GPS data not available to apps after iOS 8.3 update

My situation is the same as yours regarding Dual XGPS160 and WIFi only iPad mini. Very, very annoying. Seems Apple has come back to the MS standard for Software updates. I will never trust Apple again. And if they are too slow to fix this I will have to rethink my all Apple strategy and go back to MS and Android.

Apple have known about this for some time now but no warning back to pilots. I found the problem in the Air! lucky I wasn't dependent on the iPad for navigation or else I'd have been up **** creek without a paddle.

I'll give Apple another week to sort this out but after that all bets are off!

Very, very disappointed and very, very annoyed. Trust shattered.

PilotDon,

Wow. Someone who's more depressed than I am. 🙂 It's not all bad, Don. This is just an example of what Milton Friedman called the concentrated interest and the diffused interest. The concentrated interest are the auto makers, since any bonehead can drive a car (except a manual transmission, of course, which have been going the way of the Dodo for the same reason). The diffused interest are the relatively small group of pilots, and those who provide products to them.

Fortunately, the military and commercial pilots have concentrated interests (unions) and buying and regulatory clout, so I agree with the Bad Elf commentator who is betting that Apple will eventually fix this bug. (BTW, want to get in on the over/under game? Sounds like you are a *way* over this morning 😁)

It does provide a rather nice opening for MS, which seems to have been improving both its products (the SurfacePro line) and software responsiveness out of necessity to compete with Apple and Google. Capitalism works!

Meantime, there is a remedy: rollback your iPad mini. Reinstalling a few apps was worth the price to me. And remember the lesson I have always preached, but this once thought would not apply to Apple: "Just say 'No!' to version Oh!"

Ha Ha. You're mistaking anger for depression, Buff. One involves payback 😎 and the implies giving up.

Part of my anger comes from the fact that I was one of the early Apple fans building an Apple II+ from bits and expanding it all the way up to 64k RAM with a secondary Z80 processor. Loved it. Then Apple went all proprietary and so I (and most everyone else) went into the web of Microsoft. I was blown away when Apple produced the Lisa - science fiction brought to life - but, with a jaw-dropping price tag of around $12,000 in 1984 it was not meant for mere mortals.

I came back to Apple a couple of years ago only because of the brilliant Navs software that was only available for the iPad. It converted me and I ended up buying two iPhones and two iPads and the Dual XGPS160. Even converted my wife to iOS which was going very well until 8.3 and, as they say, "if Mama ain't happy, aint' nobody gonna be happy".

I don't expect even Apple to get it right first time, *every* the time, though that would be nice. What I do expect is that if they stuff up, they let us know, apologise for the considerable inconvenience and fix their stupid mistake pronto!

I can get around this one for the moment without reverting to 8.2 because my other iPad has 3G and GPS built in. And my iPhone can run the Av software as a backup.

I was amused to see Milton F being quoted. I seemed to remember he tended to be ignored after his efforts in Chile back in the 1970s.

Cheers

Don

I also have this same problem. I use an iPad mini II with retina display (wifi only) with a dual xgps150 bluetooth. I use the fltplan GO nav app. The app shows a "no GPS" flag on the iPad, however, the GPS still works on the iPhone. So, I guess I will be using the iPhone for navigation in flight until Apple fixes this **** mess. I too am looking at android devices. All the Android pilots are flying today with no issue. 😟

I too am looking at android devices. All the Android pilots are flying today with no issue.

http://lifehacker.com/5873007/how-can-i-fix-my-androids-crappy-gps

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cochibo.gpsstatus&hl=en

http://forums.androidcentral.com/samsung-galaxy-s4/282696-gps-problems.html

http://forums.androidcentral.com/samsung-galaxy-note-4/453482-samsung-galaxy-not e-4-gps-problem.html

https://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=81140

I tried the web page You (Buff Flyer) suggested but having downloaded the 1.8gb zip file there was no ISPW file to be found so iTunes did not see it therefore no chance of downgrade!

Can anyone help with this?

I've got both the 150 and Garmin GPS and neither will connect!!

