Location services

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Location services

Help, the more I read about location services on the touch the more lost I become. I'd dug about a bit and found suggestions to register my router with Skyhook. Tried that got no joy, Shyhook now tell me to go back to Apple support.

On these discussion boards I've seen threads saying it's down to my ISP registering where I am with Apple. I've emailed my ISP and the response came, "+please be advised that we do not provide any support with regards to the Location Services provided with the iPod touch as this is out of our support scope. However could you please confirm with Apple if your broadband connection requires a Static IP address with regards to the Location Service provided with your iPod touch to function correctly+"

However I think just getting a static IP address won't work will it, unless I can persuade my ISP to do something else? Anyone any suggestions what I can go back to my ISP with?

Thanks
Dave

Message was edited by: hugzee

iPod touch 3G, iOS 4

Posted on Aug 23, 2010 11:23 AM

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Answer 1

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RaHHaR

Level 1

5 points

Aug 25, 2010 2:17 PM in response to hugzee

Your ISP will not be able to do anything to get Location Services to work.

The way Location Services used to work.

You uploaded your MAC id of your wifi devices to Skyhook Wireless along with a longitude and latitude that they placed into a database, when the device connected to your network, it went to Skyhook to check it's location. Basically all it did was say I am here, pointing to your MAC id. Skyhook then uploaded your coordinates to your device letting Location Services work.

Skyhook handled location services prior to v3.2 iOS, anything after is handled by Apple.

To test this out, go to your local library or someplace that has offered wifi access for the last 6 months to a year and your location services will magically work. Go back home and broken. This is most likely because as you already know your devices are not updated in whatever system is being used for validation.

Skyhook had a page, which you have seen, where you could upload this information to have it updated. Apple has no such page.

I have emailed Steve Jobs, sever email addresses I have found online for apple employees and been to the Genius Bar. Apple is either not interested in fixing this or is currently not bothered by it.

My theory is that the next gen Touch will have either 3g capability, which would negate the whole wifi mac thing, or it will have built in GPS.

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Answer 2

hugzee Author

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Aug 26, 2010 10:35 AM in response to RaHHaR

Thanks RaHHar, most succint. Guess I'll just have to put up with my 'not-fully-functional' Apple product.

Dave

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Answer 3

RaHHaR

Level 1

5 points

Aug 30, 2010 7:10 AM in response to hugzee

In case you would like to read a bit more on the subject.

http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2010/08/04/apple-drops-skyhook-wireless-te chnology-from-iphon.aspx

http://www.xconomy.com/boston/2010/08/04/skyhook-wireless-digs-in-touts-location -patents-after-apple-drops-technology-from-iphone/

http://techcrunch.com/2010/07/29/apple-location/

http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2010/07/apple-responds-to-congress-swears-loca tion-data-is-private.ars

I still have yet to have this resolved. In this forum some other users were able to have their services working again after upgrading to v4.0.2

Good luck.

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Answer 4

Sep 24, 2010 1:04 PM in response to hugzee

Many people (myself included) noticed that Location Services stopped working with the upgrade to iOS 4.0. The symptom is that Maps and other apps say "Your location could not be determined." even in areas that used to work. The problem is that starting in iOS 3.2 and iOS 4.0, Apple switched from using the SkyHook location database to using their own. Whereas the SkyHook database had the ability for users to add their own WiFi access points, Apple does not have anyway for us to do that.

I just spent over an hour on the phone with Apple Support senior advisors, who initially wanted to restore my unit or even replace it (neither of which would have fixed it), until I found the news reports about Apples new location database. Eventually, I found a senior advisor who was able to track down the problem and admitted that, yes, since the switch from SkyHook to Apple's own database, many WiFi access points no longer work with location services. "Apple is working on the problem, and eventually it will be fixed, although there isn't any time estimate." I asked specifically if this meant that Apple was going to allow users to add their own WiFi access points, and she said "Yes."

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