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GPS does not work when transmitting data. What to do if GPS does not work on Android

04.10.2018

Mobile devices and tablets are incredibly easy to use and have the widest functionality, allowing them to replace many other devices with a narrower specialization. Thanks to the presence of a GPS module, the gadget is able to establish communication with special satellites, making it possible to determine the location of the device, as well as navigate on maps.

Problems with GPS

Quite often you can encounter a situation where GPS does not pick up on Android. This significantly limits the functionality of a smartphone or tablet and makes their use less convenient.

Since there are two GPS connection technologies, it is useful to understand their differences. The classic version involves establishing a connection with satellites, with the help of which the coordinates of the device are determined. A GPS involves, in addition to connecting with satellites, also connecting to cell towers, which allows you to determine the user’s location more accurately.

Despite all the differences, both of these technologies are characterized by the same reasons that prevent correct operation. These include:

  • Incorrect connection setup;
  • The GPS module is faulty;
  • Surrounding objects are interfering with the connection or the user is indoors.

The last point is especially important, since novice users quite often forget about the features of a satellite connection, which certainly requires the absence of obstacles in the signal path.

Troubleshooting

Before checking the functionality of the module, it is recommended to check whether it is enabled on the device at all. Some users who are not familiar with the operating features of Android smartphones quite often disable the module itself or the reception of geo-data, which makes establishing a connection between the satellite and the gadget impossible. Some applications remind you of disabled functions, which allows you to quickly restore normal GPS operation.

IMPORTANT! If the module has lost its functionality, then the most reasonable option is to contact a service center, since it is not possible to fix such a malfunction on your own.

In some cases, if the connection settings are not configured correctly, you can solve the problem. The same applies to situations where, after any changes in the settings, the device module has lost its functionality.

Some owners of Android smartphones often encounter the problem that the GPS module cannot catch or takes a very long time to catch GPS navigation satellites. This mainly happens with phones that were brought from China or purchased from Chinese sites such as Aliexpress and they were not fully customized to Russian conditions.

The first thing we should do is go to the settings of the smartphone and go to the tab My location. Turn on GPS and check the boxes opposite, By GPS satellites And By network coordinates. If you have any additional settings options, such as EPO parameters then put a tick in front of the item, go down to the bottom and press the button download.


Next, we need to go to the engineering menu, you can learn how to do this from the article “Android Engineering Menu”. Go to the engineering menu Location - Location Based Service - EPO and bet against the parameters Enable EPO And Auto Download checkboxes, if you don’t have these parameters, then they are by default and hidden from your eyes.


We return to Location and go to the section YGPS and on the tab INFORMATION press the buttons sequentially fuii - warm - hot - cold And AGPS restart This is done to reset the old almanac, and in order for us to record a new almanac, we go to the tab NMEALOG and press Start to record a new almanac.


Go to the tab SATELLITES and we see that we have several red satellites on the radar. After some time, from 5 to 30 minutes, some of the satellites should turn green, and signal strength scales will appear below, this means that your phone has established a connection with these satellites. You need to catch satellites on the street and preferably away from houses, since indoors the signal is extinguished and it is almost impossible to catch them.


If after a while the connection with the satellites has not been established, then the problem lies deeper and in order to fix it, you will need root rights on your smartphone. How to get root We read the rights in the article “Opening root rights in Android”. Rights root we need to edit the file GPS.conf. So using a file manager that works with root(I used Root Browser) go to the root directory of the phone and look for the file at the following address system - etc - gps.conf. Open the file using a text editor gps.conf and look at what’s there, this file stores the addresses of the satellite servers, but for some reason it turned out to be empty for me. If yours is also empty or there are some addresses of other countries, then we change the contents of the file to the settings we need, save, close and reboot our smartphone.

