I performed the 3.0 upgrade (sorry I did that)and now, the Maps programs and my GPS program constantly show the wrong "current location". Anyone else have this problem after the upgrade?
This is a customer forum, I do not think Apple even reads it, please submit a bug report through Apples website to let them know we are all having trouble.
And I for one DO have GPS working on 3.0. This was a replacement handset that I recieved with fw 2.2.1 and I did a clean restore to 3.0 and have not had any problems with the GPS yet, so there is some moderately small amount of hope!
I called AT&T and got to an Apple support person. He said that he could not find anything about the problem in his internal knowledgebase. I told him to search Google for "iphone 3.o gps not working", and he still supposedly couldn't find this thread - it was in the top 5 results - come on Apple, get with it!
am based in the UK, and followed the intructions of reseting the network settings, that actually worked!!
I tried that at home and got a fix in under 10 seconds to within 5ms of my location.
Now I am at work and am trying it, and I get a "your location could not be determined"
I tried the network settings reset, and it doesn't work. Tried the location reset aswell... still not bloody luck.
But in my case it's a bit of different story. When I bought my 3G, GPS would track beautifully, but around the time I upgraded OS to 2.2 I completely lost GPS, no more blue dot and tracking. I would get only cross-hair position from cell tower triangulations. Not sure if it was related to OS upgrade or some third party app install. Found out there were more people having same issue.
So, I anticipated that 3.0 would reset whatever got messed up. So, I got GPS back. i.e. blue dot is back but does not show exact location and does not track as the 2.0 used to
Thought it might have to do with a third party software...
Can someone who had their Iphone replaced tell us who he called or what he/she did or said to get a replacement and if the replacement worked and if he/she tried to upgrade to 3.0 FW with no problem.
I called Apple and they tried to trouble shoot the problem and I did a third full restore to my Iphone 3G and still having the same problem and when I asked them to send me a replacement they said that they can't do that and I have to wait for an update which might fix the problem.
I'm thinking of downgrading more than ever before.
I have same problem, no GPS satellite signal after 3.0 upgrade. I have tried to followed steb by step above method, But I still have no GPS Satellite signal.
I mentioned in my earlier post that I was going to downgrade from 3.0 to 2.2 FW.
My advice, don't do it. It's a very tricky process is very frustrating and the most important thing it didn't solve the issue for the GPS problem.
While downgrading from 3.0 FW to 2.2 FW I had several issues. First to downgrade you need to put your phone on a DFU mode then while restoring your Iphone you will get some errors. I got 1600 and kept getting it every time I tried to restore my Iphone. Even thought I was following the instruction to the word. I did more research and I found that to downgrade from 3.0 to 2.2 you need to use ITunes 8.0.1. I uninstalled my 8.2 version and installed 8.0.1 but it won't install. I kept getting an error and the ITunes won’t start. Thank God I had another PC with an older version of ITunes. When I plugged my Iphone it said that the firmware of my Iphone won't run in this version of ITunes. Anyway I ignored the msg and I put my Iphone in a DFU mode. Disconnected my PC from the internet hit cancel when the popup ITunes msg asked me to check for an update and restored my Iphone back to 2.2 FW. During the restoration process you will get an error 1031 or something like that, don't remember the exact error number. You need to have QuickPwn to bypass this error or you will be stuck. Run the Quickpwn it will ask you to hold the home button and the power button for 15 seconds then release both buttons and hold the power button for 2 seconds. If you don’t do that the exact way your phone won’t work. After that you got to activate your Iphone with the ITunes. if you don't so, you will not get any AT&T signal. I didn't know that until I passed this step and I realized that my phone can’t pick up a signal , I tried to reset my network and reboot my phone nothing happened no signal. Even if you try to jailbreak your phone still, it won't be activated and you won't get any signal. So for those who are curious about trying this make sure that you activate your phone first.
Now back to main issue.
After restoring my IPHONE to 2.2 FW the modem or the baseband is still the same. Meaning the downgrade didn't affect the baseband and it’s still from 3.0 FW. So I'm thinking it got to be the upgrade for the modem from the 3.0 FW that is giving problem to the GPS to pinpoint our location. And it’s not communicating very well with the GPS hardware.
