[Q] GPS Dropping Out - Samsung Gear S

Is anyone else experiencing GPS dropouts while tracking running or walking in the S Health app? I continue to see the tracking/GPS icon in the upper left throughout the run regardless so I have no way of knowing if it has stopped tracking while running. It apppears to happen about 1 out of every 3 times.

I've been using it daily for the last two weeks and have had no dropouts

I guess i'll try a factory reset and see if that helps. Thanks for the input. By the way, im not running under anything that should interfere with it accept a divided interstate overpass, but it has never dropped at that particular spot.

Factory reset failed to fix the problem. Guess I'll have to talk to t-mobile or samsung unless anyone else has a suggestion.

I realized today that the GPS symbol is solid when it is working in the s-health app and flashing when it has lost connection. I'll have to research to see if I can get it to 'reconnect' mid run. Even so, it is still a huge inconvenience as I would have to check it constantly throughout the run.

can the gear s use GPS without sim inside and not connected to bluetooth phone?

I had huge problems and it took forever to get GPS signal even locked in after the last updates to Gear Mgr and GearS. In my case, something happened to my phone's GPS and I can no longer connect the two without rapid battery drain. As long as my Gear S is completely disconnected (BT and remotely) from my Note, I have zero GPS issues on my Gear S.
Now that I am thinking of it, I think Gear Mgr may have killed my Note 2's GPS. I'll try to deinstall and see what happens. May just be coincidence that everything happened around the same time.

I have bt disabled when on runs, but it is connected remotely to my phone via gear manager. I haven't tried it with everything disabled (accept location). Maybe I'll give that a try tomorrow.
I did call t-mobile and ordered a warranty replacement. Samsung would have 'fixed' it but I would have been without it for who knows how long.

Nope. Turning off all connectivity did not resolve the gps issue. Guess im waiting on the tmo replacement to see if that resolves it.

The gps is internal hardware on the Gear S. I haven't actually removed the SIM card but I have disabled mobile networks and it still works. Well, partially in my case.
Today, as a test, i removed the SIM and set airplane mode on, disabled mobile networks and bt. The gps tracked my entire run. I have to do at least three more sessions to determine if it fixed the dropout issue, but it confirms that the gps can run entirely independet of cellular/data networks and paired devices.

The GPS has worked three times in a row since removing the SIM card and enabling airplane mode. This tells me that there is some kind of software glitch that is interfering with the GPS when these other services are enabled. My replacement is supposed to arrive today and I plan to do some side by side tests with it to gather more information on GPS performance.

So the replacement arrived yesterday. It was just the watch, no band or accessories. I don't know why I was hoping there would be more. (maybe to have an extra charger) but i digress.
This mornings run with the new device 'all on' (meaning SIM inserted, 4G connected and remotely connected to phone) still using the internal gps though, tracked the entire run. I did notice the GPS symbol had gone away about half way through so figured it had dropped again. But when I stopped the run, the readings were in line with a full tracking and syncing with S-Health (on the Note Edge) showed that it did indeed track the entire run.
Now there are two more issues that need to be resolved before this can be settled as a defective original software/device. First, I have to do a couple more runs. Second, and probably more telling from what some other people have mentioned, is the software update that is available. I haven't installed it yet for this very reason. So, a couple more days and Ill have this figured out.
BUT, that being said, the issue with the original device was a SOFTWARE issue proven by the fact that if I removed the SIM and disabled all comms except gps, it worked every time.
Im not sure that I will install the update though, if the gps is working properly. That would just break it again. I'll wait to see if a future update claims to fix the problem. Knowing how Samsung responds to issues/functionality requests, I wont be holding my breath. The last update was pretty much worthless anyway.
Confirmed, the most recent software update is what is causing the gps to malfunction.