NTP_SERVER=ru.pool.ntp.org
NTP_SERVER=0.ru.pool.ntp.org
NTP_SERVER=1.ru.pool.ntp.org
NTP_SERVER=2.ru.pool.ntp.org
NTP_SERVER=3.ru.pool.ntp.org
NTP_SERVER=europe.pool.ntp.org
NTP_SERVER=0.europe.pool.ntp.org
NTP_SERVER=1.europe.pool.ntp.org
NTP_SERVER=2.europe.pool.ntp.org
NTP_SERVER=3.europe.pool.ntp.org
XTRA_SERVER_1=/data/xtra.bin
AGPS=/data/xtra.bin
AGPS=http://xtra1.gpsonextra.net/xtra.bin
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
DEFAULT_AGPS_ENABLE=TRUE
DEFAULT_USER_PLANE=TRUE
REPORT_POSITION_USE_SUPL_REFLOC=1
QOS_ACCURACY=50
QOS_TIME_OUT_STANDALONE=60
QOS_TIME_OUT_agps=89
QosHorizontalThreshold=1000
QosVerticalThreshold=500
AssistMethodType=1
AgpsUse=1
AgpsMtConf=0
AgpsMtResponseType=1
AgpsServerType=1
AgpsServerIp=3232235555
INTERMEDIATE_POS=1
C2K_HOST=c2k.pde.com
C2K_PORT=1234
SUPL_HOST=FQDN
SUPL_HOST=lbs.geo.t-mobile.com
SUPL_HOST=supl.google.com
SUPL_PORT=7276
SUPL_SECURE_PORT=7275
SUPL_NO_SECURE_PORT=3425
SUPL_TLS_HOST=FQDN
SUPL_TLS_CERT=/etc/SuplRootCert
ACCURACY_THRES=5000
CURRENT_CARRIER=common

Next, you will need to repeat all the manipulations with the engineering menu and on the tab SATELLITES Let's see how our smartphone catches satellites. All the above actions helped me and the phone immediately began connecting with 6-10 satellites.

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Many owners of phones running the Android operating system are faced with a problem when the built-in GPS module refuses to find GPS satellites or finds them but cannot connect. There may be several reasons for this behavior of the module, let’s consider the main ones:

The parameters for connecting to satellites are entered incorrectly in the settings file;

An A-GPS module is installed, which often does not find satellites on the phone on its own;

The module is not working.

I would like to look into the problem with the A-GPS (Assisted GPS) module, since Chinese phones that have it in 98% of cases are now extremely popular and are pushing global brands out of the market.

How does A-GPS work?

The main difference from the standard GPS module is that it connects not only with satellites, but also with mobile operator towers, which significantly improves the quality of location determination. When this function is enabled, the phone often cannot connect to GPS satellites itself and requires a “Full restart”, even if it was just turned on. This is not a problem with Chinese phones themselves, but specifically with the A-GPS module, which costs a penny compared to GPS, and therefore works accordingly. Let's figure out how to set up GPS on Android.

How to determine whether an A-GPS or GPS module is on your phone?

If you have a phone with two SIM cards and made in China, there is a 99.9% chance that you have A-GPS. But to make sure of this, you can go to the engineering menu. This will begin the process of fixing the issue of a broken connection with satellites.

To enter the engineering menu, you need to dial the following number in your phone: *#*#3646633*#*#. If the combination does not work, you can try entering *#15963#* or *#*#4636#*#*, however, in this case your menu may be different.

After entering the phrase, you are automatically taken to the engineering menu and will see a window with the following content:

You need to move to the left, scrolling through the settings pages to the “Location” tab.

Now select the first option “Location Based Service”. If you have the A-GPS tab, then follow the further settings. Otherwise, this article will not help you much.

Setting up GPS on Android

If you have an A-GPS tab, go straight to it. You should have a window that looks like this:

Compare the settings with yours, adjust if necessary, according to the screenshots:

If everything is written correctly, you can go back one level to selecting the “Location” items and go to “YGPS”.

Here you see that your GPS module does not find satellites, or rather, it finds, but does not connect due to incorrect inclusion:

You need the "Information" tab. The main manipulations will be carried out in it.

