GPS issues abroad

[Keith Riehl]

I recently rode my motorcycle down from Oregon to Panama. Around the middle of mexico I lost GPS signals on my phone. I thought my phone was broken. My location started hoping all over the place, my speed stopped displaying in google maps. I use verizon service, Samsung S9 plus and paid for international roaming and data.

I have talked to Samsung tech support and Verizon support, they both said they have never heard of this issue.

So I found this soultion... but it is not the correct solution as far as I'm concerned.

More background, my wife has a S9 and a tablet with GPS....both worked for navigation when she left the US to meet me in Guatemala. She landed in Guatemala and had no GPS signal...biggest issue was she could not tell Uber her exact location for pickup at the airport, that is why my solution is not the correct way to fix the GPS. We pay for data, and cell service we we can actually use them.

I finally figured out that if I put any of the devices in airplane mode... GPS worked perfectly. Really strange that if my cell radio was on then maps and other apps all used cell towers to locate me but not the GPS radio. I had to use this option for two weeks. If I needed directions I had to turn off airplane mode to get data create a map then turn on airplane mode to follow the map.

So I flew home last week and everything works normal...I have GPS service and cell service and data all at the same time.

I verified GPS signals while abroad using GPS tools. The app could see all the satellites but they would not turn green and use them until I put the phone into airplane mode...again all three devices... the tablet has no verizon service so I'm thinking it's not a Verizon issue.

Why would the phone only ever rely on cell and wifi for location? And only when abroad, why would a location determine to shut down the GPS radio...

 

[ManiacJoe]

I am making the assumption that the cell radios are not interfering with the GPS receiver....

In your "location" settings, check to see what the "accuracy" setting is at. If there is an option for "high - use cell data and wifi to enhance accuracy" (or something like that), try selecting a different option.