It's Official, Samsung Support SUCKS!
Here is my fairly detailed support/bug report communication with Samsung and their less than worthless response. They basically ignored my troubleshooting information, brushed off the S Health metrics issue and completely ignored the fact that I had suggestions as well. Not to mention their response was worded like spam from somewhere in Asia. Paraphrasing someones issue is not the same thing as addressing the issue. Pointing out the benefits of an update that makes the operation of the device unreliable does not make the update any better. Pointing out that no one has reported the issue when I just have is ignorant. They are lazy and do not want to do anything to make their product better or more reliable. Just another faceless corporation.
Samsung,
This is a technical bug I am reporting related to your recent update for the Gear S (T-Mobile US version SM-R750T). This bug is related to the GPS hardware.
My first Gear S device appeared to work fine while tracking walks and runs using the internal GPS until I received the recent update. (At first I didn't realize it was the update that caused the problem since it came out very soon after I got the device). However, through trouble shooting and obtaining a replacement device from T-Mobile I have been able to confirm that the issue is with the software update.
Please see the attached images for further clarification. After the update, the GPS would drop its connection approximately one out of every three runs I would track. When this would happen, the distance logged by S-Health as well as the calories burned would nearly double. A factory reset did not seem to resolve the issue (but I may have re-installed the update, or it could have been hardcoded into the device once installed, I am not sure of that). What did get it working however, was removing the SIM card and disabling all communications except GPS. Then it would track continuously without failing.
So I got a replacement from T-Mobile and DID NOT install the available update and that replacement device has been working flawlessly since with all comms functioning normally and the Gear S paired remotely to my Note Edge.
So two issues:
1) Software update 'breaks' GPS when Gear S is also connected to mobile networks or paired remotely to a device.
2) S-Health severely over-estimates distances and calories burned when GPS is not being used to track the activity.
This issue can be found on the following developers site where I have documented my activities:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/gear-s/help/gps-dropping-t3065107
Here you can see that others have experienced the same issue.
Thank you for your time and I sincerely hope you address these issues in the next update as well as some further recommendations for functionality that I have listed below.
Functionality updates:
Operating System (Tizen)
Add communication (BT, WIFI) toggles to the status drop down.
S-Health
Add personalized workouts to S-Health like weightlifting, just like you can add custom food items.
Add data export feature
Add additional ways of viewing and comparing the data (customizable graphs) so that certain vectors can be compared over time such as time of run, average pace etc.
________________________________________
Dear Timothy,
Thank you for taking the time to contact us at Samsung Technical Support. We always appreciate hearing from our customers.
I see that you would like to report the technical bug reported after the recent update to us.
We haven’t received any attachments along with this email. You would like to inform us that after the update the GPS drops its connection approximately one out of every three runs. When this happen the distance logged by the S –Health and the calories burned will be nearly doubled and you attempted a Factory Reset in-order to resolve the issue.
I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience. Updating the product will bring positive changes to the device. The new features after the update are as follows. This device operates on Software Version R750TUVU1AOA7.
•Preloaded Stopwatch and Timer
•New icon glossary - Viewed under Settings > Gear Info > Icon Glossary
•DST timer fix for Arizona State
Samsung do not recommend or fully agree to the information shared on non Samsung websites.
As you are experiencing issues with the device, we need to check if the issue is in all the locations or only in a dedicated location. Unfortunately, as the device is replaced and we cannot troubleshoot the device currently.
Honstetly, as of now there are no reported issues after the device is being updated to Tizen.
I appreciate your time.
Should you desire additional assistance, we invite you to access the web-link http://www.samsung.com/us/support/contact to speak to a Chat Specialist. Our technicians are more than happy to assist you further. Chat Support is available 24X7.
For additional support and updates regarding your product, please follow us at @SamsungSupport on Twitter or like our page at https://www.facebook.com/samsungsupport.
Thank you for choosing Samsung products.
If you have a minute, please fill out a brief survey to help us serve you better. To begin the survey, click on the “Start Survey Here” link at the bottom of this email. Please note that you can access the survey page only when the pop-up blocker is disabled in the browser.
Sincerely,
Verlin.

I installed the update on my replacement device and the GPS is working properly on this new device.

illdill said:
I installed the update on my replacement device and the GPS is working properly on this new device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i lock gps on gear s for 30 minute ...... fuuuccckkkk samsung

Related

[Q] Hardware or software?