As you can see, the status is “UNANVAILABLE”, and TTFF is stuck forever searching. No matter how long you wait, nothing will change.

The essence of fixing the eternal search is to do a “Full” reset, and then, after 2-3 seconds, click on “A-GPS Restart”. Those. you reset the frozen search process to zero, thereby overwriting all preset settings, and immediately reboot the module. Not having time to pick up the standard configuration (incorrect), the module finds all the satellites from scratch.

After 10-20 seconds, you will see satellite signals on the “Satellites” tab, and after another half a minute the module will successfully connect to them.

The search was done from the 1st side of the house, on the balcony, respectively; nothing was found on the second hemisphere. You will find all your companions on the road.

Navigation applications installed on smartphones with the Android operating system allow users to plot driving, cycling or walking routes, as well as monitor their own location on the map.

Mobile devices with installed GPS/GLONASS chips are in particular demand among potential buyers. But, sometimes it happens that GPS on Android does not work. In this case, you need to figure out what the main cause of the breakdown is and how to configure the modules so that they correctly perform the tasks assigned to them.

The main reasons for GPS module failure

If GPS does not work on Android, you should check whether the navigation module in your phone is disabled. This mistake is most often made by novice users who have not yet fully understood the operating principles of Android smartphones.

In order to cope with this problem, you should use your finger to slide down the top curtain, which hides various shortcuts and notifications. Find the “Location” item in the proposed menu and activate it. When it becomes active, its color will change to green, bluish and so on.


Activate GPS on Android to find your location

After the “Location” item becomes active, you can start launching the navigation program itself.

It is worth noting the fact that developers take into account the interests of users, which is why many popular applications report that geodata is disabled.

As an example, we can note the Navitel application, which informs users that they do not have a connection to GPS modules.


It may be that the user activated geolocation in the smartphone settings, installed all the necessary navigation applications, but there were no positive results.

In this case, the reason may be hidden in banal impatience. When starting GPS/GLONASS modules for the first time, you should wait at least 15 minutes. During this time, the smartphone will be able to process information about which satellites are active in a given area. Other launches of the navigation program will occur much faster.

A similar problem may arise if you arrive in another city or country with your phone turned off and decide to use geolocation. You should wait 10-15 minutes so that your Android smartphone can calculate its location. This behavior is called a “cold start”.

So, above are the main reasons why GPS does not work on Android. But they do not limit the list of all possible faults. It is worth noting several more factors due to which GPS modules may not work:

  1. The user tries to perform a “cold start” while the vehicle is moving. You shouldn't do that. You need to stop, get out of the car, preferably into the most open area, and try to activate the GPS modules again.
  2. GPS does not work on Android not only when traveling in a car, but also inside buildings.
  3. There are certain areas where signal reception is difficult. This may be due to the presence of rocks, tall buildings, and so on in the immediate vicinity. In this case, you should find the highest possible area and try to find the satellites by climbing onto it.

If the navigation does not work after active attempts to configure it, then you need to seek help from professionals working in the service center.

This state of affairs clearly indicates the presence of internal breakdowns. And also, if you don’t have time to go to a specialist service center, then try resetting your phone to factory settings.


You can check the quality of satellite reception using the GPS Test application from Chartcross Limited. If the GPS chip is working and geolocation is turned on, a sky map will appear on the screen indicating the locations of active satellites.

How to configure the GPS module on a smartphone?

  • Many users are interested in how to configure GPS modules on Andrid. There are no specific settings options in this case. But, if you wish, you can experiment a little using standard detection methods. There are the following factors for the operation of location detection:
  • High accuracy. With this setting, location detection occurs using all possible wireless modules. It uses not only GPS/GLONASS, but also Wi-Fi and a telephone network.
  • Economy mode. The location is searched through mobile networks and the Wi-Fi module.

In order to specify the method used for detecting a person’s position in space, you should go to the “Settings-Geodata” menu. Don’t forget to install functional and easy-to-use software to work with GPS navigation. To do this, you can download from the network or use paid products from leading global companies.


