Where to start...

When I first got Android 4.0 in my Bionic, there were many issues. I eventually resorted to a Factory Reset.

I now have 4.0.4 and have even bigger issues, primarily with the GPS/navigation. As I look at google maps, I'm sitting in the Atlantic Ocean. If I try to use navigation, I'm started about 50 miles from my home location, routed 50 to 200 miles out of my way, only to have to backtrack, and being told to make turns where I can't make them (interstates and one way streets). Oh, and let's not forget that the map is upside down.

Before I do another reset (and lose even more data), how likely is it to fix my map/nav issues?

 

Ever since 4.0, my phone has had issues. Mainly with GPS/Nav.

I geo cache, and use turn by turn to get me to the location, and use Google maps satellite imagery to help me locate Ground Zero.I really noticed the problem yesterday when I was navigating to a cache location, and it started me in the wrong place, and took me way out of my way. I kind of knew where it was, but not exactly. I got there, but nav was giving me all kinds of strange directions.

When I got to the location, and tried to locate GZ, the indicator for me was bouncing all over the place and I was standing still. I rebooted the phone and still had the same issue with the bounce.

I've been using the phone for geo caching since August, and have used nav on this phone for over a year. I had an original Droid for a year before that, so it's not like I'm brand new to all this.

I'll try the apps, and see what happens.

Thanks,
Linda

 

Partially correct. Unrooted Bionic, running ICS 4.0.4, release 6.7.246, and having the problem.

When running GB 2.4.3 (unsure of the release), I did not have the GPS/Nav problems.

When ICS was pushed, *THAT'S* when I started having the problems. I started having problems with the map not displaying correctly (gray boxes, instead of the satellite image, "searching for GPS", being re-routed in the middle of driving).

Did not do an FDR on GB. Did one FDR since ICS (about 3 weeks into ICS, hoping to correct this and other issues). It sort of corrected the nav issues, but recently they have popped up again, and they are worse than before. The incorrect routing and it not taking me to the correct destination, are the major and most troubling issues. It's basically unusable for any kind of nav. The map being upside down is minor, compared to that.

 

Yeah, I reinstalled. I made backups if my important information (phone numbers, addresses, etc), which is the one thing Google is good for, although trying to get my contact list back on the phone has been a problem.

I wish I could say the FDR fixed my issues. Personally, I would love to be back on GB. I had no issues with it.

I have had nothing but trouble with ICS. Like I said, nav is my biggest issue at the moment

 

I don't have a clue about what these apps are telling me. As far as I can tell, GPS Test says I'm using 7 of 11 satellites, with an accuracy of 105ft. Phone Tester's GPS status shows 5 of 10 satellites, and an accuracy of 96.0m. Which does nothing to explain why having the issues I am.

 

John, well, I've had some improvement. I used the tools on GPS Status and Toolbox, and recalibrated, and now I'm within feet of my home location, and turn by turn doesn't take me out of my way, and I'm not bouncing all over the place. It did take a couple of times, and I got the improvement after I rebooted my phone. I'll test it on some of my previous cache finds to see how well it does.

 

I just checked my location again, and I'm back to being miles off (though this time about 8 miles). It didn't even last 12 hours. Now what?

I'm pretty much back to square 1, with useless GPS/nav. Short of trying another FDR, I'm stumped. It's not the phone, because the GPS/nav worked with GB. It has to be ICS, because that's when things started going wonky.

After I checked it last night, and it was close, I left the phone alone, until I just checked it again. So somehow during the night, it lost accuracy.

GPS Test says I'm using 6 of 15 satellites with an accuracy of 315 ft. Phone Test says 8 of 15, with and accuracy of 32.0m. GPS Status says 7 of 14 with an accuracy of 209 ft. My geo cache app shows 7 of 14, accuracy of 157 ft. I'm baffled.

