Poor GPS performance.

[ywenz]

The simple fix which I've found is to first initialize GPS Test. Once you do this any GPS application I've tried works dead nuts perfect and with an instantaneous lock on.

I think the problem may be that for whatever reason, the phone currently by itself isn't initializing the GPS properly.

Sitting at my desk right now I have 11 sats in view and the phone is reading 9 of them.

how do you initialize this GPS test?

 

[I.R.R.V.]

I'm a pre user thinking about going epic. But I gotta be honest I've endured over a year of crappy gps with the stupid pre and have no desire to have another round with the epic. I'm a truckdriver and rely on my phones gps alot. Should I consider the epic with the hope a fix comes out soon? Or would I be better off looking toward the evo? Thanks

 

[jfenton]

GPS Test is a FREE program which you download from the market

 

[drizek]

Re: Epic 4G an Epic Failure

I'm a pre user thinking about going epic. But I gotta be honest I've endured over a year of crappy gps with the stupid pre and have no desire to have another round with the epic. I'm a truckdriver and rely on my phones gps alot. Should I consider the epic with the hope a fix comes out soon? Or would I be better off looking toward the evo? Thanks

Gps works fine for me. Took like 10 or 15 seconds to get a lock while driving, and it is quite accurate.

Basically, there is no GPS issue outside of a cuple of broken phones.

Sent from my SPH-D700 using Tapatalk

 

[ywenz]

Gps works fine for me. Took like 10 or 15 seconds to get a lock while driving, and it is quite accurate.

Basically, there is no GPS issue outside of a cuple of broken phones.

Sent from my SPH-D700 using Tapatalk

How do you know? Have you held every epic ever made?

 

[FaerieInk]

I just moved from a Pre to the Epic and initially was worried when I couldn't get a GPS lock. I ran GPS Test (available from the Market) based on a friend's suggestion and it took about 10 minutes, but it was able to find the satellites and lock on. My reported GPS location is now usually within 1 block of my actual location, but usually right on. When I was worried initially, my friend mentioned that the very first time you try to run the GPS, it may take 10 minutes or more to find the satellites. This proved to be true in my case and I now have no complaints about the GPS in my Epic.

 

[ywenz]

I just moved from a Pre to the Epic and initially was worried when I couldn't get a GPS lock. I ran GPS Test (available from the Market) based on a friend's suggestion and it took about 10 minutes, but it was able to find the satellites and lock on. My reported GPS location is now usually within 1 block of my actual location, but usually right on. When I was worried initially, my friend mentioned that the very first time you try to run the GPS, it may take 10 minutes or more to find the satellites. This proved to be true in my case and I now have no complaints about the GPS in my Epic.

whats the difference between 1st time turning the phone on and during normal usage, leaving a gap of 2 days between using the GPS

 

[derichio02]

Location and Wireless Networks?

My Epic wont use wireless networks for my location. Unless I have GPS on none of my programs will find my location. Example - in the maps app if I choose my location unless my GPS is on it will tell me "location unavailable". So my phone is not using wireless networks to acquire my location.

Is this a known issue?

My gps finds me withing 1-2 minutes but the wireless networks just do not work. Anyone experiencing this chime in.

 

[Adam Sawyer]

Wireless networks will not find you (by itself) in maps. aGPS aka wireless networks was designed to assist your GPS in locating your position more quickly. It can't pinpoint your position closer than probably 3000ft or so.

 

[derichio02]

Wireless networks will not find you (by itself) in maps. aGPS aka wireless networks was designed to assist your GPS in locating your position more quickly. It can't pinpoint your position closer than probably 3000ft or so.

Actually wireless networks will find you by itself just not accurately there is a radius like you said above which makes your statement kind of contradicting.

I understand what you are saying and I am aware of that issue. I have owned the Droid, Droid 2, Droid X, Nexus, Evo and so on. I know it will be a wide radius when it finds you using wireless networks. Its like going in maps and seeing the blue dot with a larger blue circle around it. The problem is that i dont even get that. I get a message saying that I my location is unavailable. My beautiful widgets wont even update my geolocation. It wont even roughly locate me when using 3g. Is ayone else experiencing this.

 

[Adam Sawyer]

Again, that's normal. Maps is designed to use GPS, not just aGPS. However, Beautiful Widgets should update your location with only wireless networks on. Make sure in the settings you have geolocation set on Wireless Network and not GPS.

