gps problems t-mobile Samsung Note 3

[1metrodriver]

my Note 3 will not find it's location, either with GPS or AGPS. With the satellite based GPS an app called GPS Status can find 20 or more satellites, yet the phone cannot calculate a position. Using the AGPS (cell tower based) it has the same problem.
I believe it all started after the Android 4.4 Kitkat update.

Many calls to tech support with a "master reset" solution have ended in the same result, probably since you are not able anymore to uninstall the 4.4 kitkat and roll back to a previous version.

Finally T-Mobile agreed to replace the phone. I received an obviously damaged refurbished phone that actually was able to find itself. 20 satellites, 14 fixes according to GPS Status.

Unhappy with a damaged phone, I received another one, and guess what? It cannot find itself either! But it shows 22 satellites!

Somewhere in the software is a missing link that makes the phone unable to calculate a position. If it is able to receive position information (from satellite or network), yet can't use this info to calculate it's position then something is wrong in the software.
Both replacements have the same built number, kernel version and security software as where the original phone has a later built number, kernel version and security software version.

I believe AT&T customers had the same issue and a software update was rolled out for them.

Who can shed a light on this? Any T-Mobile android engineers?

 

[jpr]

I don't have anything particularly helpful for you, but my Tmobile Note 3 has by far the best GPS of any phone I have every owned. Even in my home where I never get a GPS lock on any phone, this phone locks on within 3 seconds. Outside it is usually just a second it seems and it is always very accurate.

My phone came with 4.4.2 installed - I did not have to upgrade to it. I did upgrade to the latest TMO firmware through Kies that came out recently in May and the GPS is still great for me. If you have not loaded that FW through Kies yet, you may want to give it a try. It sounds more like a hardware problem to me, but since it's not working for you anyway, give the update a try if you haven't already.

 

[1metrodriver]

My own phone has the May update, the other 2 have a February date. I am trying to find a way to put the February build on my own phone and see if that works. I just don't know how to do it. But 2 phones (out of 3) that have the same issue?