Guess misery likes company! I use my iPad G4 WiFi for navigation BT connected to a Garmin GLO. Greatly disappointed with Apple's iOS 8.3 which, as others point out, does not work with an external GPS recever. How long to fix, APPLE?

http://lifehacker.com/5873007/how-can-i-fix-my-androids-crappy-gps

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cochibo.gpsstatus&hl=en

http://forums.androidcentral.com/samsung-galaxy-s4/282696-gps-problems.html

http://forums.androidcentral.com/samsung-galaxy-note-4/453482-samsung-galaxy-not e-4-gps-problem.html

https://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=81140

Pilots do not use internal phone GPS's, because we know that they are crappy and unreliable (or at least not accurate enough for aviation). We use external GPS antenna's that work off bluetooth. Like this one ...http://gps.dualav.com/explore-by-product/xgps150a/

The issue with the iOS 8.3 bug is that it prevents the external GPS from communicating with the iPad.

So, you see, it really doesn't matter if Android has a "bad" antenna, pilots would never fly off that alone anyhow. However I thank you for the web links.

And yes, Android pilots have no bug in their operating system . They can bluetooth to their external GPS antennas just fine. Android pilots are flying today with NO GPS issues.

Chaz,

I read the page I linked and watched the video carefully a couple before I attempted the rollback to 8.2. I does work.

I'm not sure what step you having trouble with, or whether you are using a Mac or Windows version of iTunes, so it's hard to offer assistance, but the tutorial covers both. If the problem really is that iTunes can't see the file, you need to know where your computer saves download files (in Win 8.1 it's a directory actually called "downloads") and point iTunes to that directory. Mine found it, no problem.

Also, you mentioned a zip file. The website I downloaded the ISPW file didn't zip it, so I'm not sure what website you are grabbing the ISPW from. The tutorial linked to this page and it's the one I used. No zip file, no problem.

Good luck. As of this morning, Apple is still signing 8.2 so it's not too late.

Congratulations, ChazMills. I'm still betting Apple isn't out to screw pilots or an entire industry that has sold a lot of iPads for it. Still, I don't want to have any down-time while Apple figures this issue out.

This lesson has taught me once again, just say "No!" to version 0.

HI,

Clearly many of us are in the same position and are quietly (?) seething whilst we wait for Apple to solve this problem; meanwhile our expensive GPS units sit useless in our Nav bags. Garmin have been helpful and sympathetic, but have been taken as much by surprise as we have. It is easy to blame Apple, but a part of me is asking whether Garmin should also shoulder some of the blame. And since my PC does not see my GLO when I connect by USB, even a software upgrade would require me to return my unit to Garmin for update. My only concern now is that it could take some time for Apple to fix this as there is little incentive for them to do so if commercial devices are unaffected. Fortunately, after many years in aviation I have a "What happens if?" approach to flying and carry a Bad Elf plug in (Lightning connection directly into my iPad) which still works fine. I was considering buying a Bad Elf Bluetooth device as I had a similar experience with a Garmin GLO some months ago and I had that "Here we go again" feeling when it failed to proved positional data last weekend. However, now that I have read this thread, there seems little point. But for all of you desperate to return to iPad GPS flying, I can recommend the Bad Elf plug in. And if all else fails, I guess that we always have a map and stopwatch!

In reply to Hansvg

Thank you for your post. I'm not sure whether you are suggesting that I update my GLO via Bluetooth? I was on the 'phone to Garmin yesterday concerning the loss of service following the IOS8.3 update, and at the same time we discussed my problem with updating my GLO software. I had already downloaded the WebUpdater software (as you suggested) and connected my GLO to my PC (via the USB cable), but whilst it charged the GLO without a problem there was no other communication between my PC and my GLO. Garmin walked me through checking my PC Device Manager to no effect and declared that they could not help me any further, although they did offer to update my software if I sent my GLO to their Southampton office. It is the same on my Windows 7 PC and my Windows 8 laptop. Given that a software update would not solve my iPad communication problem, there seemed little point in taking this any further, although should a future software update provide significant benefits I still have the option of asking Garmin to update my device. Unless, that it, you have a fix that neither Garmin nor I have yet found ...............?

Not ALL Bluetooth GPS are affected.

I use a Bad Elf Pro+ which is still working fine. It's just the earlier versions that are caught in this mess. I flew on Thursday on a GA ferry flight and my Pro+ and iPad Mini3 on 8.3 using SkyDemon worked flawlessly.

You're wrong on this one.

The Bad Elf pro PLUS is not affected by the iOS 8.3 bug.

Those who own them are the lucky ones

As for me, I think Apple takes so long because they haven't figured out the problem yet without scrapping something else in the iOS.

Try a (very) short USB cable. Works for me on various equipment.

Longer cables tend to charge the device (not only Glo but also Cactus flash trigger), whereas only short USB cables recognise the device for FW upload.