Hello everyone. This is my first post on XDA. I've been lurking for a month or two, and have decided that XDA is the place to be!
I've had my Bolt since April, and like many others I am very frustrated with it. The OTA back in May/June, the one that caused all the random resets, made me start exploring and discovering this thing called 'rooting'. Back then I felt that rooting was a risk I didn't want to take, yet. It reminded me a lot of my Dish Network days, where keeping up with ECM's was an ongoing hell, and I just didn't want to go back there. The OTA after that fixed the resets, and bought some time while I researched rooting.
For the most part, it seems like most of the problems are software related, and the hardware is just being held hostage by crappy coding. BUT, it also seems like most every TBolt owner is on their third device because of hardware issues. I don't want to trade up for a less-than-new device. I did go through an authorized reseller, and bought a year-long, no questions asked warranty, so I can play that card if needed.
My dilemma is that I am ready to root, but if I have bad hardware, I want to return an un-screwed with device. I know that I can unroot, but it would be my luck that it wouldn't go well. And believe me that I considered modding it just to see if it is the hardware or not.
ISSUES: I have various quirky things going on that are obvious software problems, like texts going to the wrong people, butt-dialing (once), CPU lock-ups, erratic scrolling (browsers mostly), software lags, etc.. I think the touch screen, though hardware, is controlled through SenseUI, which has really contributed to my wanting to go with AOSP. The biggest issue I have is with the data connection. I've read a lot of threads on this that have ended in numerous solutions. The most common culprits seem to be the SIM card and the battery cover (idiot design btw). Regardless of whether I am in a good coverage area or not, I have the classic ... 3G..1X..3G..nothing..1X..1X..1X..nothing..3G..nothing..1X..etc. This was really terrible before one of the OTA's, after which it seemed to settle down. I've also experimented with the modem settings, and also the radio settings. CDMA auto PRL works best. Still unsure about the modem settings. Currently I have CDMA only for preferred mode, Enable for Rev A., and Disabled for 1X diversity. I still experiment with these settings, but don't really see much difference. A detailed guide to those settings would be really kick-ass. One day, my phone wouldn't let me make or receive voice calls. Somehow, a setting changed that set it for EVDO only, really strange.
I use Easy-Tether, and have recently been using a Wilson dual-band repeater/amp. I have also found a most excellent app called RF Signal Tracker, which gives me separate RF meters for voice and data, and also shows the state of the SIM card when toggling Airplane mode. I live a little bit out of the city, so I know that serving towers might be causing some headache. With the Wilson, both meters are around -72dbm, which is decent. In town, without the Wilson, it's a little better, around -66dbm. I will stare at this this thing and watch the EVDO meter bottom out at -120dbm and then bounce back. Sometimes it will stay on 1X (for hours probably if I let it), requiring a reboot (or airplane toggle, it varies). Sometimes, while using ET, the signal strength will be awesome, but I get connection errors like it's not even hooked up, or I'll be typing a lengthy post and when submitting I'll get a Connection_Reset error. Sometimes the throughput will blaze (even while streaming), sometimes I'm reaching for a hammer. I have also found that "It works...if i use it," meaning that a data session might start out crappy, but will stabilize. There are times when the data connection is crappy, and rebooting the phone will fix it. And of course, there are many days with no issues at all.
With a hundred different combinations, I can find no rhyme or reason why this handset cannot maintain a data connection with consistency. I'm leaning toward software, but I still can't tell. Others with this problem had their SIM card replaced, which worked, but maybe it was just the battery cover. Is there a fool-proof test I can do that will troubleshoot this? Another possibility might be Big Red Brother compelling me to buy a Nexus.
And: 2.2.1
BB: 1.39.00.0627r
K: 2.6.32.21-g0606a3a
Build: 1.70.605.0
Pete said:
Hello everyone. This is my first post on XDA. I've been lurking for a month or two, and have decided that XDA is the place to be!
I've had my Bolt since April, and like many others I am very frustrated with it. The OTA back in May/June, the one that caused all the random resets, made me start exploring and discovering this thing called 'rooting'. Back then I felt that rooting was a risk I didn't want to take, yet. It reminded me a lot of my Dish Network days, where keeping up with ECM's was an ongoing hell, and I just didn't want to go back there. The OTA after that fixed the resets, and bought some time while I researched rooting.
For the most part, it seems like most of the problems are software related, and the hardware is just being held hostage by crappy coding. BUT, it also seems like most every TBolt owner is on their third device because of hardware issues. I don't want to trade up for a less-than-new device. I did go through an authorized reseller, and bought a year-long, no questions asked warranty, so I can play that card if needed.
My dilemma is that I am ready to root, but if I have bad hardware, I want to return an un-screwed with device. I know that I can unroot, but it would be my luck that it wouldn't go well. And believe me that I considered modding it just to see if it is the hardware or not.
ISSUES: I have various quirky things going on that are obvious software problems, like texts going to the wrong people, butt-dialing (once), CPU lock-ups, erratic scrolling (browsers mostly), software lags, etc.. I think the touch screen, though hardware, is controlled through SenseUI, which has really contributed to my wanting to go with AOSP. The biggest issue I have is with the data connection. I've read a lot of threads on this that have ended in numerous solutions. The most common culprits seem to be the SIM card and the battery cover (idiot design btw). Regardless of whether I am in a good coverage area or not, I have the classic ... 3G..1X..3G..nothing..1X..1X..1X..nothing..3G..nothing..1X..etc. This was really terrible before one of the OTA's, after which it seemed to settle down. I've also experimented with the modem settings, and also the radio settings. CDMA auto PRL works best. Still unsure about the modem settings. Currently I have CDMA only for preferred mode, Enable for Rev A., and Disabled for 1X diversity. I still experiment with these settings, but don't really see much difference. A detailed guide to those settings would be really kick-ass. One day, my phone wouldn't let me make or receive voice calls. Somehow, a setting changed that set it for EVDO only, really strange.
I use Easy-Tether, and have recently been using a Wilson dual-band repeater/amp. I have also found a most excellent app called RF Signal Tracker, which gives me separate RF meters for voice and data, and also shows the state of the SIM card when toggling Airplane mode. I live a little bit out of the city, so I know that serving towers might be causing some headache. With the Wilson, both meters are around -72dbm, which is decent. In town, without the Wilson, it's a little better, around -66dbm. I will stare at this this thing and watch the EVDO meter bottom out at -120dbm and then bounce back. Sometimes it will stay on 1X (for hours probably if I let it), requiring a reboot (or airplane toggle, it varies). Sometimes, while using ET, the signal strength will be awesome, but I get connection errors like it's not even hooked up, or I'll be typing a lengthy post and when submitting I'll get a Connection_Reset error. Sometimes the throughput will blaze (even while streaming), sometimes I'm reaching for a hammer. I have also found that "It works...if i use it," meaning that a data session might start out crappy, but will stabilize. There are times when the data connection is crappy, and rebooting the phone will fix it. And of course, there are many days with no issues at all.
With a hundred different combinations, I can find no rhyme or reason why this handset cannot maintain a data connection with consistency. I'm leaning toward software, but I still can't tell. Others with this problem had their SIM card replaced, which worked, but maybe it was just the battery cover. Is there a fool-proof test I can do that will troubleshoot this? Another possibility might be Big Red Brother compelling me to buy a Nexus.
And: 2.2.1
BB: 1.39.00.0627r
K: 2.6.32.21-g0606a3a
Build: 1.70.605.0
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You need to research cellular technology. All the signal amps in the world aren't going to make for a stable lte signal unless they're smart enough to unpack the packets and lie about transmission data. That said, pretty much all your issues sound software related. Some of what you call hardware problems cannot be randomly duplicated by hardware failure or even accurately diagnosed without some knowledge and experience. Restoring to stock is easy and quite reliable. Some do it once or twice a week. I have guides in my thread.
Thank you for the response. I confirmed that it was software. I took it to the reseller and found out that even though I took two OTAs this year, the radio never updated, and was still on the original from the release. I'm at 2.3.4 now, with a stable radio. Feeling like I'll take that plunge, now that I know the hardware is good.
BB: 1.48.00.0906w_1, 0.01.78.0906w_2
K: 2.6.35.10
Build: 2.11.605.5

Google Maps / WiFi battery drain?