Conclusion

In conclusion, it is worth noting that if GPS does not work on Android, you should not despair. You may be in too much of a hurry to allow the app to communicate with satellites.

If the problem is not resolved after fulfilling the basic conditions, you need to contact the service center for help.

Modern gadgets are already so sophisticated that you can determine your location without resorting to GPS navigators anymore. Sometimes this is necessary for applications to work correctly, sometimes to create the correct route. When GPS doesn't work on Android, it becomes difficult. What could be the reason for this and what should be done to solve this problem?

Any device does not receive a satellite signal well or does not receive it at all if it is located indoors. Therefore, it is better to determine your location on the street. Ideally, the space should be free even from tall buildings and trees, so that the sky is completely open, so that nothing prevents the gadget from searching for a working signal and connecting to the necessary satellites.

Incorrect GPS setting

All devices are equipped with two GPS modules. One is a standard receiver, which can be enabled in the settings (General - Location - Mode). When you select mobile networks or Wi-Fi, the device will determine the location using towers without connecting to GPS satellites.

This method is the fastest, but it does not always give an accurate result.

After starting the program, select Update only in the AGPS settings, and Keep Screen On in Settings. Now you need to return to the main program window, the GPS test on your tablet or phone will begin. It is important that Wi-Fi and mobile data should neither be enabled in the Location settings nor currently in use.

If diagnostics show that the device does not find satellites, then you should check whether the GPS settings on Android are correct. How to set up GPS? To do this, you must first download any application that can process the GPS signal. If it does not help, you need to check the settings of the COM port of the communicator.

Unsuccessful flashing

After not the most successful attempts to flash a gadget or specifically a GPS module, not only the system, but also simply its individual parts, for example, geolocation, may stop functioning. It is also common for GPS to stop working on a Chinese device.

To correct this situation, you need to enable AGPS in the location and GPS settings. After this, you need to enter the engineering menu through the dialing window (the combination is different for all phones). If you can’t enter it, you will have to use any special program, but with root rights. Procedure in:

  • On the Satellites tab of the YGPS tab, check if there is a signal, i.e. does the phone or tablet even try to find satellites;
  • go to the Information tab and there, in order, press the buttons full, warm, hot, cold (this is necessary to reset previous settings);
  • on the NMEA Log tab, click start;

The geolocation function in Android devices is one of the most used and in demand, and therefore it is doubly unpleasant when this option suddenly stops working. Therefore, in our material today we want to talk about methods of dealing with this problem.

Why GPS stops working and how to deal with it

Like many other problems with communication modules, problems with GPS can be caused by both hardware and software reasons. As practice shows, the latter are much more common. Hardware reasons include:

  • poor quality module;
  • a metal or simply thick case that shields the signal;
  • poor reception in a particular location;
  • manufacturing defects.

Software reasons for problems with geopositioning:

  • change location with GPS turned off;
  • incorrect data in the gps.conf system file;
  • outdated version of software for working with GPS.

Now let's move on to methods to fix the problem.

Method 1: Cold start GPS

One of the most common reasons for GPS failures is moving to another coverage area with data transmission turned off. For example, you went to another country, but did not turn on GPS. The navigation module did not receive data updates in time, so it will need to re-establish communication with the satellites. This is called a “cold start”. It is done very simply.

1. Leave the room to a relatively free space. If you are using a cover, we recommend removing it.

2. Enable GPS reception on your device. Go to " Settings».

On Android up to 5.1 - select the option " Geodata"(other options - " GPS», « Location" or " Geopositioning"), which is located in the network connections block.

In Android 6.0-7.1.2 - scroll down the list of settings to the block " Personal data" and tap on " Locations».

On devices with Android 8.0-8.1, go to " Security and location", go there and select the option " Location».

3. In the geodata settings block, in the upper right corner, there is an enable slider. Move it to the right.

4. GPS will be turned on on the device. All you need to do next is wait 15-20 minutes until the device adjusts to the position of the satellites in this area.