 

I'm using Google and standalone, and WiFi is off. Same settings that I had before ICS. I turned WiFi on, and I was then about 15 to 20 miles from my house, and bouncing. Same routers as before around me. Turned it off, and went back to about 8 miles off. Also, I couldn't log onto my geo caching app with WiFi on, so I couldn't check the accuracy there. Turning WiFi off, I looked again, and I'm about about 5 miles off in the geo cache app.

Turned on VZW location, and I'm about 5 miles off with it on. Still having a lot of the "searching for GPS" when I try turn by turn, and the routing is still a little funky. It seems to want to take the longest possible route from point A to point B, even though there are major roads that would provide a shorter route.

I'm at a loss. My phone has been wonky since ICS. I'm tired of tech support and the lackeys at the VZW stores not being able to figure it out, and their answer is always FDR. I've done that, and it hasn't helped.

Seems like Google is trying to compete with Apple to see who has the junkiest, most annoying OS around...

 

*NOTHING* changed from working to wonky except for ICS. If I ever had to go into the VZW store, the lackeys would turn off WiFi. When I first got the phone, I was having issues with network connectivity (which I attributed entirely to Verizon), which they finally sort of admitted was their fault. The lackey's would take it upon themselves to turn off WiFi, GPS, and adjust my screen timeout.

When I got ICS, WiFi would turn on and off on its own. And I could pretty much watch the battery drain when it was on. Even with an extended battery. Before ICS, I had my screen set to never timeout; I would turn it off on my own. With a full charge, I could leave the screen on, use GPS/nav, text, email, and still have about 20% battery left after 8 hours.

Since ICS, I don't do nearly as much with the phone, and have to charge at least twice in 8 hours. And I can't set my screen timeout for longer than 10 minutes.

ICS has been a completely and total fiasco for me. If ICS is this horrible, I dread JB.

Anyhoo... I did just get the warning, after turning Google location services off. And I recalibrated, rebooted the phone, and I am back to being within feet of my home location. The question is, for how long?

If it wasn't for the *serious* battery drain, I'd be half tempted to turn on WiFi...

 

4G. Since ICS, WiFi just kills the battery, and I'm not always near a charger. And since iOS6 is so bad, I'll stick with the junky OS I know, rather than switch to one I don't know. *shrug*

 

Just did a test. Turned on WiFi, with 70% battery remaining. 35 minutes later, I have 60% battery remaining. Screen was off, no texts or email sent or received, no calls made or received. At 70%, I had 4 hrs 13 mins on battery, when I checked and saw 60%, I had 4 hrs 49 mins on battery.

Suggestions?

 

I turned WiFi off with 60% and 4 hrs 49 mins on battery, I have 6 hrs 4 mins currently, and am still at 60%, so over an hour of nothing happening with the phone.

How would I tell if there's an app causing it?

 

Yes, I realize that WiFi will drain the battery, which is one of the reasons why I bought an extended battery. The longest life one I could get. Because at the time, I was making heavy use of WiFi, GPS, and text (SMS/MMS). Also email, mobile web, and camera. I was using my phone a lot, so I had it set to never timeout under GB. All that, and under GB, I could go 8 hours on a charge.

With ICS, I don't do nearly as much. About half or less than before. And I still have to charge my phone more than I did with GB. It also takes way longer to charge now.

I would hate to have the original battery now. The extended battery isn't enough for ICS.

 

I don't know what "flash a totally new ICS" is. I shouldn't have to know. I looked at the Bionic Life Saver page, and I don't understand it.

I just want my phone to work. Like it used to, before this monstrosity called ICS was forced on me. I have had nothing but trouble with it, from day 1.

I called tech support, I went to the lackeys at the VZW store, I posted on Motorola's forums. Everybody said do an FDR. I downloaded apps that were supposed to save my info, and they didn't. I lost a lot of information that I can't get back, when I did the FDR. And it didn't help with the problems I was having.

My position according to GPS is now correct, however I get "searching for GPS..." for anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes, before it finally gets the signal. I didn't have that before ICS.

At this point, I am getting ready to just throw in the towel. I've been dealing with this for over 2 months now.