Database Develop

[Q] How is the GPS?

Hi Everybody,
I am very interested in purchasing the Tmo-US version of this phone when it is avaliable and I would like to know how is the GPS on these phones? How fast does it lock and for those who are coming from SGS, can you see a big difference in GPS performance? I am currently using a SGS vibrant on tmo-us and GPS is very bad on it. Thanks

better than thge galaxy s.
First time i used it it took like 10 minutes to lock on lol, but then each time after that pretty much instant (or close enough)!

Not perfect for mine, sometimes under the sky also cant lock any satellite or scan no satellite in car. But other people are getting pretty good result though. That's why i am not sure it's my problem or not.

I edited the gps.conf file for my location (not sure if neccesary, but had the file from my previous HD2 so figured wtf..)
gps locks in 15 seconds when outside

Mine is MUCH snappier than my previous HTC desire

Best gps I've experienced on a phone. Better than my omnia, hero and my wife's galaxy s, which is terrible

Thanks for the quick replies. I am sure with some new updates the performance will improve even better. I cant wait to get my hands on G2x now.

Also extremely happy with the GPS. Using MileageTrac everyday, and the GPS locks within 3-4 secs every time.

GPS is perfect. It locks satellites in 7-20 seconds. Accuracy is 5m.

so a few more uses and yeah still instant. thumbs up!

for those who got fast gps fix time, may I know what baseband are you guys using?

Can it be used for car navigation like the Desire HD? Anyone tried it?

I think I fixed mine.
Solution was (at least one among them)
- push appropriate gps.conf to /system/etc
- modify APN type of Mobile data to "default,supl"
- turn off wireless while aquiring GPS fix
My GPS now fixes within seconds with mobile data enabled.

Have any of you tried GPS Status? It helped alleviate slow-to-lock AGPS issues on my Incredible. If you launch the app, it forces a new download of the carrier's GPS file. GPS lock went from 2-3 minutes on some buggy ROMs to under 20 seconds.
It's not the most elegant of solutions, but it works.

pascaliut said:
Can it be used for car navigation like the Desire HD? Anyone tried it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yup, quite a few times works great.

I agree. Use it everyday. It seems more stable than the DHD with better signal lock.

The demo unit at the T-mobile store I went to yesterday had a horrible GPS.
It would freeze up google maps and wouldn't lock AT ALL when the satellite antennae was turned on.
With the antennae turned on, google maps worked, but the circle for your location was huge (obviously).

Tarzanman said:
The demo unit at the T-mobile store I went to yesterday had a horrible GPS.
It would freeze up google maps and wouldn't lock AT ALL when the satellite antennae was turned on.
With the antennae turned on, google maps worked, but the circle for your location was huge (obviously).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Were you trying to use it indoors or did they let you take it outside to test it out?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA Premium App

Tarzanman said:
The demo unit at the T-mobile store I went to yesterday had a horrible GPS.
It would freeze up google maps and wouldn't lock AT ALL when the satellite antennae was turned on.
With the antennae turned on, google maps worked, but the circle for your location was huge (obviously).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you try GPS on any other phones? Signal could have been bad inside the building.
Being a Vibrant owner, with all its GPS issues, I'm very interested in how the this works on the G2X before I consider switching.
Thanks.

Worked fine whilst I was out today. Only problem was a lack of a data connection.
Sent from my LG-P990 using Tapatalk

[Q] How can I test GPS functionality?

This might seem like a really stupid question to some. When I was on my last trip I thought it would be nice to try out the GPS function while on the road or even on the plane. I would have loved to follow my movements on the Xoom!
So I downloaded some apps that looked promising (GPS Status, GPS Test, and Maverick). I thought I would get at least the coordinates and maybe an altitude and speed reading. But all three applications failed to acquire sufficient GPS satellites to determine my position. After the plane ride I decided it might have been that the GPS receiver is turned off during airplane mode. So I enabled all radios, made sure all location settings are correct, and tried it again. Still nothing. I see a few satellites in range but they are not sufficient for some reason.
I then tested the Google map app. I tried different settings (use wireless network etc.) and it seems that the GPS location is never really showing correctly.
Am I doing something wrong? Any help is appreciated!