As a rule, after the specified time has passed, the satellites will be put into operation, and navigation on your device will work correctly.

Method 2: Manipulating the gps.conf file (root only)

The quality and stability of GPS signal reception in an Android device can be improved by editing the system gps.conf file. This manipulation is recommended for devices that are not officially supplied to your country (for example, Pixel, Motorola devices released before 2016, as well as Chinese or Japanese smartphones for the domestic market).

In order to edit the GPS settings file yourself, you will need two things: root rights and file manager with access to system files. The most convenient way is to use Root Explorer.

1. Launch Ruth Explorer and go to the root folder of the internal memory, also known as root. If required, grant the application access to use root rights.

2. Go to the folder system, then in /etc.

3. Find the file inside the directory gps.conf.

Attention! This file is missing on some devices from Chinese manufacturers! If you encounter this problem, do not try to create it, otherwise you may disrupt the GPS!

Click and hold on it to select it. Then tap on the three dots at the top right to bring up the context menu. In it select “ Open in a text editor».

Confirm your consent to file system changes.

4. The file will be opened for editing, you will see the following options:

5. Parameter NTP_SERVER should be changed to the following values:

  • For the Russian Federation - ru.pool.ntp.org ;
  • For Ukraine - ua.pool.ntp.org ;
  • For Belarus - by.pool.ntp.org .

You can also use a pan-European server europe.pool.ntp.org .

6. If in gps.conf There is a missing setting on your device INTERMEDIATE_POS, enter it with the value 0 - this will slow down the operation of the receiver somewhat, but will make its readings much more accurate.

7. Do the same with the option DEFAULT_AGPS_ENABLE, to which you need to add a value TRUE. This will allow you to use cellular network data for geopositioning, which will also have a beneficial effect on the accuracy and quality of reception.

The use of A-GPS technology is also responsible for setting DEFAULT_USER_PLANE=TRUE , which should also be added to the file.

8. After all manipulations, exit the editing mode. Don't forget to save your changes.

9. Reboot the device and check the GPS operation using special testing programs or navigator application. Geolocation should function correctly.

This method is especially suitable for devices with SoC made by MediaTek, but is also effective on processors from other manufacturers

Conclusion

To summarize, we note that problems with GPS are still rare, and mainly on devices in the budget segment. As practice shows, one of the two methods described above will definitely help you. If this does not happen, then you are most likely experiencing a hardware problem. It is impossible to fix such problems on your own, so the best solution would be to contact a service center for help. If the warranty period for the device has not yet expired, you should have it replaced or your money refunded.



Tablets are devices that are actively used not only as multimedia centers. They are used by motorists and pedestrians as a navigator, which allows them to quickly navigate a place and find the desired building, street, or object. However, after one or two years, the device may no longer perform as intended. A user whose tablet does not see GPS satellites needs to know what to do.

Why can't my tablet see GPS satellites?

Some devices come with a built-in navigation device, but this does not affect satellite tracking setup. It will be the same either way. But the main reasons why the device does not see satellites may be the following:

  • Problems with the firmware.
  • Programs crash.
  • Almanac failure.
  • Mechanical damage.
  • GPS module failure.

And if physical damage will have to be repaired by professionals, then you can deal with software damage yourself.

Almanac failure

This is a software problem, which is determined by the fact that the device will not be able to correctly determine its location and connect to satellites. It is proposed to solve a problem of this nature in one of two ways.

Fast start

The method is used only for those cases when the tablet computer was recently turned on and correctly determined its location. Using the “old tracks” he will be able to correct the time and location of the satellite. The technician will spend up to a quarter of an hour on such work.

Delayed start

It assumes that quite some time has passed since the last moment of use and it is difficult for the tablet to determine its location. This task can take an hour. The tablet needs:

  • Search for satellites.
  • Read the position of the orbit and its parameters. Only after this the tablet will receive a special type of parameters - ephemeris, which will be responsible for binding location and time.

