Question Google maps.

[Pablo56]

Hi. I used to have google maps auto locate my position and adjust the map accordingly. However I was annoyed by the shear amount of musical notifications that I was receiving, so I turned everything off except emails. That is all I did. Having not used the map in a while, I found out that the location was totally out and the pin noting my location was not there.

I do have location turned on in settings. I have set Android auto to use precise location. Can anyone else see what is going wrong. I have got this problem on both my latest Galaxy A33 and my older A40.

Thanks for all your previous help here as a newbie.

Tried wi-fi only and mobile data only.

 

[methodman89]

Where does Google maps think you are when you launch it?
What phone do you have?

 

[Pablo56]

It thinks I am in York(UK). This is because I had to manualy use it 2 weeks ago to find my way around. That was the last location I moved to manualy. It is defaulting to that location last moved to not my actual location which is 25 miles away now.

I just manualy moved the map to Nottingham. Now when I open the app up, it is Nottingham.

 

[methodman89]

Have you turned on the GPS function from the drop down menu?

 

[Pablo56]

GPS setting? I have turned location on in the start menu. Is this another setting? Can't find it on my A33 or A40

A40 is using Android 14.

 

[methodman89]

Is this selected?

 

[Pablo56]

Yes the Location is turned on. It is turned on in settings also.

 

[Bkdodger1]

Have you tried to clear the data and cache on the app?

 

[Pablo56]

Yes and one phone has recently had a full factory reset.

I have just found this on google maps use...
Prcise location
Aproxamate location. <---

Can't find out how to toggle this feature now.

 

[Bkdodger1]

Settings/ maps / location

 

[Pablo56]

Not on my phone. Maybe it only gave me the option because Precise location was not available on my phone. Now I have selected aproximate, the option for precise is missing now. Phone does not have it. Is this something to do with my phone or if I am using 4G not 5G? Well as it is working now, if not broken don't fix it.

 

[Madd62]

So you have no blue dot on the Maps screen?
What Maps version is it.
Did you turn everything back on you turned off because of audible notifications?
There's something not right.
What's working now?

I'm in the UK and 10 years ago Maps put me in Paris and later Baghdad or Pakistan somewhere instead of Greater London, but that wasn't a phone issue.

 

[VidJunky]

It's odd that this would affect multiple devices at the same time but that likely tells us that it is specific to you and your devices. I don't see how changing the sound profile has affected this but let's see if we can work through this.

Based on the information you've provided it sounds like either a system setting or a bad app. Put your phone in Safe Mode and see if Maps can find your current location correctly. To put your Samsung device in Safe Mode, press and hold the power button until the options to shutdown, restart and enter airplane mode appears, press and hold the power button until the option for Safe Mode appears, then tap Safe Mode and wait for the device to restart. When I tried this to be sure it would work in SM it took a moment for the device to find its bearings and display my location so don't get in too much of a hurry and give it moment to catch up.

What was the result? If your device found itself while in SM that would be a strong indicator that there is a bad app at play. If your location was still incorrect, that would be a strong indicator that either a setting in the Maps app is bad or a system setting may be bad.

We need the results of this test to really continue.

You mention that it shows you in York but don't really tell us how far from you that is, just a few kilometers, dozens of km, hundreds?

In the meantime, do you have any other location based apps installed or that you are using? A fitness tracker, location spoof app, VPN, or anything else you can think of in your app drawer that relies on or heavily uses location? Try disabling any app that falls into this category and testing.

On one of your devices can you install a third party navigation app, like Waze or Maps.me, to test their accuracy? What is the result?

This would tell us if the issue is just GMaps or if it is the device. If no app can precisely locate you that would strongly indicate an issue with a system setting or bad app, while if one app works and the other does not it would put the issue with the non-working app.

Let us know what you find and we'll offer advice based on your findings.

 

[Pablo56]

You mention that it shows you in York but don't really tell us how far from you that is, just a few kilometers, dozens of km, hundreds?

I said that I MANUALY moved it around York and when I went home [Malton] it Still showed York. I manualy moved it to Nottingham which is central to the UK. It stayed there. I think it may be something to do with 4G and 5G. I am using 4G. You maybe using 5G. If not then samsung galaxy A33 and A40 are not capable of precice location. I thing it has to be 5G for this acuracy. Could be my location and where the masts are.

had the same problem with other apps like Tesco grocery app whanting me to choose precise and aprox locations. The phone clearly can not handle precise location for some reason.

picked Aprox and it burst into life and Tesco also. I am not being given the choice probably as the phone can not handle it so the option is not available.

Needs some tech guru on this one.

 

[Pablo56]

Looking at android phones and precice locations, gives me that it only works with 5G. York is a big city with 5G coverage. I have even seen 5G masts. Where live in Malton there is no 5G coverage. Aperantly EE does though.

Bkdodger1 post makes me think he is connected to 5G and there should be a 5G icon at the top of the phone.