Haven't seen this exact issue mentioned elsewhere, apologies if it has been.
Now we have battery stats in .21, I've noticed the biggest drain of my battery when the tablet is in standby is Google Maps. It's slow, but steady and it appears to be the WiFi is being held on constantly. My guess is it's Latitude doing it's updates, but can't be sure yet.
I have Disconnect network during sleep set to True, and Keep Wi-Fi on during sleep set to Never.
I tried changing Latitude's Location Reporting to Do not update your location as I don't really need it on the tablet, but this setting seems to sync with my Android phone, which is where I do want it.
Example of what I'm talking about in the attached screenshots...
Anyone got any thoughts on this?
Very similar problem with my Prime.
I contacted Asus Support about Battery Drain since .21 upgrade and they told me that my Dock has developed a fault and to send back to them.
I know my issue isn't related to the dock, as I don't use it very often
It really seems that only a few people seem to have the wifi battery drain problem after the .21 update.
I think its not related to any apps. I deactivated maps/latitude and I tried a hard reset with standard apps only. Same result. Since the .21 update I only get 6h screen time [previously 11h] and wifi sucks up to 60% of the power.
Really frustrating and ASUS supports proves again useless.
Just want to add, that the support told me that there is a new update on its way. He couldn't give me a precise date, but he said in the next few weeks for the german customers, so I assume within the next two for US/international. He said that issue was adressed.
Since my trust in the words of the support is fairly limited, I would like to know whether there is a possibility to reduce TX Power on wifi, if you are not rooted?
I hesitate to root, because I am still hoping for SkyGo.

[Q] Sony Tablet worst Experience :: Got replaced piece, but same again :-(

I own Sony Tablet S since last 90 days but has a lot of problems, it has been at the service station due to its issues for more than 45 days.
The features/functions included are really nice, but the company doesn't care for the customers.
I called and mailed the Customer Care for more than 20 times, but didn't got a revert even once.
I somehow got a replacement, but the same issues were there in that one too.
If not wrong, I got the promises from the Customer Care around 20 times to revert back, but just got 1 revert back.
The major issues I am facing are
1. Wi-Fi disconnects regularly
2. Wi-Fi doesn't have proper range which you can even see in the youtube link as follows:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FRb855gBMo
3. The device hangs a lot when loaded, stops responding for a long time and the only solution remains is to Restart/Shutdown
4. The screen doesn't get unlocked many a times even upto 30 seconds after pressing the unlock button.
5. GPS connectivity issue: Connection to GPS only remains if you stay at a place, not if you move anywhere from a particular place.
BUT THE WORST problem I am facing is the WORST COMPANY SERVICE.
The stupids don't just know any status of the problems most of the times.
They promise to call/revert back, but I didn't get any reverts of my e-mails from the 13th of April 2012. I can't understand why is this happening to me ???
Any1 facing any of these issues ???
Please provide me reverts unlike SONY
I have the same problems 3 & 4 as you. And most probably caused by the WiFi connection.
I have sent in my Tablet for repair cause after a month of usage - the battery cannot be charged.
Hopefully the ICS update will solve these few problems.
I'm from Singapore and Sony after-sales service sucks all around the world except USA, Japan & maybe UK. That's where all their customers are at. =)
Sorry to hear you're having problems.
If you've had the same wifi issues with 2 tablets then it's unlikely to be a hardware problem and more likely to be a compatibility or settings issue between your router & tablet.
I'd try connecting to another router or network or if this is not possible look at temporarily removing security and possibly changing channel settings on your router. There are other threads here which discuss some wifi issues. Make sure your router has the latest firmware installed and do make sure you've updated to the latest version of Android for your region as this has been known to help
Wifi will disconnect when the tablet goes to sleep but should connect again within 10 secs or so of waking up Unless you download an extra app which forces constant connection.
With respect to the laggyness and crashing what apps do you have installed? I'd be tempted to point the finger there first before blaming the tablet, might be worth going through them and seeing if you can narrow it down to a dodgy app or one that doesn't like the Sony much. Certainly like above get the latest android.
I hope the issues get sorted swiftly for you.
jameslindsey said:
Sorry to hear you're having problems.
If you've had the same wifi issues with 2 tablets then it's unlikely to be a hardware problem and more likely to be a compatibility or settings issue between your router & tablet.
I'd try connecting to another router or network or if this is not possible look at temporarily removing security and possibly changing channel settings on your router. There are other threads here which discuss some wifi issues. Make sure your router has the latest firmware installed and do make sure you've updated to the latest version of Android for your region as this has been known to help
Wifi will disconnect when the tablet goes to sleep but should connect again within 10 secs or so of waking up Unless you download an extra app which forces constant connection.
With respect to the laggyness and crashing what apps do you have installed? I'd be tempted to point the finger there first before blaming the tablet, might be worth going through them and seeing if you can narrow it down to a dodgy app or one that doesn't like the Sony much. Certainly like above get the latest android.
I hope the issues get sorted swiftly for you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
Inviato dal mio HTC EVO 3D X515m con Tapatalk 2
Wifi is a known unsolved issue the rest is not really nmormal, but why don't you try to contact sony vaio service wich contains tablet s also
Agreed with James. If two tablets have WiFi problems, it's almost guaranteed that is a problem with your network environment, not with the Tablet. I have never had a problem with the WiFi and it always reconnects easily.
Also +1 for the app suspicions. Most of those issues sounds like they could be coming from an app (particularly 3 and 4), so try factory resetting your device then installing apps slowly one-at-a-time, waiting about 24 hours between installs to see if any apps cause this behaviour to return.
As for replies from customer service, I can't help you there since Sony replied to my only support Q within three days of my message. Make sure you have the right address, and then try Vaio Service.
jameslindsey said:
Sorry to hear you're having problems.
If you've had the same wifi issues with 2 tablets then it's unlikely to be a hardware problem and more likely to be a compatibility or settings issue between your router & tablet.
I'd try connecting to another router or network or if this is not possible look at temporarily removing security and possibly changing channel settings on your router. There are other threads here which discuss some wifi issues. Make sure your router has the latest firmware installed and do make sure you've updated to the latest version of Android for your region as this has been known to help
Wifi will disconnect when the tablet goes to sleep but should connect again within 10 secs or so of waking up Unless you download an extra app which forces constant connection.
With respect to the laggyness and crashing what apps do you have installed? I'd be tempted to point the finger there first before blaming the tablet, might be worth going through them and seeing if you can narrow it down to a dodgy app or one that doesn't like the Sony much. Certainly like above get the latest android.
I hope the issues get sorted swiftly for you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for reply dude, but you'll really be amazed to know that
My router doesn't have any issue, it has been upgraded to the latest firmware.
To add I connect the same router with 2 Nokia E6-00, Nokia N8-00, Nokia E63, 2 Sony Vaio Laptops, 2 PC with a linksys usb modem, Samsung Galaxy S, Nokia E71, Lenovo Laptop, Samsung Galaxy Note, Sony Walkman Live, a lot Iphones of my customers get connected to it, a lot ipads get connected to it and none of them have problems, why this is the only 1 ???
About softwares, again a shock this is a problem when my Tablet was just opened from the box even, it is still there and I guess will remain forever, and if you guys don't know, just check the youtube link I provided, it explains a lot.
Anyways thanks for the help
And even I use 4 Sony Vaio Laptops and always suggest Sony to my friends and relatives, but this time I faced the worst cause they promised me to revert back almost 20 times, but I got a revert only once. What the f**k
Guys please reply if any of you are facing the same problem or not ???