All of those programs you mentioned should have done the trick. Keep in mind that you were in a big metal tube and GPS signals are pretty weak. You would need to get the Xoom close to a window and even then it may not work very well due to poor coverage. I am in a building with a metal roof and no luck getting a GPS lock, but as soon as I step outside it works fine.

HuckFinn said:
I am in a building with a metal roof and no luck getting a GPS lock, but as soon as I step outside it works fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I thought I gave it a good chance but you are right; I should be fair and have the Xoom enjoy the nice weather outside with me once I get off work.

getting a GPS signal while flying in the air at 600mph+ is kinda hard... I've tried without success except for 1 occasion (and finally got my Garmin app on my old Nokia to register a max speed of 569mph haha)

funnycreature said:
...it might have been that the GPS receiver is turned off during airplane mode. So I enabled all radios, made sure all location settings are correct, and tried it again. Still nothing...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a similar, but not the same issue, but the work around might be helpful.
I have found that if I turn off the GPS radio, and then turn it back on, it really does not turn back on. The work around is to turn on your GPS in the settings and then turn your Xoom off (long press the power button only), and then turn it back on. Now try your GPS and see if it works.

I opened the Maps app and it put me in the exact part of my house in 5 seconds. Literally.
Sent from my Xoom

Being outside did the trick. I guess I overestimated the power of GPS satellites indoors. I am thankful for all the suggestions!
[sent with Xooming Android technology]

the xoom must have a super-GPS chip because it catches the signal and puts you instantly in the right spot on earth a lot faster than the nexus one on 3g/gps ... awesome.

MitchRapp said:
the xoom must have a super-GPS chip because it catches the signal and puts you instantly in the right spot on earth a lot faster than the nexus one on 3g/gps ... awesome.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe that's because of the aGPS which takes advantage of the WiFi and wireless signals for positioning? I don't have 3G activated but the WiFi surely helps and is pretty accurate.

just tried it with the WIFI off on my xoom and booya... quick lock and exactly in the right spot in the building I'm in
this thing is awesome.

MitchRapp said:
getting a GPS signal while flying in the air at 600mph+ is kinda hard... I've tried without success except for 1 occasion (and finally got my Garmin app on my old Nokia to register a max speed of 569mph haha)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, it's possible if fortune (and satellites) on your side But you will need to stick your phone to the window for a few minutes, also helps if get location just before boarding to a plane.
MitchRapp said:
the xoom must have a super-GPS chip because it catches the signal and puts you instantly in the right spot on earth a lot faster than the nexus one on 3g/gps ... awesome.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tablets probably have a bigger GPS antennas, Asus Transformer and even NI Adam have a great signal reception.

Does the GPS accuracy suck on the incredible S?...please say it ain't so!!!

I need a phone that has a working gps. I have a samsung galaxy s, and gps sucks!!! I'm not talking about number of satellites, i'm talking about accuracy (on the app "gps test"). On my samsung it jumps around from 32 to 64ft accuracy and puts me on parallel streets.
Today a store rep let me take a htc incredible S in my car and drive around a bit. I was shocked to see that the gps accuracy was worse than my galaxy s!!! It found and locked onto many satellites (sometimes 11 of 11) but the accuracy sucked. It would fluctuate anywhere from 30 ft to 120 ft accuracy using the gps test app. At some points it would show me off of the road. Is this a common problem on this phone? I borrowed a friends motorolla atrix the other day and had an accuracy of 4.9ft! Thats accurate to like 2 steps! Would really appreciate your feedback. If your gps accuracy is good on your phone, then what do you think could have caused the one i tried today to be so horrible? Thanks

Nope not for me, but we're in different parts of the world. Mine's quite accurate and fast actually, with AGPS assisting.

