Help GPS suddenly stopped working

[seagull_desire]

Hi all you hopefully 1337 android users!

Since I'm new to this forum I'll start out with a big "Hello, nice to meet y'all!"
It's nice to be here, and I hope to get a lot of experience on using my, for me, way too complicated HTC Desire....


So here's the deal. I bought an almost brand new Desire from a friend a couple of months ago. Since I just moved to another city, I was extremely fond of the GPS navigation software and the Google maps app.
It was working like a charm, despite the fact that I read that the Froyo update had complicated things for some users.

Anyways, I've been using it massively, and have always been able to get a quick location and satellite fix.

However, the other day - it just couldn't find any satellites at all!
Since then I've been on an internet scavenge hunt for clues as to what might be the problem, and I've downloaded GPS tester and various other apps for GPS configuration and ultimately ended up doing a "hard reset" in sheer desperation. All for nothing, as the problem persists...

How can this be? I mean, to me it doesn't make a whole lotta sense for it to just stop working like that.

Any suggestions? All help is greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

 

[AndroidSPCS]

Welcome! I don't have an answer for the GPS issue but hope you find a resolution!

 

[seagull_desire]

Welcome! I don't have an answer for the GPS issue but hope you find a resolution!

Thanks for the welcoming. But since this was not a specific "Introduction" post, I consider your reply rather worthless to say the least.
Guess I can't complain since you're the only one so far with a response.

(No offence intented)

 

[AndroidSPCS]

LOL sorry it was worthless. I see a lot of newbies who never get welcomed so I thought I'd at least welcome you. Guess I need to stop welcome newbies.

 

[Frisco]

Hello seagull_desire, welcome to Android Forums.

Sorry to see you're having issues with GPS in your HTC Desire. We're seeing posted reports of those sort of problems in many different Android devices.

One course of action to take is a clearing of cache and data in the GPS app itself, then rebooting the Desire.

Most users are awaiting an update to their software that addresses the GPS issues so many are experiencing.

Try the data clearing.

Meanwhile, I've moved your question to the Desire support area for you.

 

[seagull_desire]

Hello seagull_desire, welcome to Android Forums.

Sorry to see you're having issues with GPS in your HTC Desire. We're seeing posted reports of those sort of problems in many different Android devices.

One course of action to take is a clearing of cache and data in the GPS app itself, then rebooting the Desire.

Most users are awaiting an update to their software that addresses the GPS issues so many are experiencing.

Try the data clearing.

Meanwhile, I've moved your question to the Desire support area for you.

How do I clear the cache? I did the "reset GPS something" in the GPS tester app, but that didn't help. Shut down the phone and started it again multiple times since, without any progress.

 

[Frisco]

Launch the GPS status app > settings > clear cache/clear data.

 

[noodles317]

"GPS Status App", where is this or do you mean install one from the market?

 

[seagull_desire]

Launch the GPS status app > settings > clear cache/clear data.

Tried it, no dice

 

[brinsk]

Tried it, no dice

have you tried uninstalling google maps? you can download the updated version from the market afterwards, so give that a try you never know it might work.

other than that, if you have wifi try using that to load up gps as you will have a stronger signal

 

[seagull_desire]

have you tried uninstalling google maps? you can download the updated version from the market afterwards, so give that a try you never know it might work.

other than that, if you have wifi try using that to load up gps as you will have a stronger signal

Still nothing

Thanks though.

 

[brinsk]

Still nothing

Thanks though.

sorry seagull_ but it was worth a try i guess. have you contacted htc themselves? was reading on another question about getting your motherboard (on your phone obv) 'flashed'. i dont know what it means, but im guessing its something like having the m/board wiped clean and then all the stuff loaded back onto it. from what i read, it seems to cure pretty much most probs, so it might be worth doing that. you would need to take it to a repair shop tho.

you never know, it might have just got itself badly configured, like when you frag your pc and everything is put back where its meant to be?

hope this helps

d

 

[seagull_desire]

sorry seagull_ but it was worth a try i guess. have you contacted htc themselves? was reading on another question about getting your motherboard (on your phone obv) 'flashed'. i dont know what it means, but im guessing its something like having the m/board wiped clean and then all the stuff loaded back onto it. from what i read, it seems to cure pretty much most probs, so it might be worth doing that. you would need to take it to a repair shop tho.

you never know, it might have just got itself badly configured, like when you frag your pc and everything is put back where its meant to be?

hope this helps

d

Tried to contact them the other day, but the waiting time on the hotline was too much. 12 mins without getting through wasted my patience.