Jiayu G4S - bad GPS issues, low accuracy, time to first fix...

Many jiayu users complain about bad or even unusable GPS, even worse than on other Mediatek devices. We all hope, it's a software issue and can be improved.
Let's collect information here. Please help by summarizing statements from other threads here and include links to the sources. Please stay on topic
General discussion about this device is here
Read a trojan warning here
Maybe I will update this first posting with the most useful information from time to time...
Software issue
I have the very strong and positive feeling, it is a software issue:
When I got my device with the 20140410 ROM, the GPS was really bad. Time to first fix was sometimes fast, sometimes it took more than 5 minutes, and accuracy was really bad most of the time. And as I could see on the map, it was much worse than reported - accuracy as can be seen i.e. in the GPS Test app was many times quite ok, like 4-7 meters, but the position on the map was 50m off, or more. Many times, the GPS continued to advance in the original direction after I stopped or changed direction. Sometimes there was some fixed offset, which stayed the same for 15 minutes.
Or I had a usable fix for a while, then I paused GPS just for a minute, and next try again took very, very long, even with a fresh AGPS download.
And all those problems under clear sky!
I tried many suggestions I found, but nothing really helped.
Then I upgraded to the 20140609-211642 ROM and first didn't notice a difference for some days (but didn't make methodic tests, and didn't use GPS much) and tried some of the suggested fixes again.
I also read about a hardware fix with some photos. I opened my back cover, just to see if my GPS antenna looked the same. I pressed the antenna down with my finger.
Then I noticed my GPS became really good! For a week I really enjoyed usable GPS and was very happy.
I thought it could be bad electric connection of the antenna to the mainboard, which was improved by pressing it down. But now I think it is not related:
After that week I got aware of the trojans in that ROM and restored a backup from before. Back to the April ROM, my GPS was immediately as bad as before! - pressing down the antenna didn't help again.
This unusable GPS annoyed me a lot last weeks and yesterday I decided to try the BORX ROM, but before I started a short test by restoring the 0609 backup where it all worked so well. I didn't have the time to really test (and I'm afraid of enabling internet - of course the 2 trojans are removed, but who knows what else is in there?). But it really looks like it is much better again! (First fix took really long without AGPS, of course, but then it was accurate, and also next tries, hours later, were fast.)
The problem is, I don't know exactly what I did, and don't have much time for experiments. So I don't know if it's just the newer ROM, or other changes. Can someone tell me what config or other files to compare between the 2 backups? I can also post them here.
Alex
My points and observations (I've tried 3-4 different 4.2.2 ROMs and 2-3 different 4.4.2 ROMs).
- GPS for me was about the same regarding its accuracy
- fix time also about the same, a few seconds up to a minute on the clear sky, a few minutes up to "give up" in the woods/buildings
- every ROM had a 1 hour difference bug between GPS reported time and the actual local time
- almost every time accuracy reported by GPS Test is very good (~4-10m)... the real one is much worse, I can confirm what Alex1a noticed. Also, what is really strange, my wife's Galaxy S4 Mini GPS Test accuracy (Snapdragon with Glonass) is significantly worse, yet there is no navigation and positioning issues
- some apps (Google Maps as example) have an arrow pointing your movement direction... this is usualy different than the real direction. Even the map is not rotated well.
I've sent a few emails to the Jiayu people I've found on some official website... but there was no response at all. I know that there is quite a strong community in Spain (Jiayu.es) and in Russia (4pda.ru). I'd also appreciate if anyone native tries to speak to these people regarding our GPS issues.
The good word is, that the GPS works I've done ~1000km over the last weekend and G4S led me to the places I needed. I've used Sygic, that in my opinion has better algorithms handling bad GPS signal. It also shows a nice line to the planned road, when the GPS signal puts you in the adjacent forrest The problem for me is, that the navigation can become frustrating, nervous and annoying. Especially when you have a lot of small and close roads/turns or you need to use it very quickly from the time you start the app.
I am trying to play ingress (a gps game) and half of the time it is unplayable. Ingress also often just quits/crashes without notice, and I think it is because it detects my gps as a fake gps for cheating
When that happened, I restart ingress immediately and sometimes it took more than 5 minutes to get a fix again, even though it worked seconds before.
With 0609 this was much better during that week.
I'm still on 20140609-211642 and GPS is really usable - much better compared to 0410, even inside a building, where 0410 could run hours without getting a fix! Please tell me what to compare between the two backups, to find out what setting makes this difference!
I am not sure, but I think I used MT GPS and faster GPS on both ROMs. Let's find out.
In the EngineeMode I saw some automated tests, and I am willing to do them with both ROMs - if someone exactly tells me how. I am too busy to find out myself...
Alex1a, could you quantify "really usable" when on 20140609-211642 ROM? How long does first fix last (in the streets), and do you have accuracy problems where GPS puts you on a nearby road by mistake?
I'm sorry I can't help more at the moment, I'm still holding off from buying this phone, but GPS is the only real issue I have with it, if I knew it would work correctly I'd get it right away, but everywhere I read problem is the same and since this is one of 2 reasons why I'm changing my current phone it's really important to me that it works fine
[EDIT 2014-Aug-06]
Here is one feedback, anyone else?
srkonus said:
Yesterday i tested GPS with the TeamForce v2 ROM and had no problems. Accurancy of 11 feet - 10 minutes later i wanted to navigate and the phone got no fix.
Navigon and GPS-Test shows nothing and it was not possible to get a fix. So i installed the TeamForce Android L ROM and for now everything seems to be okay again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LuxZg said:
