iPhone X GPS not working

Cross posting from thread "Q: iPhone X GPS accuracy is weak" because this thread also needs the answer...

After extensive investigations, including hours running multiple GPS apps on both iPhone X and older models, Apple replacing my iPhone X, and a ton of Internet research, it is clear to me what the problem is and everyone with this problem needs to be complaining to Apple. The more of us that tell them this is unacceptable, the more likely this will be fixed in the future.

There are two models of iPhone X - one (A1901) has the GPS accuracy problem and the other (A1865) works properly. If you purchase your phone through AT&T, or purchase an AT&T phone through Apple, you will get the A1901 phone. If you purchase an unlocked SIMless phone or through most other carriers, you will get the A1865 phone. Why does this matter?

The A1865 phone uses a Qualcomm chipset (cellular modem and the GPS chip) and these work great. It is the same family that has been in older iPhones for a long time (which is why this has not been a problem in the past). The A1901 phones (AT&T) come with an Intel chipset that seems to have lower specs all around, and in particular the GPS has more trouble connecting to satellites, and even with the same number of connected satellites, the accuracy is about half that of the Qualcomm (accuracy will show twice the distance).

If you are an AT&T customer, I recommend that you purchase an unlocked phone from Apple (this will be the A1865 version), then get it activated on AT&T and you will be fine. In my case, I purchased my iPhone X from AT&T and it took more than 14 day working with Apple to figure out what the problem was, so AT&T won't take it back. Apple also is unable to exchange this for me because it is not from their inventory, so can only exchange for the same model. If you are in my situation, you need to have them escalate this to engineering. There seems to be no other option for us at this point. This is why I am encouraging as many people as possible to communicate clearly to Apple what the problem is so that they will acknowledge the problem and help us. Hopefully it will become harder for them to claim that your phone is the only one that is having this problem.

Here is a page that shows what model iPhone X you get with each carrier in each country - https://www.techwalls.com/iphone-x-models-a1865-a1901-a1902-differences/

DO NOT BUY THE A1901 IF YOU CARE ABOUT GPS ACCURACY!

It is really not cool of Apple to sell us a phone with severely reduced GPS specs and not tell us there is a difference! Apple, please help us with this.

I'm very new to iPhone X and this GPS problem, but thanks to this thread and specifically @moe52, I was able to solve it, at least for me. Here's the run down:

• We bought our new iPhone X's on Friday, July 13th and on Sunday we drove to and from Boston in my wife's Mini Cooper with no issues with the GPS.
• On Monday & Tuesday I drove my 2006 BMW 330Ci convertible (E46) to work, and GPS (Waze) would not stay connected. It would connect for a few minutes and then lose the connection. Four trips over 40 miles in 2 days with little to no GPS. Needless to say I was a ****** off *****! 😠😠😠
• Tonight, Tuesday July 17th, I took moe52's suggestion and disconnected the BMW OEM bluetooth module. I wasn't using it anyway because nothing would connect to it any longer because it is soooo old. I hopped in the car, and drove for 15 mins with no GPS issues! Waze was crisp and snappy! It recalculated routes very quickly. 🙂

Thank you all for this thread!

Tl;dr. Bought iPhone X & had GPS issues. Old OEM BMW bluetooth module interfered with GPS signal. Disconnected BMW bluetooth module, and GPS works now.

I was having major issues with my iPhone X GPS not working - did a network reset back to original favtory network settings and now is pin point accurate

I also had the same issue start on 12/27/17, unfortunately the day I landed in TN to visit my brother. I tried two replacement phones through my AT&T insurance and had the same problem. It only fixed when I changed my Sim card to a new one. I cannot explain it as I felt that the problem was probably a hardware issue inside the phone but it did fix it so I don’t know if that might be a solution for you.

So I moved my iPhone mount ca. 20 centimetres to the right on my car's dashboard and the GPS started working perfectly fine. Must have been an interference with a very particularly located module in the car (Bluetooth or something). I know this is what resolved the issue, because when I move the phone back to the previous location the GPS starts to malfunction again.