By the way I forgot to mention this. When I first downgrade from 3.0 to 2.2, the GPS won't even pick up my location and it kinda freeze. I restored it again to version 2.2 but in a regular way, I didn’t have to put my phone in a DFU mode this time. Then after I finished my restoration it kinda worked, basically a triangulation GPS. Also it is important to mention that when I restored my Iphone again with 2.2 FW I got the same errors and I had to use QuickPWN to bypass the error.
I guess now I ran out of options. Either I have to go to the Apple store and see if they can replace my Iphone with something works or wait for an update.
I'd like to add my two cents about this. I had my first iPhone 3G replaced about a week ago, and the replacement's GPS never worked correctly. It never got a lock Maps, and the MotionX GPS Lite app always said "Triangulation only..." I thought it might be due to the purported OS 3.0 problem; I had upgraded the original (replaced) iPhone, but I don't seem to recall attempting to use the GPS functionality so I couldn't be sure. After a week of resetting it, restoring it, and trying (unsuccessfully) to downgrade it to 2.2.1, I finally just took it into the Apple Store at "The Grove" mall in Los Angeles. I mentioned the possibility of the OS 3.0 upgrade causing problems, but they dismissed that, particularly once I mentioned I'd read about it on the "forums" (apparently, the Apple Store Genius Bar employees hold us in here in great contempt).
Regardless, they ended up replacing the unit (second time in a week), and I can say that so far, the second replacement (3G, 16GB, OS 3.0) is working perfectly fine. Maps gets a lock within 10 seconds, even inside or moving at high speeds in a car, and MotionX GPS Lite reports strong GPS signal. It would seem to me that IF OS 3.0 is interfering with GPS performance, it is doing so intermittently and/or only in select units.
My advice to anyone who is experiencing problems with GPS since upgrading: take your phone into an Apple Store, if at all possible, and insist that they replace it; if they want to run their own tests (restore it, take it outside, etc.), then by all means allow them to do so, but don't settle for excuses about it being due to reception or your 3G cell service, etc., and don't leave the store with a phone that won't get a GPS lock.
If you don't have an Apple Store nearby, then I suppose you'll have to settle for calling Tech Support, but stick to your guns with them, too.
Here's another user, in Sweden, that has the same problems with GPS signal reception since the upgrade to 3.0. Or actually I don't know if it's hardware, since I just recently got a new 3G iphone on warranty that I promptly upgraded to 3.0. I'll make some more tests before I try to get it replaced again - here it takes around three weeks to get a new phone on warranty... No Apple Stores... This seem to be a global problem indeed!!
Ok, folks you'll enjoy this story. I went to the Apple store this morning to meet with the Genius, where he told me that the iphone 3G doesn't have GPS!! "It uses triangulation" I almost fell off my stool. I said, I think you're wrong, you might want to ask someone else. He did then, they said I needed to restore a new phone, I said, go ahead, and they did. Guess what? You're right it didn't work. Then he told me it was "within specs" I said no gps is within specs? Then he said he would document it and if i still had a problem in a week to bring it back and he would figure something out. I feel like a dumb *** for even walking into the store. I feel even worse for walking out without my problem solved.
what? is apple selling phones now? that's nonsense!
I deleted my 3.0 update file, downloaded it again, used my backup to put all my apps back on the iphone, reset my network settings and GPS worked! It worked just that one time, it's dead again. Do I need to insert another quarter to get one more credit?
That is definitely not within spec. When GPS within the phone is working properly and you have decent coverage, inside of maps you should get a pulsing blue dot. There may initially be the larger shaded blue circle (that I believe indicates uncertainty in its estimation) while localization is taking place (triangulation, pulling location information off the net, then GPS locking), but if GPS lock is working, then the larger circle will disappear and the blue dot will pulse. Anything else is not "within spec" so take it back or to a different store and insist that they replace it.
Also, I found the app "MotionX GPS Lite" (which is free) to be a very useful diagnostic tool because it actually gives you feedback about the status of your GPS connection and signal (in particular, it will say if it's using GPS vs. triangulation only). With my previous defective model, GPS Lite was perpetually stuck in "triangulation only," while with my replacement, it very quickly starts grabbing a GPS signal and refining its location.
Does anyone know why Apple itself did not include functionality to report GPS signal strength, etc.? I mean, I can imagine it involves much the same logic as not including copy/paste in the first few iterations of the OS...