And if the user has not used the GPS location search function for a long time, then the tablet needs a decent amount of time to do this work. Sometimes the waiting time can take up to 6 hours. To make it go faster, you need to move away from massive metal products, trusses, mesh, etc.

Accelerating the search for GPS satellites

For such work, you will need super administrator root rights to change the equipment parameters. You can speed up your search for satellites by doing the following:

  • Open file system.
  • Find the /etc directory.
  • Open the gps.conf folder (open as text).
  • Find the line: NTP_SERVER=north-america.pool.ntp.org.
  • Instead of the specified text, write: NTP_SERVER= ru.pool.ntp.org.

In some cases, to solve the problem you need to reflash the gadget or take it to a service center.

It’s still good that modern smartphones are equipped with a GPS module: thanks to it, you can save on a navigator, and it’s also useful. However, all your plans can be disrupted by one little thing - the connection between your phone and “space”. It will take it and disappear.

Let's figure out what a GPS navigation system is, what causes its failures, and what to do if your Android and iOS phone does not find satellites or does not establish contact with them.


How it works

So, what does the GPS module do in mobile devices? Receives navigation signals from satellites. And not only those included in the system, which corresponds to its name, but also analogues - GLONASS, BDS and others (with support). The very concept of “GPS” today has become a general synonym for satellite navigation.

In addition to GPS, there is AGPS navigation (LBS), which determines the location of the phone using signals from nearby cell towers. Despite the similarity of spelling, there is no connection between these systems. But there are differences, and very significant ones:

  • The AGPS system is only available in cellular coverage areas, GPS is available everywhere.
  • AGPS determines the coordinates of an object with an accuracy of up to 500 m, GPS - up to 5 m.
  • AGPS does not depend on weather conditions; all that is required for its operation is a connection to a mobile network and the presence of money on your balance. GPS is free, to activate it you just need to turn on geolocation on your phone, but the quality of communication is highly dependent on cloud cover and other external factors. The signal only travels in line of sight.

Thick clouds, tall buildings, thickets of trees and thick walls of rooms dampen satellite signals. Therefore, to improve GPS communication in adverse conditions, another technology was developed - A-GPS (how can you not get confused here?). The essence of this technology is that if the signal is lost, the phone connects to a special server, from where it receives the exact coordinates of the satellites, and establishes a connection using them. For A-GPS to work, the smartphone must be connected to a mobile operator's network or have another method of accessing the Internet (in particular, Wi-Fi).

What determines the speed of finding satellites?

The speed of satellite detection depends on how long ago the navigation signal receiver was turned on in the phone. The duration of its activation determines the type of start - cold, warm or hot. No, the point is not in the “warming up” of the GPS module, but in what data it relies on when searching.

When turned on, the GPS receiver retrieves from its memory the latest information about satellite coordinates: almanacs and ephemeris (ephemeris).

  • Almanacs contain information about the orbital parameters of all satellites in the system. They are not very accurate, but remain relevant for several months.
  • The ephemeris contains precise data on the clock adjustments and orbital parameters of each specific satellite. Their relevance does not exceed half an hour.

GPS satellites around the Earth

At cold start– this is considered to be turning on the GPS receiver after 30 minutes or more of shutdown; the device searches for satellites only using known almanacs. If the almanac data is no longer relevant, it downloads it again. At this time, outdated ephemeris are also erased and new ephemerides are loaded. The duration of a cold start is 5 minutes or more, depending on environmental conditions and the position of the phone. To make the connection faster, the device should be held motionless.

At warm start, which refers to turning on the GPS module a little more than half an hour after turning it off, only the ephemeris is updated. It takes about 1 minute.

Instantaneous hot start is possible only if the ephemeris remains relevant, that is, as long as less than 30 minutes have passed since the GPS was turned off.

Why can't my phone see satellites or lose contact with them?

The reasons for the lack and instability of a phone’s connection with GPS satellites can be external and internal. The former are caused by the influence of environmental factors on signal transmission, the latter by problems with the receiving device itself.