Has always sucked for me in India.. then again I'm in the city and most of the time indoors
When I say it's always sucked, I mean it's always sucked for all my phones Incredible S does the same (quite so) lame job as my old Nokia did.. nothing to write home about. I just wrote that off to my region/country/conditions here or whatever
If I get it within 100m, I'm excited 4.5 meters? lol..

GPS accuracy really sucks on Incredible S. I've used HTC Hero for more than 1 year and never had any problem. Hero's GPS accuracy as sooo perfect. But I'm VERY disappointed with Incredible S. I've tried all possible ways, like calibrating the GPS, deleting and re-downloading a-data. But it's same. No improvements.

For me it works with no problems. Uk and Austria I used it in. Sometimes the lock times can be long, so I hardly ever disable gps, so it can collect almanac data. It is not a battery drag, it only uses lot of battery when it's active in the notification area. I use it to navigate on foot as well and I can tell it is seriously correct on location. +-1m
I had crap location info in maps and Igo myway only when the device was waiting to get a proper gps lock and only wireless location data was available which is useless for navigation purposes.

Maybe "GPS test" sucks? Works fine for me.

moyorakkhi said:
GPS accuracy really sucks on Incredible S. I've used HTC Hero for more than 1 year and never had any problem. Hero's GPS accuracy as sooo perfect. But I'm VERY disappointed with Incredible S. I've tried all possible ways, like calibrating the GPS, deleting and re-downloading a-data. But it's same. No improvements.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here. Was a Hero user before switching to IncS. I still have both devices so I tested them side by side. Hero is much better in every aspects, including lock time, no of sats discovered and signal strength. I believe IncS is limited by its antennae design.

From Canada here, and it sucks ass. My Samsung Tab works flawlessly.

projective said:
From Canada here, and it sucks ass. My Samsung Tab works flawlessly.
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Click to collapse
Hahah yeah I'm also from Canada and this is the worst phone for gps i've had by far

odd, i'm from Canada and i've always had awesome gps accuracy and speed on a couple of htc phones. locks within 5 seconds and accurate within 5 to 7 meters.
you guys sure you are using correct settings? perhaps it's carrier dependant, although I doubt it.

GPS works fine here in Canada as well.. which rom are you guys using? I've noticed that certain roms cause me more issues with GPS but ARHD works fine for me!

It was equally bad on every rom i've tried.
Maybe it is location specific I'm in the east coast of Canada.
Also, the test something for me..
In location settings turn off location by wireless network and try gps only

@scooby
have u tried using the updated gps.conf file from the gps thread? I also have location by network setting off.

syc7090 said:
@scooby
have u tried using the updated gps.conf file from the gps thread? I also have location by network setting off.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I did. I'm using that now actually and it still sucks. My accuracy is 3600 meters lol

did u add "supl" to your apn type?

syc7090 said:
did u add "supl" to your apn type?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah default, supl, mms is already there

scoobysnacks said:
Yeah default, supl, mms is already there
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Click to collapse
jeez, maybe it is location specific...

syc7090 said:
jeez, maybe it is location specific...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I never had an issue on my x10 though, or on sense roms if I chose wireless network location.
Now I still get nothing even when choosing wireless.

Just tested my Inc S with "GPS Test" app and I'm getting between 5-7 satellites and accuracy between 9.2-15.1 feet, from within the car. I'm running the latest OTA updated radio, with Hboot 1.16. Also, with Sygic Aura, got a lock within 5 seconds...I guess it depends on the location and radio version.

[Q] Streak 7 wifi, stock ROM- gps unable to lock

My Streak 7 wifi, stock ROM- gps unable to lock. Other than that, device is great. Wifi connected. In settings, Wireless networks and GPS satellites in use. GPS Status & Toolbox app downloaded aGPS data but not helping, GpsFix app not helping to lock also. Any other suggestions? thanks in advance.

dang1970 said:
My Streak 7 wifi, stock ROM- gps unable to lock. Other than that, device is great. Wifi connected. In settings, Wireless networks and GPS satellites in use. GPS Status & Toolbox app downloaded aGPS data but not helping, GpsFix app not helping to lock also. Any other suggestions? thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not to be too mundane, but have you tried a simple reboot, or going outside where you'd be more likely to get a GPS fix? My T-Mobile S7 has had trouble getting a GPS fix several times, but other times it locks right in.