Alex1a, could you quantify "really usable" when on 20140609-211642 ROM? How long does first fix last (in the streets), and do you have accuracy problems where GPS puts you on a nearby road by mistake?
I'm sorry I can't help more at the moment, I'm still holding off from buying this phone, but GPS is the only real issue I have with it, if I knew it would work correctly I'd get it right away, but everywhere I read problem is the same and since this is one of 2 reasons why I'm changing my current phone it's really important to me that it works fine
[EDIT 2014-Aug-06]
Here is one feedback, anyone else?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried the GPS today again under heavy enviroment (inside a building, many metal around) and i got a fix on the window. In use was the TeamForce Kitkat Android L style without any changed (GPS location/time server is spain, i am sitting in germany). I have the feeling that i had only problems if i change it to germany.
The GPS on my old Samsung Galaxy S is more better but the G4S is enough for my use (tracking of running, car navigiation).
srkonus said:
I tried the GPS today again under heavy enviroment (inside a building, many metal around) and i got a fix on the window. In use was the TeamForce Kitkat Android L style without any changed (GPS location/time server is spain, i am sitting in germany). I have the feeling that i had only problems if i change it to germany.
The GPS on my old Samsung Galaxy S is more better but the G4S is enough for my use (tracking of running, car navigiation).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your feedback, looks like this is it.. If you get a chance to test it on road (car navigation or tracking), just to see if you get any issues with "signal lost" or being put on the wrong road / in the fields beside roads and similar that would be great as well, but I'm thankfull for this much as well as it sounds as good news for all owners (and future owners )
LuxZg said:
Alex1a, could you quantify "really usable" when on 20140609-211642 ROM? How long does first fix last (in the streets), and do you have accuracy problems where GPS puts you on a nearby road by mistake?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hard to quantify - I was really happy most of the time in the last weeks. First fix after long time of no use felt a bit long, something like 1-2 minutes, but then "real" accuracy was good and especially getting a new fix after some minutes of standby, was 5-10 seconds, I would say. With the older ROM, it sometimes took 5-10 minutes, even after only seconds of stopped gps.
BUT! yesterday, still on the same rom, I did a bicycle trip. first fix took more than 5 minutes, that was annoying. Then I recorded a track for about an hour. The track was quite accurate and looked good. Then I stopped the tracking and GPS. Only 20 minutes later, under free sky, I didn't get a new fix, no matter what I tried. Some time later, after some reboots it worked again, but was very inaccurate...
srkonus said:
I tried the GPS today again under heavy enviroment (inside a building, many metal around) and i got a fix on the window. In use was the TeamForce Kitkat Android L style without any changed (GPS location/time server is spain, i am sitting in germany). I have the feeling that i had only problems if i change it to germany.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You mean the time server set by "faster GPS" app? I tried that and rebooted, but no positive effect. I'm in germany, too.
Just ordered the phone, when it arrives I'll do as many tests as I can.
In the meantime - I'm assuming you did all this because I've seen this (and similar) solutions all over the forums and YouTube, but let me propose it just the same:
Code:
What you need is Mobileuncle mtk tools,root explorer,gps test download them from play store.
THIS SHOULD BE DONE OUTDOORS.
1. Turn GPS off on your phone.
2. Open Root Explorer and find the mtkgps.dat file in /data or /data/misc
3. Delete mtkgps.dat
4. Reboot phone
5. Open Mobileuncle Tools
6. Tap on 'Engineer Mode'
7. Tap on 'Engineer Mode (MTK)'
8. Scroll across to 'Location'
9. Tap on 'Location Based Service'
10. Tap on 'AGPS' and then make sure 'A-GPS On/Off' is checked
11. Tap on 'EPO' and then make sure 'Enable EPO' is checked
12. Swipe down (notification bar) and turn GPS on
13. Hit back and then tap 'YGPS'
14. Wait until you get position lock (mine took about 6 seconds).
15. This process should create a new mtkgps.dat file.
16. Hit home button and open GPS Test.
17. You should get a position lock reasonably quickly.
Also setting /etc/gps.conf (with any root-supporting text editor) manually to settings such as these:
Code:
NTP_SERVER=europe.pool.ntp.org
XTRA_SERVER_1=http://xtra1.gpsonextra.net/xtra.bin
XTRA_SERVER_2=http://xtra2.gpsonextra.net/xtra.bin
XTRA_SERVER_3=http://xtra3.gpsonextra.net/xtra.bin
INTERMEDIATE_POS=1
ACCURACY_THRES=5000
SUPL_HOST=supl.google.com
SUPL_PORT=7275
SUPL_TLS_HOST=supl.google.com
SUPL_TLS_CERT=/etc/SuplRootCert
PHONE_TYPE=UMTS
(instead of europe in first line you can modify according to lists on this website: http://www.pool.ntp.org/zone/@ )
EDIT: On my old (current) phone, I also have these issues with GPS, and doing above helped a lot, but it seems that I need to repeat some of the steps from time to time. Interesting thing is the delete of mtkgps.dat, sometimes it's enough to turn GPS off, delete it, and turn it back on and go to YGPS to renew the positions, and it works in <10 seconds. We'll see if Jiayu has same or better/worse track record.
Rom: G4SW 20140609-150354
I've installed a new ROM yesterday. Well it's not new, but I haven't met it before.
It is a stock ROM but modified by Jiayu Poland. So it is official one, but nicely cleaned from Chinese apps, keyboard is normal, no troyans... a nice worldwide multi language official ROM that you can use "out of the box".
But what impress' me the most is the GPS. It's the best one I've ever met on Jiayu G4S! This one really works for me! At least at the moment I don't know if it is because it's a fresh installation or the GPS is set for my part of the world. The facts is that the GPS fixes within seconds without 3G and I can get a fix even inside the building. What is more it is the first ROM that the arrow directing my position is aligned properly and it moves exactly as I turn around with the phone.
I've made a simple point to point navigation today morning. A few times it still put me on the adjacent road... but it is still WAY better experience than before. My cursor used to stop when I stopped... that did not happen before, it was always living it's own life