External reasons:

  • Unfavorable atmospheric conditions (dense clouds), being in a forest or among high-rise buildings. Unfortunately, we have not yet learned how to disperse clouds, but A-GPS technology helps to overcome these obstacles.
  • The telephone is indoors. To solve the problem, it is usually enough to go to the window or go out onto the balcony.
  • The phone is in motion, for example while driving. For a cold start of the GPS module, this can be a serious obstacle. To find satellites faster, stop and place the device on a flat surface.

Internal reasons:

  • The phone is not equipped with a satellite communication module at all or only has A-GPS, the operation of which depends on the level of the cellular signal and Wi-Fi.
  • The device has a GPS receiver with a low-power antenna, usually of the film type. In this case, communication with satellites is possible, but it is unstable and highly dependent on external conditions: even the case on the phone can interfere with it. Sometimes the connection only works when the Internet is connected. The problem is usually identified immediately after purchasing the gadget.
  • The GPS module is faulty. A breakdown (usually damage or failure of the receiver antenna) is detected after a shock, fall or disassembly of the device, although not always. It happens that it occurs for no apparent reason. Manifests itself as a complete or periodic inability to detect satellites and establish communication with them. Or the fact that the signal is received only at a certain position of the phone.
  • Systemic problems. The source of the problem lies in incorrect settings or faulty firmware of the device.
  • Incorrectly set system time.
  • The influence of third-party software or malware. This version is supported by the relationship between the failure and the installation of an application, as well as the presence of symptoms of virus infection.

How to fix the problem on an Android smartphone

Problems associated with the absence or malfunction of a GPS receiver cannot be solved at home. More precisely, the first one is insoluble in principle, and the second one should be addressed to a service center. But you can clean your phone of viruses, adjust settings, etc. yourself. So let's get started.

If the reason is more likely to be software in nature and occurs after a period of normal operation, do the following:

  • Make sure the system time is correct.
  • Uninstall apps that you installed shortly before the crash.
  • If there is no effect.

If the phone does not find satellites initially (no cold start), although it is equipped with a GPS module, it may very well be that it is simply configured incorrectly. This is especially true for devices brought from abroad or purchased in foreign online stores - that is, not intended for the Russian market.

To correct an incorrect setting, namely, reset the almanac that is relevant for the territory of another country, you need access to the device’s engineering menu. To enter this menu, use special telephone codes specific to devices of different brands. They are entered in the same way as USSD commands - in the calling application.

On most Android smartphones, the code used to enter the engineering menu is
*#*#3646633#*#*
If your device does not accept it, use search engine tips. Or, if your phone has a MediaTek processor, install one of the following applications:

Or their equivalent.

  • Make sure geolocation is turned on on your phone.
  • Having opened the engineering menu, go to the " Location» – « YGPS».

  • On the " Satellites» the satellites that your device recognizes should be shown. If you only see red dots there, it means the phone finds them, but cannot establish a connection.

  • Open the tab " Information" and touch the buttons " Hot», « Cold», « Warm», « Full" And " AGPS Restart" This will delete the current almanac.

  • Open the tab " NMEALog" and press " Start" This will start downloading the new almanac.

  • To control the establishment of the connection, open the section “ Satellites" If some of the dots on the blue field turn green, it means your phone has received the signal. Open " NMEALog" again and press " Stop».

In some cases, the cause of an unsuccessful cold start is an incorrectly specified time server in the GPS configuration file. To fix this setting, you will need root privileges and a file manager with privileged access, such as .

  • So, launch Root Explorer or its equivalent and find the /system/etc/gps.conf file

  • Open it with any text editor and in the line NTP_SERVER= write down pool.ntp.org. This is if you are in Russia. You can check the data for other countries on the website. As a result, the file should look like this:

Save changes to gps.conf and reboot your phone.

If you don’t want to tinker with the settings at all, but want to do everything faster, you can use a tool for automatically optimizing satellite communication parameters, which is called “”. To get the desired result, just press one button. I can’t judge the effectiveness, but many users are satisfied with this application.

