GPS issues

[Paul Maritz]

My S10 (SM-G973F) always defaults to a specific location at least 3 times a day. A location up to 6km away from my actual position, but always a specific address. I have used apps like GPS Status to clear aGPS data, I have even reset my phone to no avail. Does anyone have any help?

 

[VidJunky]

When you say it "defaults" to this location;

A) what do you mean? That it is the same exact location every time? If so is the location listed as an address, a pin drop... how is it named?

B) how are you seeing or noticing this? Are you noticing that your weather location is off, it shows up in your Google Location activity... What is bringing this to your attention?

C) do you have other GPS apps, besides the ones you've mentioned that sound temporary, that you keep or use on your device? Navigation other than Google Maps or Waze, step counter, fitness app... anything that you can think of that would actively want use your location?

At the moment I can only think of one course of action. It sounds like this could be an app issue, where some other app is accessing or using your GPS. You could maybe prove this by restarting the phone in Safe Mode which would prevent apps from running in the background and opening without user input. If the problem stopped while in Safe Mode that would point to an app. If the problem continued that would point to a hardware or system issue. This often isn't convenient for most because you would have to run this way for at least a day or until the issue happened again and most wouldn't want to use their phone with one hand tied behind its back for that long.

You say that you've reset your device, I'll assume that is a Factory Reset, but I'll also assume that you chose to automatically reinstall all of your former apps, because most do because it's easy and convenient, which could be reinstalling the problem.

Instead of Safe Mode temporarily take GPS/location permission away from everything. By denying the permission apps that require GPS will have to ask for permission again. It will be like they are running for the first time, nothing lost or reset, they just have to ask the next time they run and you get to decided again. Go to Settings>Apps>upper right corner 3 dots choose Permission Manager>Location, we'll assume for now that system apps are OK,>touch each app and select Deny. Then monitor where ever you're noticing this issue. As time goes on apps will request permission, when they do, make a note of which one and when until you notice the issue return. Then you should be able to narrow it down to a few apps, if my feeling is correct and this is an app issue.

 

[Paul Maritz]

Thank you for the response.
I only use Google Maps with location sharing on. I have no other mapping/GPS apps installed other than GPS Status which I installed after the problem was identified. This on the suggestion of a forum post on xda that advised to use this app to clear aGPS data. When I open Google Maps the blue dot is always at the same street address. No pin or name. Then it takes up to 15 seconds for the blue dot to then get to the right location.
I will however try the permission route and see where that takes me

 

[VidJunky]

But it returns to your actual location. Every time? If it always finds you that could be just natural. GPS works on a mathematical calculation that requires multiple satellites to triangulate position. It would be weird that it would always be off in the same location every time but obtaining a position lock requiring a few seconds really isn't that uncommon. Do you have WiFi at home? WiFi usually decreases the time needed for a lock and helps pin point your position but if you don't have home WiFi that could contribute to what you're seeing.

 

[worwig]

I have had a similar problem for a few months now on my Note 8. My GPS used to be one of the best I had used as far as accuracy and initial acquisition time. I use a number of different apps with the GPS. Copilot, Waze, Google maps, OSMand, Kurviger and a couple more. Plus I have GPS Status and Toolbox. Generally speaking, CoPilot and Waze are pretty good and keep running. But the others show the issue more often. I do NOT have Android Auto. When I first start the app, everything works fine. Then I start my trip, and some time later, 2 minutes, 10 minutes, it is random, the GPS stops reporting. It is like it goes to sleep. If I restart the app, start any other GPS app, or start the GPS Status app, it starts working again. For a while. If I restart the phone, it may continue working for the rest of the trip, maybe. What I am seeing is like the OS is putting some driver to sleep after a while, even though it is being used, and I need to reinitialize the driver by restarting the app, to wake it up.
I'm not exactly sure what update started it, but it started around May 2020.

 

[dpomerance]

I have a similar thing with google maps. I can be driving along following the directions and then all of a sudden I get message GPS signal lost. I can move the phone all around and the message doesn't go away. It doesn't come back until I kill the app and restart.

 

[Roosterman]

For the original post, are you in a building when first initializing google maps? When I do that, I believe GPS can't connect to the satellites and uses my internet providers' location/junction box which may be a ways off. Another possibility may be my profile zip code's central location. When I give a specific location for determining direction, that will change it to my exact location.

 

[VidJunky]

I have a similar thing with google maps. I can be driving along following the directions and then all of a sudden I get message GPS signal lost. I can move the phone all around and the message doesn't go away. It doesn't come back until I kill the app and restart.