How long have you left in in clear line of sight of the sky to get a lock? I use mine as my primary in-car multimedia center/GPS and at first, to save battery, would turn it completely off when not in use. I found that when I'd get in my car to go home from work it could take up to 10 minutes to get a lock. Then I started just letting it sleep, have had no battery issues and GPS lock is nearly instant.
Long story short: Give it a good while to lock after a full shut down.And maybe you have, I just thought I'd share my experience.
Jeff

I have absolutely the same issue. After turning it off completely, the GPS does not lock for ages in any sky conditions, etc. Moreover, I put another two Android devices (Galaxy S and Optimus One) also after complete shut off juyst nearby and they are getting locked almest immediately. No doubts, there is a bug in the S7 GPS. But what is it ? Is it a hardware problem ? Can it be fixed ? Keeping it in a sleep mode for a long time is not a good solution for me, though it works indeed.
Does anybody know how to fix it ? At the moment I am using an external GPS. It works perfect, but it is also not that elegant solution.

Same thing here too. I downloaded "GPS test", and found that it will lock on pretty quick, then fire up GPS, and all is well.

margol1 said:
I have absolutely the same issue. After turning it off completely, the GPS does not lock for ages in any sky conditions, etc. Moreover, I put another two Android devices (Galaxy S and Optimus One) also after complete shut off juyst nearby and they are getting locked almest immediately. No doubts, there is a bug in the S7 GPS. But what is it ? Is it a hardware problem ? Can it be fixed ? Keeping it in a sleep mode for a long time is not a good solution for me, though it works indeed.
Does anybody know how to fix it ? At the moment I am using an external GPS. It works perfect, but it is also not that elegant solution.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
GPS on android devices need the assistance of the cell tower or ISP location to get a quick lock. When you first boot up the ds7 and turn on GPS, make sure you are connected to wifi in order to get a quick lock. If you search this forum you will see a thread that give a fix for this, but I think its too much of a hassle. Just be on wifi for your first lock will do the trick. This is not bug on the ds7, its android.

otnos said:
GPS on android devices need the assistance of the cell tower or ISP location to get a quick lock. When you first boot up the ds7 and turn on GPS, make sure you are connected to wifi in order to get a quick lock. If you search this forum you will see a thread that give a fix for this, but I think its too much of a hassle. Just be on wifi for your first lock will do the trick. This is not bug on the ds7, its android.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really? More misinformation on this subject? No, Android devices do not need aGPS, in this case you're confusing aGPS (ie: download of ephemeris data) with Network location, which are quite different.
And it really doesn't matter if it's the first or the Nth time, if the DS7 is always offline for some reason, it would likely make that first fix take 5+ minutes but subsequent fixes (for 7 or so days) would be fine. However, as soon as he goes online, it's going to download the ephemeris data.
My guess is that his GPS conf is set to the wrong part of the world, so the ephemeris data is basically invalid. FasterFix in the market can help correct this mistake if you're rooted, or you can replace it manually.

khaytsus said:
Really? More misinformation on this subject? No, Android devices do not need aGPS, in this case you're confusing aGPS (ie: download of ephemeris data) with Network location, which are quite different.
And it really doesn't matter if it's the first or the Nth time, if the DS7 is always offline for some reason, it would likely make that first fix take 5+ minutes but subsequent fixes (for 7 or so days) would be fine. However, as soon as he goes online, it's going to download the ephemeris data.
My guess is that his GPS conf is set to the wrong part of the world, so the ephemeris data is basically invalid. FasterFix in the market can help correct this mistake if you're rooted, or you can replace it manually.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I beg to differ with you. When I was on stock froyo, I had the same GPS lock problem on one of my trip. So I pulled into a McDonald and connected to their free wifi and got an instant lock. This morning I tested it again. I have been running honeycomb sine Oct 5th and have never turn on the GPS. I connected to my wifi, turned on GPS, and opened Google map and got an instant lock. I didn't have to wait 5+ min..