Flashing seems like a probable solution. Only problem is that the shop where it was purchased is far from where I live, but the warranty is what counts I guess...

 

[danarchy]

I have run into this exact same problem with my Droid. Started a few days ago, around the time Google released an update for the Maps application. I have not been able to get it working again

 

[seagull_desire]

I have run into this exact same problem with my Droid. Started a few days ago, around the time Google released an update for the Maps application. I have not been able to get it working again

Whew! It's great to know I'm not alone with this problem! That's at least one step towards a solution, knowing that it's an actual problem for others.

And I do recall something about me just allowing all programs to update around the time I noticed it had stopped working!

 

[danarchy]

There is another thread here somewhere which discusses this same issue, but yet another phone, so besides the updates, not sure what else we have in common, and why it affects only a few. Very confusing for sure!

 

[Neil UK]

Exactly the same issue!!! It has worked once since I bought the device and since then nothing. I have noticed LOTS of people on the ole internet having the same issue but with no fix.... shame

 

[brinsk]

Whew! It's great to know I'm not alone with this problem! That's at least one step towards a solution, knowing that it's an actual problem for others.

And I do recall something about me just allowing all programs to update around the time I noticed it had stopped working!

i read some of the comments before i updated google maps and they weren't very good, so i decided not to bother. then had a complete phone upgrade come thru and i think google maps was part of it. navi took awhile to load up afterwards and couldnt find a gps signal. i just left it running then forgot about it. about 10 minutes later i heard this voice i recognised and there it was. its worked ever since, so im happy i guess. like i said earlier, if you have wifi then just set it going using that and then just leave it near a window. its always in the 'you never know' category, but anything is worth a try, at least until you have exhausted all your options

good luck and hope you get it sorted soon

d

 

[seagull_desire]

i read some of the comments before i updated google maps and they weren't very good, so i decided not to bother. then had a complete phone upgrade come thru and i think google maps was part of it. navi took awhile to load up afterwards and couldnt find a gps signal. i just left it running then forgot about it. about 10 minutes later i heard this voice i recognised and there it was. its worked ever since, so im happy i guess. like i said earlier, if you have wifi then just set it going using that and then just leave it near a window. its always in the 'you never know' category, but anything is worth a try, at least until you have exhausted all your options

good luck and hope you get it sorted soon

d

Gave it a shot, still nothing

 

[brinsk]

Gave it a shot, still nothing

well then the only thing left is to take it back to the shop. if its still under warranty they may even just replace it for you, or at the very least fix it for you for nothing. sorry everything i suggested didnt work, but at least you tried everything. it may even be just the area where you live. have you tried going a few miles away (about 20 would be a good distance). it might be that for some reason (and all of a sudden), youre now in a blind spot. ive heard of that happening before. sometimes the satellite may have shifted a half inch and your phone just simply cant pick it up any more. it happened to a friend of mine once and he just did something on his pc (with the phone hooked up) and then it worked again. im not saying that you have the same prob of course, but.....

d

 

[seagull_desire]

well then the only thing left is to take it back to the shop. if its still under warranty they may even just replace it for you, or at the very least fix it for you for nothing. sorry everything i suggested didnt work, but at least you tried everything. it may even be just the area where you live. have you tried going a few miles away (about 20 would be a good distance). it might be that for some reason (and all of a sudden), youre now in a blind spot. ive heard of that happening before. sometimes the satellite may have shifted a half inch and your phone just simply cant pick it up any more. it happened to a friend of mine once and he just did something on his pc (with the phone hooked up) and then it worked again. im not saying that you have the same prob of course, but.....

d

Yeah, actually I was visiting family when I discovered that it didn't work, so the "a couple of miles" thing is a check.

It's not under the 6 months warranty, but theres the 2 year guarantee or something, and I might as well send it in now.

Thanks for the suggestions, and if someones got more, please do post them

 

[jonimalabarea]

I'm having the same issue. Has someone found the solution?

Thanks!

 

[Harry2]

Maybe a hardware issue.
The GPS antenna has to be connected with its both ends.

I have picture of the GPS antenna of the Nexus, but it is the same place with the Desire.

http://img180.imageshack.us/img180/9219/gpsmh.jpg

EDIT: The second connector is hidden under the tape.

Harry