Is GPS accurate? This could be a dealbreaker!!

[Singhman]

I need a phone that has a working gps. I have a samsung galaxy s, and gps sucks!!! I'm not talking about number of satellites, i'm talking about accuracy (on the app "gps test"). On my samsung it jumps around from 32 to 64ft accuracy and puts me on parallel streets.

Today a store rep let me take a htc incredible S in my car and drive around a bit. I was shocked to see that the gps accuracy was worse than my galaxy s!!! It found and locked onto many satellites (sometimes 11 of 11) but the accuracy sucked. It would fluctuate anywhere from 30 ft to 120 ft accuracy using the gps test app. At some points it would show me off of the road. Is this a common problem on this phone? I borrowed a friends motorolla atrix the other day and had an accuracy of 4.9ft! Thats accurate to like 2 steps! Would really appreciate your feedback. If your gps accuracy is good on your phone, then what do you think could have caused the one i tried today to be so horrible? Thanks

 

[TeresaTT]

The GPS is poor on my Incredible S. It takes ages to lock and also isn't very accurate. My old Windows Mobile Touch HD was much better. Luckily I've got a stand alone GPS receiver and can get my phone to work with it using an app called Bluetooth GPS Provider. Accuracy is much better using this but it's a pain to have to carry another gadget and also there are a number of settings that have to be changed if I want to switch between internal and external GPS. Also, not all apps will work with external GPS but I've had Google Maps and Navigation and MM Tracker working with it although I've not used them on any trips yet. I'm looking to buy a sat nav app such as CoPilot but I'll need to make sure it will work with an external GPS first.

Searching the internet shows that many people are having problems with GPS on their phones and not just the Incredible S.

 

[deanfarnaby]

I only ever use my GPS for in car navigation (Google Nav Beta) .

Sometimes I have to put it on the dash next to the window to initiate a lock.

Once it's found me and homed in I have no issues. Never puts me on the wrong road or anything like that. I've never used an accuracy check but for general use I have never had an issue

 

[TeresaTT]

I've just had a go with the internal GPS and Google navigation. It was completely useless being about a quarter of a mile out and had me on all sorts of roads. However, halfway through my return journey it suddenly became very accurate and was spot on for the rest of the journey. It was very weird. The GPS icon was showing a lock all the way through but it was only towards the end of my journey that it became accurate. My trip was only a few miles.

 

[deanfarnaby]

This is really strage.

I have never , ever had an issue with mine.

Just last week I did a 40 or so mile journey (80 there and back)

Around country roads, up and down hills and valleys, through fords etc etc. It never lost signal, or put me on the wrong road, not once.

As above I tend to leave the phone near windscreen for a min or two before I start to make sure it's picked me up properly.

This is with both GPS and Mobile Data enabled.

Also tried the Premium Navigation Trial (places app / car panel) and had no issues with that either.

 

[itandy]

Initially I thought the GPS of IS sucks. I've been using HTC Hero since 2009 and it's GPS is exceptional. Fast to lock and accurate. But IS is a complete different story.

Then a few days ago I rooted my IS and installed Android Revolution HD custom ROM. Since then the GPS works flawlessly, almost as good as my Hero. I'm not sure if it's the radio that comes with ARHD that makes the difference. Before root, the radio version is 3805.04.03.27_M, now is 3805.04.03.22_M. Both are GB 2.3.3 ROM.

 

[deanfarnaby]

Initially I thought the GPS of IS sucks. I've been using HTC Hero since 2009 and it's GPS is exceptional. Fast to lock and accurate. But IS is a complete different story.

Then a few days ago I rooted my IS and installed Android Revolution HD custom ROM. Since then the GPS works flawlessly, almost as good as my Hero. I'm not sure if it's the radio that comes with ARHD that makes the difference. Before root, the radio version is 3805.04.03.27_M, now is 3805.04.03.22_M. Both are GB 2.3.3 ROM.

I have the official OTA Update from HTC and my radio version is
3805.04.03.22_M.

As I said above, No issues at all with GPS

 

[TeresaTT]

I have the official OTA Update from HTC and my radio version is
3805.04.03.22_M.

As I said above, No issues at all with GPS

I have the same version as you but my GPS is a bit wild. Yesterday I did another couple of trips with it but this time I only had problems for the first minute of use and then it was spot on. I'm going to keep trying it out on journeys I know as I still have no confidence in it. Until I figure out what is going on, for journeys that I need at sat nav I'll use my external GPS.

Incidently, this is my second phone as I swapped my first one because it was even worse.

 

[zer0snap]

I found the GPS very inaccurate and very poor on my old Inc.S.

 

[dflindsey]

Yes! I am not good with directions and it works wonderfully for me.