otnos said:
I beg to differ with you. When I was on stock froyo, I had the same GPS lock problem on one of my trip. So I pulled into a McDonald and connected to their free wifi and got an instant lock. This morning I tested it again. I have been running honeycomb sine Oct 5th and have never turn on the GPS. I connected to my wifi, turned on GPS, and opened Google map and got an instant lock. I didn't have to wait 5+ min..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And none of that has anything to do with what I said.......

This is a little FAQ I wrote up on how to fix this problem. Just a matter of replacing the file that runs the GPS, based off the area you live in.
http://tabletroms.com/forums/showwiki.php?title=DellStreakFAQ:GPS-FIX

giveen said:
This is a little FAQ I wrote up on how to fix this problem. Just a matter of replacing the file that runs the GPS, based off the area you live in.
http://tabletroms.com/forums/showwiki.php?title=DellStreakFAQ:GPS-FIX
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good list, although not sure why you're specifying dozens of NTP servers vs the pool server, but I assume t-mobile lets anyone connect to its server to download the ephemeris data? Otherwise, probably better to use supl.google.com
Here's mine, for North America, with other regions commented out for NTP. http://dl.dropbox.com/u/334233/gps.conf
It'd be interesting to know if all of the other dozen or so configuration options are actually used, I've heard they aren't, just part of a spec.

I bought my DS7 in the US and I live in Israel. The above explanations perfectly fit my case. Unfortunately, the given link does not include my region (Israel or Middle East, etc). Can somebody help me ? My DS7 runs a stock HC 3.2. The device is unrooted, but I will root it just for solving the GPS problem. BTW, why my Galaxy S bought in Europe does not have such problem ? Is this gps.conf specific in tablets only or in the US devices ?

Another thoughts. Now it seems to me extremely unreasonable to run specific GPS files in different regions. GPS, by definition is supposed to be used in different regions. Should I replace the GPS file in my every trip? Sounds more than unreasonable. I used a Windows CE based PDA with GPS all around the globe without that issue. It does took me a while to fix satellites in a new region for the first time. But then it was getting fixed fast even after complete shut off.
I can't beleive Android is that imperfect. If this option would be included in the menu (e.g. in Regional settings), I would like it. But performing such complicated actions in each trip ???

margol1 said:
Another thoughts. Now it seems to me extremely unreasonable to run specific GPS files in different regions. GPS, by definition is supposed to be used in different regions. Should I replace the GPS file in my every trip? Sounds more than unreasonable. I used a Windows CE based PDA with GPS all around the globe without that issue. It does took me a while to fix satellites in a new region for the first time. But then it was getting fixed fast even after complete shut off.
I can't beleive Android is that imperfect. If this option would be included in the menu (e.g. in Regional settings), I would like it. But performing such complicated actions in each trip ???
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Stop your trolling, ephemeris data, ie: what's set up in gps.conf, is to speed up cold starts. it does nothing else, it's not Android specific, in fact all it's doing is downloaded a set of the data that your GPS would otherwise have to slowly acquire from the satellites, which takes 2-10 minutes, depending on conditions and how many sats are seen.
All GPS units do this, but GPS units that have a network available will potentially download ephemeris data to speed up satellite acquisition. Otherwise they just download it. Only time you'll really notice it going slow is if it's been more than 4-5 days (I believe 7 is the official data expiration, but the older it is, the less accurate it is) or you've changed areas since you last turned on the GPS.
Keep in mind that phone-based GPS's suck. They're inaccurate, they're not sensitive, their antennas are not optimal. This is true for nearly all PDA's or Phones, Tablets, etc.. Some may be better than others. They're optimized for space, price, and somewhat for battery life. Not accuracy, precision, or cold starts (beyond A-GPS data downloads, which is an OS function that makes the data available to the GPS)

