GPS is very poor

[steve cooper]

To preface this, I am using an unlocked LTE version (still haven't gotten newest update) and have my GPS set to high accuracy. I can never seem to get a lock with my GPS before running on the first try. It will just search and search for minutes. If I start a run it will pick up a signal about a tenth of a mile into the run. If I stop the run and start again it will get a GPS signal immediately. It just never does it before I start running. It also won't pick up a GPS signal when connected to my phone. Both things my s3 frontier did much better. Anyone have some ideas? About to contact Samsung for warranty return

 

[Greymire]

To preface this, I am using an unlocked LTE version (still haven't gotten newest update) and have my GPS set to high accuracy. I can never seem to get a lock with my GPS before running on the first try. It will just search and search for minutes. If I start a run it will pick up a signal about a tenth of a mile into the run. If I stop the run and start again it will get a GPS signal immediately. It just never does it before I start running. It also won't pick up a GPS signal when connected to my phone. Both things my s3 frontier did much better. Anyone have some ideas? About to contact Samsung for warranty return

I haven't had issues using walk mode. I start a walk (outside) and it finds it instantly. An odd coincidence is that when I had my Fitbit Ionic it did exactly as you describe every time.

 

[sonnnet]

To preface this, I am using an unlocked LTE version (still haven't gotten newest update) and have my GPS set to high accuracy. I can never seem to get a lock with my GPS before running on the first try. It will just search and search for minutes. If I start a run it will pick up a signal about a tenth of a mile into the run. If I stop the run and start again it will get a GPS signal immediately. It just never does it before I start running. It also won't pick up a GPS signal when connected to my phone. Both things my s3 frontier did much better. Anyone have some ideas? About to contact Samsung for warranty return

You should find that the new software update rectifies the GPS problem. When you get the update, if it still doesn't work properly, install Gear Tracker.

 

[Rukbat]

There's a big difference between cold start and warm start times with a GPS. It's not the phone, it's not the GPS receiver, it's how the system works.

Install GPS Status & Toolbox and you can see what's happening. (There's even a toggle to display the startup time.) Remember, the receiver has to receive a long string from each satellite at low speed before it can display anything, and one bit in that entire string being wrong means waiting for the start of the next string, then starting over. Moving during the process makes it take even longer. (If you miss a packet once a satellite is synchronized, you miss the reading for 1 second. If you miss 1 bit of that long string during setup, that could be 30 seconds added to the start time.) Start the GPS, wait until it locks on the fix, then start your run.

 

[sonnnet]

There's a big difference between cold start and warm start times with a GPS. It's not the phone, it's not the GPS receiver, it's how the system works.

Install GPS Status & Toolbox and you can see what's happening. (There's even a toggle to display the startup time.) Remember, the receiver has to receive a long string from each satellite at low speed before it can display anything, and one bit in that entire string being wrong means waiting for the start of the next string, then starting over. Moving during the process makes it take even longer. (If you miss a packet once a satellite is synchronized, you miss the reading for 1 second. If you miss 1 bit of that long string during setup, that could be 30 seconds added to the start time.) Start the GPS, wait until it locks on the fix, then start your run.

With Gear Tracker, it just works and you can specify drop point accuracy from 1m to 128m as well.
One thing I would recommend is ensure in Connections/Location that method is set to GPS and wireless (especially if you are urban) as Wireless Access Points are then also used as well as satellites to get a fix.
You might also want to connect to the phone's GPS once in a while as this refreshes the satellite location cache on the watch.
Also, if you are using S Health, before you press Start Running or Start Walking etc, scroll down to GPS and select High Accuracy, then start your workout.