iPhone 3G GPS Problem

Question

Level 1

5 points

iPhone 3G GPS Problem

Hi All,

I am having a weird problem with the GPS on my iPhone 3G. After first getting my phone and charging it up I took it out to test the GPS. It seemed to work fine, targeted me within a couple meters while I was walking. However, after a few days use I am running into random problems where it cannot find my location in the city (Washington, DC) even when I am in open places. Then when I go back to places where the GPS was working it says I am in Georgia, and will continue to give me the wrong location even if I turn off location services and turn it back on. After this first happened I turned off my phone overnight and the GPS began working briefly again, but after a couple hours the same problem occurred that wherever I went it thought I was in Georgia. Tried restarting phone at the time of the problem and no luck.

Does anyone know if this is a software bug or if this is a malfunctioning GPS chip in my iPhone? Also, I tried both with wifi on and off when I was having problems to see if that helped, no luck.

Thanks for any input.

PowerBook G4

Posted on Jul 17, 2008 12:29 PM

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Answer 1

Jul 17, 2008 12:43 PM in response to PodtoMac Fan

Oh really, why? a cheap samsung doesn't have this kinda of problem. how could it happen to this iphone? anyone has an answer?

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Answer 2

Art Prof.

Level 2

255 points

Jul 17, 2008 1:28 PM in response to PodtoMac Fan

I'm having a similar problem. Sometimes it can find me and sometimes it just puts a big circle with a ten 20 mile radius and sometimes it's just wrong.

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Answer 3

Jul 17, 2008 9:49 PM in response to PodtoMac Fan

Yeah, I seem to be having the same problem. Is this due to lack of GPS signal, or is it a problem with the phone?

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Answer 4

XidefiX

Level 1

0 points

Jul 17, 2008 10:18 PM in response to PodtoMac Fan

Yep, having a similar problem. Wife just picked up her new iPhone today and the initial location was spot on. Got it home and now it puts us in Perugia, Italy (we're in Idaho). Weird thing is we vacationed there last year. Big circle on the map suggests that the location is being determined based on the home Wifi.
Anyone else having any problems like this?

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Answer 5

Jul 17, 2008 10:51 PM in response to PodtoMac Fan

ust turned my wifi on and it worked (GPS) instead of giving me the radius approach.

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Answer 6

Kool68

Level 1

4 points

Jul 17, 2008 11:26 PM in response to PodtoMac Fan

Gday, it could be a software issue. I had very similar symptoms on my Nokia N95 with the v0.9 software. I could usually drive 40 mins or more & it still hadn't got my location, let alone worked out directions for me. After v1.0 came out it gets my location within 10 seconds & have a route for me within 15 seconds, every time. Now v2.0 is out, it's integrated with Google Maps & it's a really good GPS. Still not as good as the TomTom software that was in my HP iPaq, but I'm hoping that TomTom will release their software for the iPhone soon. (my iPhone should arrive next Friday, YAY). 🙂

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Answer 7

amardilo

Level 1

10 points

Jul 18, 2008 1:20 AM in response to PodtoMac Fan

I could not get GPS to work on my iPhone and I went over a load of stuff with Apple support including turning thing off and on, reseting network settings and restoring the firmware but I still can't get it to work.

When on WiFi or Edge (not got it to work on 3G yet) it does pinpoint my location but it thinks I am in the sea near Canada when I live in the UK.

I have tried GPS in several different locations including outdoors in clear open areas with clear sight to the air.

I am not sure if it is a Google Maps or hardware issue. I would imagine it maybe both as I don't live in the sea and it doesn't even locate me via GPS.

Anyone have any idea's on getting it working?

If it helps anyone a few things I was told by the Apple Support people was to make sure that my date time and International settings were correct.

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Answer 8

Zlog

Level 1

25 points

Jul 18, 2008 2:14 AM in response to PodtoMac Fan

The two posts i've made have been deleted, but both of them were me telling about how returning my phone and getting it replaced completely fixed the GPS problems i was having.

Theres definatly something wrong with your phone and you should exchange it.

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Answer 9

rlk_fl

Level 1

15 points

Jul 18, 2008 2:53 AM in response to PodtoMac Fan

I have updated to 5A347 by restoring the phone and now the GPS is not working with 3g on. On google maps, the icon continues to work and does not ever fine me to show my location. I have done both a soft and hard reboot.

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Answer 10

Jul 18, 2008 4:48 AM in response to rlk_fl

Dear all,

I'm experiencing similar problems. I think it's down to the 2.0 software update as my girlfriend and I both have original iPhones. On version 1.1.4, the phones would estimate our locations via cell towers or Wifi. Now, after having updated to the 2.0 software, our phones cannot pinpoint our positions via cell towers, however wifi does work.

I've also just upgraded to an iPhone 3G (16GB black) and the same problem is happing - location works on Wifi, but not on cell tower OR GPS.

I live in central London, and have tested this outside with clear line-of-sight to the sky.

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Answer 11

Jul 18, 2008 11:37 AM in response to PodtoMac Fan

I too am having a problem with my GPS. I am certain it is a software bug. Apple replaced my first iPhone 3G (same problem) and the second one can't find me either.

However, my friend has an iPhone 3G and the GPS works every time for him.

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Answer 12

DocG

Level 2

304 points

Jul 18, 2008 11:43 AM in response to PodtoMac Fan

I just observed this.

I turned the phone off (red slider) and then back on it seemed to resolved the problem I now get a GPS lock (blue flashing ball) as opposed to a general location (big blue circle).

I would say it's either an OS bug or something to do with Apps.

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Answer 13

Jul 18, 2008 12:46 PM in response to PodtoMac Fan

I was having the same problem then I turned my iPhone 3G completely off, turned it back on, GPS works again!

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Answer 14

amardilo

Level 1

10 points

Jul 18, 2008 1:09 PM in response to runnerguy17

I found a strangle solution that seems to have worked for me.

I turned Auto-Lock to never. Tested it out and it work! I have since turned Auto-Lock back on and still works.

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Answer 15

Jul 18, 2008 1:11 PM in response to Jensen Jun

Jensen Jun wrote:
Oh really, why? a cheap samsung doesn't have this kinda of problem. how could it happen to this iphone? anyone has an answer?

That's because samsungs are C R A P. And they don't have GPS

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