If you use your phone as a navigator and it often loses satellites, for example, when the screen turns off or when leaving tunnels, the A-GPS signal fixation and data reset tool will help.

In addition, there are quite a lot of free applications in the Google Play market for testing the operation of the GPS receiver, which may also be useful to you:

And others.

How to fix the problem on iPhone

Owners of Apple gadgets are less likely to encounter problems finding satellites, the reasons for which lie in the devices themselves. Apparently, this is why there are much fewer ways to solve them on iOS than on Android.

If geolocation on an iPhone does not work at all, it is usually disabled in the settings. If it is available in some applications and not in others, the reason is most likely also hidden in the settings. To fix them:

  • Open the section " Confidentiality" and tap the line " Location services».
  • The next screen contains a list of applications. Next to each of them it is indicated whether it has access to this service. Tap the items you want to change and set the permissions you want.

In cases where the geolocation service is unstable or the iPhone does not find satellites for a long time, it is often enough to open the settings section “ Basic", go to " Reset" and press " Reset location settings».

This will return the geolocation and privacy settings to their original state, and the problem will most likely be resolved.

Also on the site:

What to do if your phone does not see satellites or does not connect to them updated: November 1, 2018 by: Johnny Mnemonic

Based on Android, it does not detect / does not detect the location correctly. Navigation does not work or does not work correctly. What to do and how to fix it?

Many users encounter a problem when phone or The Android tablet starts acting up. It seems that nothing happened that could cause a malfunction, but it does not work as it should.

For example, the device has problems with the fact that it has ceased to determine its location either tablet e or The phone's navigation is not working properly. The reason for this may be:

1st: Software glitch- i.e. the problem is a software glitch

2nd: Hardware failure- i.e. the problem is in the hardware (i.e., replacement or restoration of spare parts for the gadget is required)

However, do not rush to get upset - in 90% of cases there are problems operation of location recognition, geolocation, satellite detection, navigation, etc. functions. smartphone a or Android tablet is to blame software glitch which you can easily fix on your own.

Fixing a software glitch:

Method 1. Quite simple - go to "settings", find there "backup and reset", in which you choose full reset settings with deletion of all data. Be careful, using this method is often effective, but it entails deleting all photos, contacts, passwords, music, games, videos and, in general, all information stored on your smartphone e or tablet e. Therefore, first save everything you need by connecting the gadget to your computer. If this method does not suit you, or if even after this the problem is not resolved, see Method 2.

Method 2.

Based on solving problems with communication and network reception phone number and tablets based on Android by introducing additional software. Utilities that control all processes inside gadgets. Today, there are quite a lot of them, however, the fewer functions an application contains, the more effective it is, as a rule. The best way to monitor system functions, corrects, and correct all possible settings and synchronization errors is a small, easy-to-use, free utility for Android-based devices. You can download the application from Google Play and see its additional options in the description. After installing the application, all that remains is to launch it. Further, in principle, nothing more is required from you. The application will take full control of the device's functions. (By the way, among other things, the gadget will begin to charge 20% faster, and its performance will also increase significantly, which will affect the loading speed and operation of all applications, games, and the system as a whole. On average, after scanning, the system runs at 50% faster.)

  • Also, to achieve maximum data exchange speed over the Internet, it is recommended to install a high-speed browser on your Android device Yandex Browser You can download it from Google Play.

Method 3.

Changing the device software, or as it is also called "re firmware ". This method, as a rule, requires certain skills and can be solved by contacting the Service Center. To carry out this task yourself, you need to contact the website of the manufacturer of your device, download the utilities necessary for flashing the firmware and the firmware itself, and then reinstall it on your gadget.

If none of the methods brings results, unfortunately, you will have to contact the Service Center for repairing your tablet a or smartphone a.

An Android phone or tablet does not detect / does not detect the location correctly. Navigation does not work or does not work correctly. What to do and how to fix it?