Inside my work building I get 3-5 bars now in 3G mode (0-1 previously). However, if I try to get my location in Google Maps I get an error that "Your location could not be determined." If I turn off 3G and get an EDGE connection it works fine. Can anyone explain this?
FWIW--using a iPhone 3G w/ 2.1 installed, 3G on (5 bars showing), Wifi off, Location Services on, and in my upstairs bedroom--I first power-cycled my phone (turn off via slider), then fired up Google Maps; got the blue dot showing my exact (within a couple dozen feet or so) location in about 15 seconds.
For grins I then put my phone to sleep for about 5 minutes (still in my bedroom BTW), then woke it up and went into Google Maps...blue dot showing my location appeared in 9 seconds; after another (brief) sleep session it appeared in <5 seconds. Just so you folks don't think I'm embellishing my findings just to show off--after a couple of other sleep mode sessions it did take about 20 seconds for the blue dot to appear each time.
Ok, after a lot of problems and trying “fixes” I found all around the Web, finally I discovered (by myself) a better way to “fix” the GPS in Google Maps app. This is useful especially for all those folks outside the US and in not-so-developed countries (like me, I live in South America). I noticed that Apple, in the 2.1 version of Google Maps, introduced a “time-out” in the app that doesn’t allow enough time for the GPS hardware to align with the satellites. Hence, you’ll always get a “Your location could not be determined” error. So, to allow the GPS hardware to align with the satellites, do the following:
1. Download a PURE GPS app from the App Store. For this case, I got the free “TrackThing” app.
2. Go outside, preferrably where you can find lots of open sky
3. Start the TrackThing app
4. Allow the app to use your location
5. Tap on “Geo”, and wait until it reads your location (latitude, longitude, altitude). This can take from 10 seconds to more than 1 minute, until the GPS hardware aligns correctly with the satellites
6. After you have a reading, exit the app and get into Google Maps
7. Tap the location button. VOILÀ! it will almost immediately pinpoint your location with a blue dot!
Also, in the first screen of TrackThing (”Vitals”), if the “GPS” label turns from red (to orange) to green, then you have good GPS reception. If it remains orange, then you don’t have good reception, so it’ll use tower triangulation.
I bought my iPhone 3G on launch-day in Ireland, and that's where I use it all the time, GPS works fine.
I used GPS fine in Bordeaux, France in August (3G) mode, also worked fine.
I applied the update last week, GPS still works fine in Ireland, but today I'm in Faro, Portgal, and GPS is not able to locate me.
I find this thread, switch off 3G, and now GPS works instantly.
So between August and September something happened to 'Locate Me' with 3G enabled, but either it's not affecting every country, or it only happens whilst the iPhone knows it's roaming.
