Level 1

114 points

iPhone 8 GPS problems

On both Google Maps and Apple Maps, the gps doesn't seem to keep up. The apps start up fine but once I start driving the GPS becomes erratic and loses me. Both navigation apps can't seem to locate me unless I re-start the app over and over again. I thought it was a buggy iPhone 8 so I took it back to Verizon (where I bought it) and it was swapped out for a new one, and the new one started acting the same way the moment I hit the road. I haven't used any icloud backups, I set up both phones as new iPhones each time I activated them. I also factory reset my day old iPhone twice before taking it to the store for replacement. The replacement (new) phone has the same issue. Help!

iPhone 8, iOS 11

Posted on Sep 23, 2017 6:01 PM

Top-ranking reply

Sanfranglasgow

Level 1

4 points

Posted on Oct 16, 2017 5:13 PM

Just went out a few miles drive to test the replacement phone. Drove over a mile with the phone not on the magnetic mount and it worked perfectly on waze and apple maps. On the way back i put it on the magnetic mount and low and behold waze had red No GPS error and apple maps location was way off and wouldnt right itself. I dont think new phones are supposed to be bothered my magnets but thats seems to be the case for me. I know that some people on this thread have it happening when walking or on a non magnetic mount and i hope you find a solution but for others out there using these mounts, try taking it off. Im gonna buy a cradle mount, too much hassle to get phone replaced so im taking the easy option.

View in context

756 replies

Jan 21, 2018 9:11 AM in response to Community User

I repeat the suggestion of a user above: install GPSDiagnostic (a $3.00 app) ahead of time, and use it to get clear data to show the genius bar people exactly what is going on.

Feb 13, 2018 11:40 AM in response to Finalizer

Sometimes it's not the GPS that is guiding you but a triangulation of GPS towers with WIFI networks geolocation. Are you sure you are connected to sattelites? The GPSDiagnostic app will help.

Jun 5, 2018 4:22 PM in response to carsonR290

No case at all. If my phone is in my cup holder or even my hand in the middle of my suv, nothing. Hold it to my sun roof and it works. Never had this problem with the 7!ever!

Oct 16, 2017 3:16 PM in response to kchamp927

Im having the same issue, just got back from Apple Store and had phone replaced. My issue mainly seems to occur when i have it on my magnetic mount. I need to test it a bit more, put it on mount as soon as i got out and it had the issue, took it off and it started working. Something tells me the glass back allows for more interference. If yours is happening just walking around u should book a genius appointment and get it replaced. I would be interested to hear from other people if they use the magnetic mount.

Oct 21, 2017 6:22 PM in response to Sanfranglasgow

Yeah the magnetic can affect the signal cause of the glass back. But I have used a normal grabbing mount and it still messed with the signal. As soon as I pull it out it’s fixed. But then random parts in the car it would fail.

Oct 24, 2017 7:32 AM in response to Philly_Phan

I don't think the GPS issues with the iPhone 8 have anything to do with having wifi and Bluetooth on or off. I always leave Wifi and Bluetooth enabled on my phone and I'm having the issue with accuracy. I've also tested my daughters 8 Plus and it is exactly the same. I brought my phone back to the Apple store and they swapped it for a new one a few weeks ago and it does the same thing. I've been working with an Apple Engineer who turned debugging on on my phone for a day and collected about 500MB of log files. The last report I got from them on Oct. 17 was:

"I have received information from our engineers regarding the GPS location. He is currently working on a fix for this error and will provide me information when he finds out more! Glad they are working to address this concern. If you have any questions please let me know but I will reach out when I have a resolution.

ekwest11

Level 1

4 points

Oct 25, 2017 8:05 AM in response to JRAG24

Same issue. Gps location get stuck and stops updating. I’ve noticed it happens WAY more frequently when my phone is in lower power mode. In fact, I’m not sure I’ve had the issue when not in low power mode. Super annoying. I just switched from Android for the first time in many years and this issue is not inspiring confidence in Apple. Gps is one of the core feature of a smart phone these days. This has to be addressed ASAP.

Oct 25, 2017 12:53 PM in response to JRAG24

I had another call with an Apple Engineer today. We installed a profile on my phone called "Location and Motion Logging" They want me to leave it installed today and later this evening they will pull the log files to analyze. I'm starting to see more people online complaining about this so there is something going on. If you are having this issue you need to call Apple support and open a ticket.

Nov 1, 2017 11:59 AM in response to damon291

Interestingly, the iOS 11.1 release notes mention a fix for "some 3rd-party GPS accessories" that "caused inaccuracies in location data".