Try this before returning your phones to Apple:)

I had the same problem for months. I took my iPhone case off and the GPS works much better now without the case.

Hi ewangwakes,

I've tried everything already. Now it has helped me to turn off bluetooth and turn it on. I used to be in a Kia Sportage car with a hands-free loudspeaker. Thank you!

Try connecting your phone directly into the car stereo via UBS port or aux cord then launch Google maps or Waze. This is the only way I have been able to use GPS on my iPhone x in my car (2017 Cayenne.) The issue seems to be with Bluetooth and GPS cancelling each other out since neither works simultaneously. The UBS port overrides the Bluetooth signal and allows GPS to work. Let me know if this works for you. I also think the latest software update 11.2.6 should have a fix.

The antenna could be broke you cou.d test it outside where you’d have a direct line of sight with the gps satellites

By the way, for those with this issue: If you still have a previous phone, you can use it as your nav device by tethering it to your iPhone X. That uses the old phone's GPS and the data service of your X.

But if you do this, be sure to kill all the data using apps from the old phone or it will very happily download email and podcasts and whatever from your cellular connection on the new phone and may overrun your data plan.

Not a great workaround but it does work.

@Petruk -- welcome to the "club." I would not expect a quick solution as this is a very strange problem and rare (as evidenced by the fact that, as you found, few Apple techs find this in their knowledge base) -- but we're not alone, as 227 people have clicked "I have this problem too" on this thread. I was persistent and have been escalated multiple times until Apple engineering finally confirmed it in logs taken from my phone and there is now an official bug report. They could solve it soon but I would not bbetween on that.

For what it's worth, I kept my iphone 6s and use it for GPS, tethering it to my iPhone X to get data service. Awkward but works.

Another update here. Turns out moving the phone to the right on the dashboard only solved the problem for a short while. It still keeps losing GPS signal. The only solution that works now is touching and holding one of my fingers against the metal band around the phone (on the bottom to be precise, as the rest of the band is surrounded by a silicone case). The moment I stop touching the phone, it loses signal again.

I wonder if this is something a software update can address at all, as it seems to be a hardware issue.

OK, an update. The good news, is that I think my problem is solved. The bad news is that few of you will find my solution helpful.

The problem is interference from the car that prevents the phone (intermittently, in my case) from receiving a GPS signal. For me, the no-GPS condition happens almost always in this car, and never anywhere else.

My solution was to disable a module that provides Bluetooth (and the weird satellite/cell communication feature BMW provides to make cell phones connect through the car and to allow emergency calls if you have their pricey roadside assistance program.) I don't use any of this complicated gadgetry. The Bluetooth in this car was never very useful and stopped working long ago, so for me, disabling it is an option.

The car is a BMW Z4, 2005 (E85). The Bluetooth communications module is in the trunk, on the wall behind the driver seat. It's a challenge to disconnect since you can't really see the connectors, which have the usual fiddly little levers and locks to keep them from wiggling loose. Not a lot of help online but did find an article on how to install the module, which helped some. PM me if you want my notes but the tl;dr is to remove or pull back the trunk liner, unbolt the module's bracket, unplug the 54-pin connector, and put it back together, losing the nuts a couple of times. The module also has a row of antenna connectors but I could not get those stinkers free, as they have a little latch-lever that I could not readily see.

For those of you who do not want to disable your car's features, this is useless advice. But it does help confirm that it's an RF interference issue with a small number of cars. And, for what it's worth, I did get my issue escalated to Apple Engineering and they were (finally) able to confirm it and see it happen in the logs, so there is now an official bug report. I'm not optimistic that they will be able to fix this any time soon but who knows?

I tried every fix for my iPhone gps to start working , and nothing worked I was about to get a new phone so I cleared all browsing history and it fixed he gps issues ! Nothing else worked before having to do a hard reset so give it a shot !