iPhone 8 GPS problems

Both American models and the Japanese model have the same GSM specs:

GSM/EDGE（850、900、1,800、1,900MHz）

(you said the store was talking about the US Verizon model earlier, so I assumed you were on that. Verizon is CDMA and T-Mobile is GSM)

Somebody else may correct me, but I don't see why you would have a problem with T-Mobile either.

Sounds more like a non-technical issue i.e. too much hassle for them.

Anyway, life is short. Forget it. Enjoy your holiday 🙂

Tried full reset from latest iOS. Then loaded back last backup (was I not supposed to do this?). Anyway still with same problem(s). Is there anyway to test the a-gps chip? This seems like a software problem. Why aren’t more Apple iPhone 8 users reporting this. This should be major!!

Sorry, but you should test your phone after resetting but before restoring your old backup.

If you restore your old backup, you will just reintroduce whatever software problem was on your phone, if there was one.

You need a "fresh" version without your old backup on.

If I were you I would

1) backup phone to iTunes vs USB

2) reset phone when connected to iTunes via USB by selecting "restore iPhone" (not "restore backup")

3) after that, without restoring your backup, do the basic setup (Wifi etc) from scratch and then open Apple Maps outside. See if you get pulsating blue circles (not stationary blue circles). if you do, then GPS is working. You can also test more precisely by downloading GPS Diagnostics from the App Store.

Are you sure it is pulsating - a dark blue center, with light blue circles constantly moving outward?

It should look like ripples on a pond after you throw a stone in.

If you only see a light blue circle that is not moving, it means you have Wifi and Cellular but not GPS.

Also, just to confirm: did you reset the phone to factory settings and not restore your old backup?

If the answer is yes to both, check the following:

Double-check that your Wifi and cellular data/mobile data are on

Set compass to True North (Settings, Compass)

Open Compass and try calibrating it by opening it, swiping left to get the "second page" of the app, and playing around with it until it is centered properly. I read somewhere that this might help.

Also download the GPS Diagnostics app from App Store and test GPS on that (give it a 10-15 seconds to find the signal without refreshing). Do this outside, of course, where you have a direct line to the sky.

If that doesn't work, take your phone in its initialized state to Apple, show them the GPS is not working, and ask for a repair/replacement.

Don't let them give you any B.S. with their diagnostic test, either remotely or in the store. It cannot test GPS chip function, especially when inside a store. If necessary, take the "Genius" outside the store with you to show how your phone is not picking up a GPS signal in Apple Maps and/or GPS Diagnostics.

I know it doesn't help, but I use Waze with my iPhone X almost daily and have never experienced any location issues except in downtown metropolitan areas where tall buildings block reception of GPS and cellular signals.

Having the same issue with my Waze, Apple Maps, and Google Maps. Three separate iPhones (6s Plus, 7 Plus, and my 7 Plus was just replaced for a different issue).

If folks are plugging their phones into their car's USB port, this may be an issue. When I navigated with my phone NOT plugged into the USB port - it was locked on. To test, I plugged it back in and the erratic behavior started again (for me it's a heading issue and my navigation is constantly trying to reroute). Some folks (http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/138-gen-5-2015-present/407266-actual-fix-iph one-6s-gps-erratic-behavior.html) are reporting that when they do this, their car's navigation software may be interfering in some manner.

Just a thought but it is probably not your phone if it's being replicated on several phones.

I had the same GPS issue with my iPhone 7+. I thought maybe my gps was broken so I upgraded to the iPhone 8+ and still had the issue. Someone on this thread suggested removing the phone from the magnetic car mount (which I use) and the gps worked flawlessly. I put the phone back on the magnetic mount and the gps immediately froze. Removed the phone from the mount again and the gps worked fine. Tried this several times and the results were consistent. Seems like the magnetic mount is somehow interfering with the gps. Hope this helps someone.

I posted this on the GPS and iOS11 thread also.

It has worked for me so far.

Some of you may want to see if it works in your case also:

1. Turn all apps off.

2. Remove SIM card while phone on.

3. Shut down phone (volume button and sleep button for iPhone X).

4. Restart phone while SIM card out.

5. After phone restarts, push SIM card in.

6. Open GPS Diagnostics, or any other GPS app to test, and Hey Presto, it works!

PS: do the above at your own risk. you may want to try removing and re-inserting the SIM card while the phone is shut down. I don't know if the solution works using that method, though.

DISCLAIMER: do the above at your own risk. You may want to try removing and re-inserting the SIM card while the phone is shut down. I don't know if the solution works using that alternative method, though.

Okay, I solved my problem. It was my car's Starlink navigation system. Somehow it prevents the GPS signal on my phone from working. If you're having difficulty in the car - try your GPS with the phone unplugged. That's a dead giveaway. Then search for a solution for your specific car make and model. Good luck!

I have this issue too. After multiple attempts at solving the issue with phone support, I went to Genius Bar. Genius ran diagnostics etc. and ultimately replaced my phone. He reinstalled the iOS from iCloud Backup but told me that if I continued to encounter the same issue, I should try reinstalling from as a new phone because it was likely a software issue. The GPS worked fine for a day or so, and then it started getting lost again. I have noticed that if I turn the phone side to side it resets and finds its way again, but I'm not willing to take that as a solution because it's not the safest thing to do while driving. My next step is to do a clean reinstall as a new phone without using the iCloud Backup. I will post the results here.

I also bought a map. For the digital natives among us, we used to have these paper maps. Some of them are large pieces of paper folded up accordion-style, so that you would have to either have a passenger reading the map and navigating for you, or you would have to pull over, unfold the map on the hood of your car, and figure out where to go from there. Then you would have to either remember the instructions or write down directions for yourself. So that's where I'm at now. It's kind of fun, actually.

This totally worked for me! I bought an iPhone X in March which had constant GPS issues from the start. I contacted Apple Support and tried everything they told me to do (reset locations services, reset network settings, etc.) all to no avail. The only thing that appeared to work is resetting the phone from new, but even then the problem would come back after 1-2 weeks. I finally went in to the genius bar and they swapped my phone for a new one. The GPS on the new one worked fine for about 2 weeks and bam, stopped working again...I'm glad I found this forum and realized a lot of other people have had this problem - I cannot believe Apple hasn't officially acknowledged it yet. It's obviously a software problem in my case since both phones had issues. I even asked the guy at the genius bar if this was a common issue for iPhone X and he said it wasn't. It really ***** because besides the GPS issue, everything else works fine and I really like the phone. I'm glad the SIM card trick seems to work, but until when? When will Apple give us a real fix??

I guess I will have to carry around my SIM card remover tool at all times now...Do you think this is something Apple can fix in a future update? You would think they would have found a solution to this problem already. 😠 Thanks again for your help.

It is not ideal, but not that bad either, for me. I have not had any problem for two weeks now. If you don't have a SIM remover handy, you can use a paper clip, a pin or any other item (again, at your own risk). I think there was a mention about fixing network issues in an iOS update a while back but I don't remember any link being made to GPS functions. There has been no public acknowledgement of these issues, AFAIK, and "they" have even gone as far as censoring me and other contributors on these forums. As usual, we, the sucker customers, have to find the solution ourselves.

Thus so far, the new iOS update, and all the trouble shooting suggested , does not fix the GPS problems,I can't help but think that due to being an early adopter, there was a dodgy batch of GPS chips put into the phones.”

For those who are still experiencing the problem, the iOS 11.2 official update might fix the problem. Apple has not disclosed the release date of the upcoming software update.