I'm not using a 3rd-party GPS accessory, but after updating to 11.1 this morning, GPS did seem markedly improved. Of course, it could just be coincidence as the issue is quite unpredictable, but would be interesting to see if anyone else has a similar experience.

swalter6

Level 1

12 points

Nov 13, 2017 9:14 AM in response to JRAG24

I’m surprised, but I just tried using both Apple maps and google maps in landscape mode and everything worked perfectly. Maybe it is an issue with the accelerometer that is interfering with GPS functionality…

Nov 15, 2017 11:39 AM in response to diodes123

diodes123 wrote:

iPhone 8 doesn't have GPS as far as I know. It uses AGPS instead, witch I don't like because it USES CELLULAR DATA. The point is, no signal = no GPS. Thats as far as I know. You could also contact Apple at 1-800-MY-APPLE

That's not the way AGPS (assisted GPS). The GPS on the iPhone 8 will work without cellular. It just may not lock on as quickly if it can't use the cellular signal.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assisted_GPS

The iPhone an also use several other location systems:

Assisted GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, and QZSS

Note that map data may require a data connection. There are navigation apps that will download the maps for offline use.

intelo2

Level 1

9 points

Nov 17, 2017 7:02 AM in response to springf

IOS 11.1.2 was released last night. If anyone was wondering this didn't fix anything. I recorded an interesting video that seems to support my car interfering with the GPS signal on the iPhone X. When the car is on, the GPS signal disappear, but when I turn the car off I get signal within a few seconds.

iPhone X GPS Issue - YouTube

Nov 17, 2017 7:38 AM in response to JRAG24

I just wanted to throw my hat into the ring on this.

We have three iPhone X, 2 on ATT one on Sprint. They all demonstrate the issue, mine and the sprint phone both use magnetic mounts but the other ATT phone does not and has never.

I have had trouble with this while using the mount and while not using the mount, the problem is also persistent across three different cars and in different seats, including the back seats.

As it is getting colder out I have not been out walking as much to test away from the car but my experiences have led me to believe it is not related to the cars.

We experience this issue mainly in the Pokemon Go app but I am sure other apps would also have the issue if I were to use them regularly, I have found that quickly switching to another GPS based app and then back can often times fix the issue but only for a minute or two.

IOS 11.1.2 has not resolved the issue as others have already stated.

One theory I have is a possible heat issue. Pokemon Go makes phones run very hot so this sounds plausible. Also anyone using a dashboard mount may have direct sunlight heating up their phones, I don't know if this is repeatable by anyone else or if they can show that the phone also messes up while cold or not.

Either way I am really hoping for a fix soon and I hope it can come through software or Apple is gonna have alot of very upset customers.

verdejt

Level 1

42 points

Nov 23, 2017 10:33 AM in response to HereIsTom

Here is long reply to you saying that Wifi and Bluetooth have no effect on iPhone GPS. They do in fact have a huge impact. Read below.

Michael Gray, Sr. Software Engineer, NYC. Gadget Afflicted

Answered Dec 10, 2014

GPS devices don't "connect" to the satellites. They just listen.
GPS is kind of an ingenious design. GPS satellites are "low-earth-orbit" satellites. Each satellite broadcasts on a specific channel, so the phone can tell immediately which satellite it hears. At it's simplest - the GPS satellite sends the current time. (It sends a lot of other stuffs too, but it's really just a fancy, high precision clock).
But the device has some logic that says... if this is satellite X and it's time T, than satellite X must be exactly in this spot in the sky right now. (Or at least where it was WHEN the message was sent from the satellite). It basically takes that time stamp, and satellite identifier, and maps it back to where it expects the satellite to be. (All that other data that is sent helps devices deal with things like satellite drift, etc).
But the device listens for multiple satellites. And the satellites are SO far away (20km above the earth, but maybe much farther from where you are at the moment) that the messages arrive "late". Each timestamp from each satellite arrives at your phone at a different moment. But if you have at least 3 or 4 signals (from 3 or 4 satellites) you can figure out exactly where you are in relationship to those satellites. (You can also use it to set your local clock!)
So there is no "connection" going on - it's just listening.
Of course, GPS has issues - if you are inside you may not be able to hear enough signals. (They can be blocked by buildings). It also has a "lock-in" issue where you actually have to be listening for a few seconds or more before you have enough information to announce "success".
Most cell phones actually use "Assisted GPS". This is the same algorithm, but adds information from nearby cell towers (their position and the area of the world it serves) - which can help speed up the lock-in time, and can reduce the number of required satellites to get an "Acceptable" result.
But the interesting thing is Wifi based location -it can often be FASTER and more reliable than Gps or cell tower triangulation. That's because wifi hotspots are so small. And in big cities you can be surrounded by Wifi hotspots. Wifi is especially great in those big city buildings (that are blocking the GPS signals). BUT - Wifi location almost always REQUIRES an active data connection. Your phone may cache a few hotspots that it has seen before, but the database of wifi-hotspots is huge and constantly changing. So you really need to talk to that big location server in the cloud to figure out where you are. iOS8 adds bluetooth also.
So modern location services (like in Android and iPhone) are taking a pile of RF readings - GPS, Cell Tower, Wifi and Bluetooth, and is routinely pinging all of those those values to an external location service on the internet somewhere. It doesn't send a lot of data (it won't eat up your data plan much), but it does it frequently enough that it can help drain your battery. It tries to be efficient about how often it needs to connect to the server, and how much it can infer based on it's existing cache. But the combination of the data connection and the processing power can eat away at your battery.

Dec 2, 2017 11:32 AM in response to jacap

I spoke to the apple technician team again. The guy confirmed that they have been receiving reports with issues to do with GPS performance.

As per his request, I did a factory reset and update to ios 11.2 through iTunes and confirm that the problem is still there.

I am being asked to record my screen using the Apple maps app with proof of the problem and submit diagnostics data.

At least they are aware of issues but seem to think they are not widespread enough to worry over a media backlash.

This thread has been closed by the system or the community team. You may vote for any posts you find helpful, or search the Community for additional answers.

iPhone 8 GPS problems