That's odd that it would happen while in motion and driving no less. As this would mean that you are outdoors and most likely in at least a somewhat if not totally open space. To me your issue sounds like either a bug in Google Maps or another app preventing Maps from using your GPS. Especially the latter since it takes restarting the app the bring it back. I'm picturing Maps opening and using GPS, this bad app taking it away perhaps only for a moment, then Maps not being able to regain control of it until it restarts and request use of it all over again.

You could try your device in Safe Mode but I'm not 100 if GPS works or how it might work in SM. My alternative suggestion is to take GPS permission away from all apps. Settings>Apps>three dots upper right corner Permission Manager>GPS>touch each app that appears there and deny permission. This isn't permanent. Each app that requires location will simply ask for permission the next time it needs this permission, similar to how it did when it was first installed, and then you can just grant permission again.

You will need to do a couple of things however. First is you will need to go for a drive some time after revoking permission to all apps and before giving permission back to any of them, to test if Maps looses position.

If you find that it does not loose position, that would be a strong indication that you have a bad app. Then you will just need to keep track of each app that requests location and when you grant permission until the issue returns. That way you can narrow down which apps had permission when the problem came back and then you can make decisions about what to do with that or those apps.

If you find that you still loose position, that might point towards an issue with the Maps app or a system issue. If you find this to be the case you could try clearing the cache for Maps. I would consider this a weak fix because if you were having issues caused by something in the cache I would expect it to manifest in other ways and being present from the time you opened Maps, it may still be possible however. The next step would be to uninstall the updates to Maps. You won't be able to uninstall Maps but you should be able to uninstall the updates. Then you could try testing Maps again or reinstall the updates right away. Personally since there aren't complaints of issues with Maps or the latest updates I would probably just reinstall the update right away and then do some testing.

Let us know what you find.

 

[dpomerance]

Thank you very much VidJunky. Very good suggestions. Unfortunately it doesn't happen every time, so I will pay attention as to the conditions when it happens and see about being able to make it repeatable and then go through your suggestion list.

 

[VidJunky]

Thank you very much VidJunky. Very good suggestions. Unfortunately it doesn't happen every time, so I will pay attention as to the conditions when it happens and see about being able to make it repeatable and then go through your suggestion list.

I kind of considered that being able to predict when it would occur might be difficult and not necessarily repeatable. In which case the only thing I can think of to do would be to take location permission away from all apps, I have 76 apps with location permission, and then use everything normally until it occurs again. If it occurs again you may find that you only have 10 to 12 apps with location permission. Then at that point you can at least scrutinize a shorter list.

There is one other possible plus to revoking location permission for all apps and that is that since the introduction of Android 10 any app requesting location permission or attempting to use location services, the OS now asks if you want to give permission all of the time, only when in use or not at all. Personally I have been opting for the only when in use option almost every time, but making that selection might help too as they start to request permission again. Perhaps that option would stop another app from commandeering the GPS if it is an app issue???

My guess is if it is an app causing your issue it's probably one that doesn't truly need location permission. A game or photo editing app that just tried to sneak an extra permission but also one that would continue to work just fine without it. I know from personal experience that we don't always pay super close attention to the permissions that apps ask for and some times we can say yes when we really should be asking why does this game need to know where I am or why does this gallery app need to control phone calls?

 

[dpomerance]

VidJunky thanks again. I have turned off location services for everything except Google and Maps and we'll see how it goes. I might take a little road trip over the weekend and see if anything happens. Have a nice day.

 

[tikitiki46]

I have a Note 9 and after last update I have problem with GPS coordinates matching address.

 

[VidJunky]

I'd kind of forgotten about this thread until I saw that there was a new reply... Well at least twice now, on my S10+, in the past few weeks I've had some weird stuff happening. I mostly use navigation to get to work so I can see if there are any reported speed traps, accidents or slowdowns, 30 miles mostly highway, and like I said at least twice now it's taken a minute or so to settle down. I use Assistant to bring up navigation so I can stay hands free, and when it opens it zooms in and out, pretty much where I am, but it zooms out like, Oh wait you're over here, then zooms in like, nope thought I was seeing something you're right here, then out again then in. It'll do the zoom thing IDK maybe 8 times over 30 or so seconds, then it locks in and everything is normal. I'll have to do some testing, thinking about it, but it may do this in roughly the same place each time.

So I don't always start a navigation to work but I think I was in the same place both times I remember this happening and I don't recall it happening when I've started nav earlier or later than that spot...? Nothing apparent in that area than I can think of but wouldn't it be weird if it only happened in that spot?