it's tracking or with the timing going off, those could very well be the reasons you are dropping signal randomly, but don't fool yourself into thinking that the fix is going to make it more accurate than is possible.

If you had better luck with your old phones then consider yourself lucky because anything better than 100m for GPS within specs for that particular service.

 

[bobodobo]

I guess I'm one of those "lucky" ones with my EVO 4G. It's by far the fastest, most accurate GPS I've ever had. (3D is on order, we'll see how it compares.)

With my 4G I sat at the 40 yard marker on a high school football field, just on the right edge of the "0". With the Google maps satellite image overlay, it showed me in about the middle of the "4." And my reported position didn't move a foot all day.

Not to mention, the 4G + Google maps knows whether I'm in the regular or car pool lanes of a freeway and routes me accordingly.

Even when I'm inside my house, it can tell me correctly which room I'm in.

 

[Anderson360]

The responses of "tough...deal with it" seem somewhat unreasonable. Say Chevy came out with a car that was engineered in such a way that it got 50 MPG. Owners love it and it's generally well recieved by the public. Then next year's model comes out...cooler features, better interior, more horsepower. Unfortunately the new model only gets 40 MPG. I would imagine people would be disappointed with Chevy.

Typically newer models of anything, be it cars, electronics, appliances, etc...should be an improvement over the previous model.

The fact that the EVO 4G's gps was so spot-on accurate, has now "raised the bar" in consumer's expectations of their phone. And when a "new-and-improved" model comes out (EVO 3D), that is lackluster in performance of it's predecessor, I believe efforts should be made to correct the issue.

Not "the 4G's gps must of been a fluke, so just be happy with mediocre gps on the 3D"

 

[Anderson360]

Ok I can complain all I want, but I think I may of found a "fix"...

This is piggy-backing off the info 'del4' provided. Here's what I did.

1- Downloaded the app "GPS Status & Toolbox" by EclipSim
2- Turn on GPS on the EVO 3D
3- Open the GPS status app
4- Hit 'menu' then go to 'Tools'
5- Select 'Manage A-GPS state'
6- Select 'Reset' to clear all cached GPS data (cold start)
7- Open google maps and wait for a good GPS lock on your location.

Now I had to wait about a good 5 - 10 minutes before Google maps was able to pinpoint my exact location again. After it found me, I tested both Runtastic and CardioTrainer and the difference in tracking is night and day. It was like I had my EVO 4G gps all over again.

If this worked or did not work for you, please comment on this thread.

 

[Civ2boss]

I have as bad of an issue as you can get. It never gets the signal indoors even right by the window. And I have a video to show you the difference between it and my old EVO 4G.

YouTube - EVO 4G vs EVO 3D GPS

The EVO 4G is running cyanogenmod 7.0.3.1
The EVO 3D is running 1.13.651.7

Ok I can complain all I want, but I think I may of found a "fix"...

This is piggy-backing off the info 'del4' provided. Here's what I did.

1- Downloaded the app "GPS Status & Toolbox" by EclipSim
2- Turn on GPS on the EVO 3D
3- Open the GPS status app
4- Hit 'menu' then go to 'Tools'
5- Select 'Manage A-GPS state'
6- Select 'Reset' to clear all cached GPS data (cold start)
7- Open google maps and wait for a good GPS lock on your location.

Now I had to wait about a good 5 - 10 minutes before Google maps was able to pinpoint my exact location again. After it found me, I tested both Runtastic and CardioTrainer and the difference in tracking is night and day. It was like I had my EVO 4G gps all over again.

If this worked or did not work for you, please comment on this thread.

Yeah tried it already, you can see my problem in that video I posted. On the EVO 4G it took 10 seconds! I gave up waiting for the EVO 3D there but I have tried waiting for 15 minutes and still it won't lock.

Edit: ok I just left mine with the screen on for 20 minutes it finally locked, but quickly lost it again...this is unacceptable!

 

[fgkay]

Just got back from a 400 mile road trip. Received 10-12 'GPS signal lost ' msgs using Google navigation during the first 100 miles before turning it off and switching to my Garmin.
Something's definitely up. I'll call Sprint later and see what they say.

According to the 'tier-2' tech rep I just spoke with at Sprint, there are known issues with the GPS for which I was told a software fix is in the works.

 

[Qoheleth]

I've used Google Maps since day 1 and never had a dropped signal or bouncing.

 

[bobodobo]

With the 3D and 4G side by side for a day, while both worked very well, I'd give a slight edge to the 4G, it was on average slightly more accurate. But, it didn't seem to enough of a difference to cause any issues with maps or navigation.

 

[cj100570]

So, if I'm reading this thread correctly: some people are having an issue, some people aren't, Sprint knows about the issue, Sprint isn't aware of the issue.... I and 5 of my friends all have E3D's and none of us have any GPS issues. I used mine to navigate from NY to SC for the 4th of July and never once lost the GPS signal or had my position on the make be more than 10 yards from where I actually was.

 

[Slingbox]

Yeah tried it already, you can see my problem in that video I posted. On the EVO 4G it took 10 seconds! I gave up waiting for the EVO 3D there but I have tried waiting for 15 minutes and still it won't lock.

Edit: ok I just left mine with the screen on for 20 minutes it finally locked, but quickly lost it again...this is unacceptable!

Wow that's a crazy long wait!
I get lock within 10 seconds at 10 meter accuracy.

 

[Slingbox]

UPDATE:
Civ2boss I just installed GPS reader you have on board finding I'm getting lock a second after app open.
I tested in my house next to window getting 10 in-view - 10 lock accuracy 9ft in 6 seconds which is pretty amazing blowing away my EVO4G lock speed.

 

[jhilker]

I, on the other hand, had no luck using GPS Status. I called Sprint today, to report this, as well as the camera freezing issue, and was just told to swap the phone, as I'm within my 30 days. (Not that this will help me on vacation in Florida, when I need both GPS and the camera!)

 

[McPlot]

The problem is with the people in the store. They are sales. They are fanboys. They talk out their butts and say what you want to hear. They claim to know it all when all they really know is how to sell the service.

 

[NothingbutaGthingbaby]

Add me to the list of having unacceptable problems with the EVO 3D GPS. I never had any issues with this on the NEXUS S. Hope they get a fix out there fast!