Teacher
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21 Messages
Captivate - GPS Issues
Anyone else experiencing basically no GPS lock?
I've seen it mentioned in plenty of other forums, but not here. I've tried all kinds of fixes and settings and the GPS on my unit is basically useless. I can get a very poor lock using just the wireless networks, but GPS never locks.
JRd1st
Teacher
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20 Messages
14 years ago
Same here, it finds plenty of satellites but takes forever to lock, and doesn't track worth a nickle if you're trying to actually use the GPS for something.
If the JH7 OTA was supposed to be the "fix" then we're screwed.
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tylerdurdin
Mentor
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56 Messages
14 years ago
did you search manually for the update?
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donaldat56
Tutor
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6 Messages
14 years ago
Get Over it !! Did you buy a GPS or a phone ?
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tamanaco
Scholar
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197 Messages
14 years ago
That's easy to say, but when more and more of the applications you use depend on accurate GPS location to give you "relevant" information it becomes an issue of having a fully functional "smartphone"... not a phone. Android itself is being developed by Google (The de facto search kings) I'd dare to say that the Google smartphone applications that we've come to depend on... are dependent or are more useful if they could get accurate GPS "location".
I want to be able to type the word Pizza and get the closest Pizza restaurant based on where I am. I want to take a picture and have the Smartphone record the location and date. After I have a few drinks at bar and I'm a little disoriented... I want be able to find the closest subway station and get the shortest way to walk there from where I'm standing... not from 5 blocks away from my location.
I think that with the latest firmware update (JH7) the GPS locks to satellite are a little better, but the applications that depend on GPS still have the issue of maintaining accuracy if one moves around or after a certain period of time. Some folks suspect that the drivers for the GPS fail to clear old and irrelevant GPS data in the cache and so the cache fills up and the GPS looses its accuracy as it no longer gets new location information or can only get "insufficient" location information. If I clear the GPS cache I can get my GPS to lock very quickly, but as time goes by the cache fills up and the number of satellites in view decrease, the lock times get longer and accuracy of my location gets progressively worse.
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foxbat121
Master
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2.7K Messages
14 years ago
Do you know how many Android apps depend on GPS to be reliable?
If I'm only interested in a cell phone, I'd just buy a cheap dumb phone (much cheaper). I paid a premium for a Smartphone and it is not too much to ask that all the advised features work. If Samsung/ATT has said there is no GPS on Captivate phone, I have no problem with it (and probably won't buy it).
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GaryStebbins
Tutor
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2 Messages
14 years ago
I bought an Android phone because I want the applications that are available on this platform. As was stated, many of those applications depend on location. If all I wanted was a phone, I could have gotten one for much less than I paid for the Captivate.
I just spoke with Samsung (phone number given to me by AT&T support), and they confirmed that the GPS fix was not included in the JH7 update. They are still working on a fix. The representative I spoke with said it will "hopefully be available next month."
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dwmitchell61
Mentor
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62 Messages
14 years ago
Works great on my wife's Captivate.
I used the Google Nav and it worked flawlessly. Locked right on and then navigated accurately. I could even see us crossing the Yakima River just as we started across the bridge at 60MPH...
She had a good lock on before the JH7 update, I never tried the navigation while driving to check the lock-on until after JH7 update.
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brian1269
Contributor
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1 Message
14 years ago
That's a really asinine comment. The GPS is an intregral part of a smartphone, and having it not function properly is a major issue. Why don't you keep your piehole shut.
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nyle
Tutor
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12 Messages
14 years ago
Has anyone had the update PUSHED to their phone? In other words, has anyone here had the update sent to them as opposed to manually doing a software update?
If so, does your GPS lock on in a reasonable time and and hold an accurate lock? GPS Test free is a good tool to determine this. I've heard on several forums now that Samsung is claiming the pushed update is different than the pulled but can't get anyone to confirm that their pushed update works fine.
Also, so far everyone saying their GPS still doesn't work that has responded to me has said they pulled it.
So can anyone confirm a push and that they are now fixed?
As an aside - How long did they say for the fixes to be all pushed out? Thanks.
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kissmefla
Tutor
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10 Messages
14 years ago
I did the manual "pull" update (and it was slow even via wifi) last week and my GPS is as bad if not worse than before. Before, it would occasionally get a GPS lock. Now, nothing.
My phone is not rooted.
I guess I'll wait until a push update is sent and hope that fixes it.
Of course, I didn't buy the phone for GPS and still love it. But, I still would like to be able to use it.
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