Good luck.

 

[derichio02]

Again, that's normal. Maps is designed to use GPS, not just aGPS. However, Beautiful Widgets should update your location with only wireless networks on. Make sure in the settings you have geolocation set on Wireless Network and not GPS.

Good luck.

This is not normal. Every Android phone i have ever had will pull my location(though inaccurate) while in maps with merely the wireless networks checked.

Just for proof go to settings - location and security - and unselect wireless networks. Read the description text - "See location in applications (such as Maps) using wireless networks".

I know that this is not normal, I am not guessing. On my phones I always use them with gps off. But when I go to use navigation and I see that it has my starting point is inaccurate I turn on gps. But it does find me before I turn on gps just not to accurately.

Again, I am just asking if this is happening to anyone else or if I need to exchange my unit. I am not asking if this is right or wrong - I know its wrong.

Validity is not determined by post count!

Someone else please chime in.

 

[Cory Streater]

This is not normal. Every Android phone i have ever had will pull my location(though inaccurate) while in maps with merely the wireless networks checked.

That is correct, and yes there is something wrong with the GPS on this phone. There are tons of complaints about the GPS issues in every Galaxy S forum.

I have a Droid X and an Epic side by side right now. Both have use Wireless Networks checked. The X picks up the location right away, and the Epic exhibits the behavior stated above.

 

[sstea]

Poor GPS performance is a serious flaw. This topic should probably be a sticky.

GPS is very suspect on this phone. It is very slow and finicky with respect to locking. I have seen the same underwhelming GPS performance on 3 different Epic phones. Under ideal conditions (completely unimpeded view of open sky the accuracy seems pretty good, much better than the 30 meter accuracy which is the best that it ever reports. I have also seen a dependancy on having Wifi turned off to improve the lock.

The GPS performance is definitely subpar on this phone and surprising considering this is one of the most advanced smartphones available. The GPS performance is far below what I had with the EVO, Pre and Touch Pro. All these phones had no problem even getting lock inside my house while the EPIC seems incapable of this. At lot of the location based services I have tried to use have been tripped up.

I think this is a terrific phone in all other areas. Poor GPS performance is tough to deal with. I hope this is something that can be addressed soon by a s/w fix and that this is not a serious hardware flaw. I hope Samsung is taking this seriously.

 

[Mattio322]

Yeah its a software thing with all the US galaxy s phones and samsung is aware of it. They said they are working on it, so be patient and im sure when they release froyo for the phone then the gps fix will come with it

 

[Toast95135]

I don't know about everyone else, but mine works great. With wireless networks off and just GPS it locks on in seconds, and if I do walking tests with My Tracks it's only off sometimes and then it's just a few feet. Maybe I just got lucky?

 

[drizek]

GPS on mine is excellent, fast locks and good tracking and accuracy

Sent from my SPH-D700 using Tapatalk

 

[caliskimmer]

That is correct, and yes there is something wrong with the GPS on this phone. There are tons of complaints about the GPS issues in every Galaxy S forum.

I have a Droid X and an Epic side by side right now. Both have use Wireless Networks checked. The X picks up the location right away, and the Epic exhibits the behavior stated above.

Sadly, I can now confirm that my GPS can't find me in Google Maps, but can in Sprint Navigation. Is this a software issue is the question. I'm assuming it is.

 

[sstea]

I am not sure what is the story the Epic GPS. I have personally seen the same types of issues on three different units. There are many posts from people experiencing the same types of problems...but, there are also some people who they are having no problems with GPS.

I am not sure if this is a hardware quality issue with the GPS receivers such that some units are performing significantly better than others.

For those individuals saying that you are getting good performance please let me know..

1) What accuracy is the system reporting? I have never seen accuracy reported better than 30m even if the GPS eventually resolves to greater accuracy.

2) Is your Epic able to lock at all indoors? At my house all previous phones were able to do this fairly easily. Epic doesn't do it at all.

3) Are you able to make comparisons to other phones you have had? The Epic GPS is clearly underperforming phones that I have had in the last 2-3 years. Lock is much slower in partially covered situations and even if I the view is completely clear. I have notice that the GPS actually seems to lock faster if I am moving.

Thanks.

 

[BetterMost#AC]

I have had two Epics in my possession since launch and both GPS worked flawlessly im still trying to figure out what all this GPS not working bitc*ing is all about.