Terrible GPS latency

[steiney]

Hello All!

I have been getting very frustrated with my Samsung Galaxy S2's GPS capabilities. When I turn the GPS on and load directions into the Navigation app, it takes the app 4-6 minutes to return the voice directions.

I'm running a test right now. I set my location at work today and have now opened the Maps app at home with the GPS enabled and am waiting for it to find my location. The clock is now at around 4.5 minutes without updating my location. And I've pressed the "my location" button several times.

Is this GPS latency a known issue with this phone, or phones in general, or am I the only one having this problem? Either way, if anyone has any suggestions for decreasing the GPS latency, I'd love to hear them.

Also, I've found that the GPS signal seems to get lost more frequently on my phone than with standalone GPS directions units in cars.

Thanks in advance,

steiney

 

[jerofld]

You may have a unit with a defective GPS radio. I'd recommend you take it to your carrier's service center and show them the problem. There are a lot of people with S2s and this doesn't seem to be a common problem.

 

[Saltine713]

Hello All!

I have been getting very frustrated with my Samsung Galaxy S2's GPS capabilities. When I turn the GPS on and load directions into the Navigation app, it takes the app 4-6 minutes to return the voice directions.

I'm running a test right now. I set my location at work today and have now opened the Maps app at home with the GPS enabled and am waiting for it to find my location. The clock is now at around 4.5 minutes without updating my location. And I've pressed the "my location" button several times.

Is this GPS latency a known issue with this phone, or phones in general, or am I the only one having this problem? Either way, if anyone has any suggestions for decreasing the GPS latency, I'd love to hear them.

Also, I've found that the GPS signal seems to get lost more frequently on my phone than with standalone GPS directions units in cars.

Thanks in advance,

steiney

Response to the bolded part: That is the case with any phone, as standalone GPS units have a much larger GPS receiver and apply more power to the receiver as that is all they do.

It sounds like your GPS is defective. An easy way to tell is to download GPS Status from the android marketplace and see what satellites you are getting reception for.

 

[steiney]

Thanks for the help guys! I'm going to check out "GPS Status" and most likely take the phone back to the store. It's been about 3-3.5 months since I bought it and signed up with Sprint, so I think I might be outside of the warranty period, but it's worth trying.

 

[jerofld]

Thanks for the help guys! I'm going to check out "GPS Status" and most likely take the phone back to the store. It's been about 3-3.5 months since I bought it and signed up with Sprint, so I think I might be outside of the warranty period, but it's worth trying.

You're outside the 30-day contract cancellation window. But the device has a 1-year warranty. You can't exchange that device for a different model, but you can get that device serviced and possibly replaced.

 

[steiney]

Well that's excellent news. I'll be taking it in today or tomorrow. Thanks!

 

[steiney]

Update: I discovered that if I keep the GPS turned on and enter/exit GPS use through a given app, the GPS works almost instantly. I thought previously that you had to turn the GPS on/off in the system settings so that it didn't eat up battery life while it was not being used. Now that I leave it on, it works very quickly. Thanks again for everyone's help!

 

[Saltine713]

Update: I discovered that if I keep the GPS turned on and enter/exit GPS use through a given app, the GPS works almost instantly. I thought previously that you had to turn the GPS on/off in the system settings so that it didn't eat up battery life while it was not being used. Now that I leave it on, it works very quickly. Thanks again for everyone's help!

I was just about to say the same thing. I keep it on all of the time now, and it checks itself every hour for 5 seconds, pinging. Then whenever I use Maps, it locks on instantly.

 

[steiney]

Yeah, its almost instant when you leave it on. I wonder how many other people out there think their GPS is just really slow?