O2 Network Coverage Checker | 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G Coverage

Check your 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G network coverage with the O2 Coverage Checker. Includes call and mobile internet reception – as well as your nearest O2 Wifi hotspots.

www.o2.co.uk

Mobile coverage in York for EE, O2, Three, Vodafone | Signalchecker.co.uk

Mobile coverage in York for EE, O2, Three, Vodafone

www.signalchecker.co.uk

 

[VidJunky]

Yes, and I said how far from where you actually are is that? Because there is an error rate to GPS readings and if you are very far away and it is not updating that could point to something different than just an inaccuracy. In the meantime, since the York question was a tough one, maybe tell us how far away is the farthest from your actual location does it say you are when Maps attempts to find its location naturally, organically, automatically?

You mention the Tesco app, and then later mention that the Tesco app or the device springs to life, did you try precise or did you automatically pick approximate because you were having issues with precise location prior to attempting to set up the app? I ask because I'm curious what happens when you attempt to use precise location. Do you get an error, nothing happens, is there any kind of notification or the app thinks it's working fine but you can observe that it really isn't,? Just curious if there is any noticeable difference between working the way it should and this condition of it not working correctly?

The phone can handle precise location. Samsung usually has very good builds even in their budget models. To support this, I'm not finding any complaints online for the A33 or the A40 for GPS issues. Did you by chance try anything in Safe Mode? This may help narrow down the cause.

Do you have any of the apps I mentioned when I was trying to help you figure out why this happening?

Is there an app you installed around time when you first noticed this issue?

Cellular signal doesn't play any part in GPS readings and truthfully I'm not sure if devices even still use WiFi and/or cellular signals to improve location accuracy anymore. They used to but I haven't seen anything worded in that way in years but even when it did that was more for them to feed you ads, than it was for the user.

Please try the GPS in Safe Mode and tell us your findings. Include any other apps you may have that fit the question asked about other apps that use GPS. Thank you.

 

[Pablo56]

I thought you meant how far is York from Malton. It is 25 miles. Where you saying that 25 miles is a long way for a mobile mast to use? We do have mobile masts where I live. I am not expecting a mast 25 mile away to use on my mobile phone. The nearest mast is 500 yards away. Mobile phone do go to the nearest mast.

What is happening is that move to a diffrent part of the county. When I switch on my phone, I expect it to comunicate with the nearest mast not the one 25 miles away in York. That would be stupid. Also when at home I am using wi-fi which is less than 25 miles away.

Other apps were having problems including Tesco.

Cellular signal doesn't play any part in GPS readings. Cellular signals do play a part. Where does the GPS reading come from? It comes from my phone and the mast uses that data. If the mast only uses 4G then my phone will use that also. Online it says that 5G is not as precise.

Is your phone showing a 5G symbol?

The phone can handle precise location. Samsung usually has very good builds even in their budget models. To support this, I'm not finding any complaints online for the A33 or the A40 for GPS issues. Did you by chance try anything in Safe Mode? This may help narrow down the cause.

The A33 can use Precise location. It tells me that. But if 4G is not precise then the problem is with 4G. The 4G mast not my phone. I did try safe mode. Same problem. This is a mast issue not me or my phone.

 

[Pablo56]

Found this ALSO on the WWW. My area is 4G.

While 4G technology can be used for mobile location tracking, it's not particularly precise, with accuracy generally ranging from 10 to 100 meters, depending on factors like cell tower density and environment.

Comparison to 5G:
5G technology is expected to offer more precise location tracking, potentially down to sub-meter accuracy in some circumstances.

 

[VidJunky]

I found this for how precise and approximate location work on devices. Which make it sound like precision is more GPS than other sources. Using these other sources to help when signal is not ideal.

When your phone asks if it should use "precise" or "approximate" location, "precise" refers to your exact location, pinpointed by GPS and other sensors, while "approximate" uses Wi-Fi and cellular data for a less precise location within a wider area. [1, 2, 3]
Here's a more detailed explanation: [2, 3, 4]

• Precise Location: [2, 3, 4]
  
  • Uses GPS, Wi-Fi, and cellular data to determine your exact location, potentially down to a few meters. [2, 3, 4]
  • Provides the most accurate location data, useful for apps like navigation, mapping, and tracking. [2, 3, 5]
• Approximate Location: [2, 3]
  
  • Relies on Wi-Fi and cellular data to locate you within a wider area, typically within 100 meters. [2, 3]
  • Offers a less precise location, which may be sufficient for apps that don't require pinpoint accuracy, such as weather apps or social media. [2, 3, 4]
• Why the Choice Matters: [2, 4, 6]
  
  • Privacy: Sharing only your approximate location can offer a higher level of privacy, as apps won't know your exact street address or location. [2, 4, 6]
  • Battery Life: Using approximate location can conserve battery life, as it doesn't require constant GPS tracking. [2, 3]
  • App Functionality: Some apps require precise location for their core functions, while others can function adequately with approximate location. [2, 3]
• How to Manage Location Settings: [3, 6]
  
  • Most Android devices allow you to control whether an app can use precise or approximate location through their settings. [3, 6]
  • On iOS, you can turn precise location on or off for individual apps in Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services. [6, 7]

In the meantime pleaser try GPS in safe mode. It can help us figure out the source of the issue.