So please give it a try yourself and let me know if I'm dreaming or this one actually works. This is 4.2.2 for Jiayu G4S 2GB/16GB:
http://jiayupolska.pl/download/rom/G4S_20140609-150354_[jiayupolska_PL].zip
Thanks for the info, I just got a new G4S and will try this soon, as GPS is important to me, and I sure don't need trojans and chinese apps
Could you just tell me one thing, does this ROM still have Caller ID bug or is that one fixed as well?
Hmm... hard to tell as I've never experienced that problem. An easy way (step by step) to check that?
Do you get SMS threads for contacts separated because of numebers (not) starting with country code, does your phone show who's calling correctly, etc? But we'll be offtopic here, perhaps just edit your post in the "main" G4S thread
EDIT: Just came back home, downloading it, and erasing original system to factory settings.. will be there soon myself to check GPS, but I won't have SIM in it for a day or so..
EDIT2: installed, got GPS fix in 10 seconds from window, which is good, but I had WiFi running. I'll install iGO soon, and check on the road next day or two
Jiayu's GPS.
In many roms that problem is now fixed. MTK chips normally do not usually behave very well with their gps. But Jiayu suffers a lot from this lack. That is solved by changing a line system / etc / agps_profiles_conf.xml roaming on the file.
roaming = "yes"
And the application of Google Play "FasterGPS" help position quite quickly.
Only then the terminal has no problem to download the epo file and position well satellites.
Greetings.
Sorry, but that's just theory. In practice people claim that GPS is fixed in thier ROM but it did not work for me. GPS I mean not only the fix time but also accuracy.
Apart of the ROMs I've tried a few additional apps and fixes... with not much improvement.
The ROM quoted by me it's the first one that GPS works out of the box, without any additional fixes and apps and on GPS antenna only (no AGPS at all).
If anyone do some GPS navigation tests please try both with mobile network assistance (AGPS) and without it.
I'm not sure if I'm right, but I have a feeling that with a ROM from post #11 the navigation apps work better without that assistance, with the GPS antenna only.
A few days now and I'm still amazed with that ROM regarding the GPS usage. Anyone unsure I recommend to give it a try
Doman said:
I've installed a new ROM yesterday. Well it's not new, but I haven't met it before.
It is a stock ROM but modified by Jiayu Poland. So it is official one, but nicely cleaned from Chinese apps, keyboard is normal, no troyans... a nice worldwide multi language official ROM that you can use "out of the box".
But what impress' me the most is the GPS. It's the best one I've ever met on Jiayu G4S! This one really works for me! At least at the moment I don't know if it is because it's a fresh installation or the GPS is set for my part of the world. The facts is that the GPS fixes within seconds without 3G and I can get a fix even inside the building. What is more it is the first ROM that the arrow directing my position is aligned properly and it moves exactly as I turn around with the phone.
I've made a simple point to point navigation today morning. A few times it still put me on the adjacent road... but it is still WAY better experience than before. My cursor used to stop when I stopped... that did not happen before, it was always living it's own life
So please give it a try yourself and let me know if I'm dreaming or this one actually works. This is 4.2.2 for Jiayu G4S 2GB/16GB:
http://jiayupolska.pl/download/rom/G4S_20140609-150354_[jiayupolska_PL].zip
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello,
Good News.
Can you install Xposed and gravitybox in this ROM?
Roms with GPS fixed.
Hello everyone! Apart from the many roms (and very good all) that ye can download, there is a website where there for our G4S and the G3S. androidteamforce.es
I say this because there all roms have fixed the gps well and are very stable. And even more so those in kitchen. If you want to try, you know (are also in needrom). While development is Spanish, the website is translated into English as well.We recommend them! I'm using the AOSP v2 with fixes memory and root, and I'm doing everything works perfectly, even Titanium. The GPS usually takes me ten radars detected, seven or eight. A marvel.
A greeting.
Doman said:
If anyone do some GPS navigation tests please try both with mobile network assistance (AGPS) and without it.
I'm not sure if I'm right, but I have a feeling that with a ROM from post #11 the navigation apps work better without that assistance, with the GPS antenna only.
A few days now and I'm still amazed with that ROM regarding the GPS usage. Anyone unsure I recommend to give it a try
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmmm... now I'm not sure if I'm seeing things either, but you could be right. It took me few days to transfer 100% to new phone so I was testing it on and off. Always with WIFI/3G turned on. While I got fix quickly, precision was a bit off, well.. up to 40-50 meters sometimes, enough to cause problems.
Today on my way from work I've turned on tracking, was still for a minute or so, and than started ride on a bike. Than minute or so later I remembered your advice, and turned off all data (Wi-Fi/3G) and continued. Now I'm looking at a chart, and first part of the ride looks terrible, like I was a crazy bug flying all over the place (with speeds up to 80km/h), and than suddenly I'm straight on course, with normal data being recorded and all the way to the finish line. From the tracking side, first 3,5 minutes I was off by soooo much, but from then on I had a positional error of margin of about 5 meters, no more (other side of the road etc.), and kept on going like that for 14 more minutes.
Since I'm biking a lot, well, when it's not raining, I'll do some more tracking, and I'll track test routes with car as well. I'll try not to use WIFI/3G at all during tracking, and we'll see if data will be consistent. I know that GPS on this ROM isn't perfect, as can be seen from todays 80km/h data and some extra 2km while I was mostly standing, but let's see if indeed data is being a culprit for GPS errors. Who knows, maybe the same way as Bluetooth interferes with Wi-Fi / Wi-Fi Display, maybe Wi-Fi and/or 3G causes malfunctions in GPS data, or somehow chip uses Wi-Fi positioning in addition to GPS causing it to add wider errors. We'll see, so far this is just a theoretic thing, I'm waiting for at least 4-5 good rides till I'm satisfied

Here's a strange issue for you with GPS...

I don't know how many more times my desk will survive due to me banging my head against it...
It's a long story which I will cut short; we have bought a large number of cheap handsets (Nuu A3L, spec sheet here: https://www.devicespecifications.com/en/model/4fc6428b ) and they're using Sygic truck as their navigation tool.
We straight away ran into some major issues, the main one being with Sygic/GPS. The devices would begin navigating but would then start to lose GPS signal and start bouncing around, sometimes they would recover (only to do the same thing again a few minutes later) and other times they would just lose GPS connectivity entirely and would lock up for 10+ minutes.
After seeing how poorly the application ran on these devices I had a hunch that the application was hogging every last drop of available system resource. I removed as much bloat from the application as possible, I turned off the 3D map (2D is much more fluid), turned off all POI, turned off traffic updates etc and it appeared to resolve the issue. I drove for 30 minutes with two devices side-by-side, the default one continued with its horrid GPS loss while the customised one worked fine.
A few people have taken these out today to test, but are apparently having the same issues regardless of the changes that I made.
I'm now at a loss and struggling to work out what else can be done to help. They're running Airwatch and we can push remote changes out at any time, so I am at the mercy of those more knowledgeable than I (you).
If anybody has a decent suggestion then you win a free balloon.
jaffster said:
I don't know how many more times my desk will survive due to me banging my head against it...
It's a long story which I will cut short; we have bought a large number of cheap handsets (Nuu A3L, spec sheet here: https://www.devicespecifications.com/en/model/4fc6428b ) and they're using Sygic truck as their navigation tool.
We straight away ran into some major issues, the main one being with Sygic/GPS. The devices would begin navigating but would then start to lose GPS signal and start bouncing around, sometimes they would recover (only to do the same thing again a few minutes later) and other times they would just lose GPS connectivity entirely and would lock up for 10+ minutes.
After seeing how poorly the application ran on these devices I had a hunch that the application was hogging every last drop of available system resource. I removed as much bloat from the application as possible, I turned off the 3D map (2D is much more fluid), turned off all POI, turned off traffic updates etc and it appeared to resolve the issue. I drove for 30 minutes with two devices side-by-side, the default one continued with its horrid GPS loss while the customised one worked fine.
A few people have taken these out today to test, but are apparently having the same issues regardless of the changes that I made.
I'm now at a loss and struggling to work out what else can be done to help. They're running Airwatch and we can push remote changes out at any time, so I am at the mercy of those more knowledgeable than I (you).
If anybody has a decent suggestion then you win a free balloon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Let me be clear that I never played with sygix enough to speak directly about it. You may have already tried the things I'm brainstorming here.
I'm not clear as to why you didn't just load a different mapping app on these? There certainly are a lot of them.
What level of connectivity are they using? If you are on GSM or 3G, downloading map information as the vehicle moves around, that could slow things down to a crawl. Using an app that doesn't have to work this way could be a solution.
I noticed that the phone has a 500ish MHz clock speed and just 1 GB of RAM. As you've discovered, every layer of complexity in the mapping will slow it down further.
Something like Tom-tom was written to run on a lot less hardware. That's the kind of thing that I'd look for. I believe that Here is also made for very low end hardware.
Not sure if it helps, but at least it's a path worth looking at.
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