This means my unit is faulty (apparently it is a common problem for DS7). Otherwise I would have similar cold starts for all three devices I have tested (DS7, Galaxy S and Optimus One). On the other hand, in the light of your explanataion, my tests are, probably, wrong. DS7 is WiFi only, while another two are GSM (no data plans though). In other forums, I read that changing gps.conf file in WiFi only devices dramatically improves cold starts. Apparently they all have been connected to WiFi while starting. I have prepared the appropriate file for my region, but don't know how to root my DS7 with stock HC 3.2. The thread I found here is not sufficiently detail for noobs like me. So, in the mean time I will continue using the external GPS. It is indeed much better than the internal one besides the cold start problem (though much less convinient). If you know a link to the step-by-step instructions for rooting DS7 running stock HC 3.2, I will greatly appreciate it.

margol1 said:
The thread I found here is not sufficiently detail for noobs like me. So, in the mean time I will continue using the external GPS. It is indeed much better than the internal one besides the cold start problem (though much less convinient). If you know a link to the step-by-step instructions for rooting DS7 running stock HC 3.2, I will greatly appreciate it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Always possible there's a problem with the GPS, maybe the antenna is defective or connected badly. Hope you figure it out.
I have two bluetooth GPS, one Holux 236 I've had about 6 years, another Columbus V900 I was going to replace the Holux with, as it's newer, should have better sensitivity, and has built-in track logging. Except that its accuracy is off, it's precise.... precisely wrong. It's always about 9 meters off. And my primarily use for it is Geocaching, and my Holux 236 is always dead on.. So my new BT GPS is basically used as a track logger. Ah well All that said, I primarily use the BT GPS with my phone while geocaching or hiking or such, but I have used it on the tablet a few times, but most often I just use the built-in GPS on my DS7 because I don't need high precision with it the way I use it.

khaytsus said:
Stop your trolling, ephemeris data, ie: what's set up in gps.conf, is to speed up cold starts. it does nothing else, it's not Android specific, in fact all it's doing is downloaded a set of the data that your GPS would otherwise have to slowly acquire from the satellites, which takes 2-10 minutes, depending on conditions and how many sats are seen.
All GPS units do this, but GPS units that have a network available will potentially download ephemeris data to speed up satellite acquisition. Otherwise they just download it. Only time you'll really notice it going slow is if it's been more than 4-5 days (I believe 7 is the official data expiration, but the older it is, the less accurate it is) or you've changed areas since you last turned on the GPS.
Keep in mind that phone-based GPS's suck. They're inaccurate, they're not sensitive, their antennas are not optimal. This is true for nearly all PDA's or Phones, Tablets, etc.. Some may be better than others. They're optimized for space, price, and somewhat for battery life. Not accuracy, precision, or cold starts (beyond A-GPS data downloads, which is an OS function that makes the data available to the GPS)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you, khaytsus.
All this fix does is speed up the initial contact to the GPS satellites for your region. You don't have to use this, you can wait till the GPS in the DS7 makes contact if you want.

khaytsus said:
Always possible there's a problem with the GPS, maybe the antenna is defective or connected badly. Hope you figure it out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The most strange is that the GPS is fine after getting fixed . At least, no difference with Galaxy S, i.e. roughly the same number of satellites, SNR, accuracy. So, the only problem is unreasonably long cold start. I am not sure how it could be caused by a defective antenna. Anyway, in the mean time I decided to use an external GPS. I have three units, two BT and one mouse, which I used to use with my nettop in the pre-tablet era. Yesterday I connected my Hollux 236 to 12 V using a concealed cable and switch. So, now the procedure is reasonably simple: switch on 236, a few clicks on BluetoothGPS and, when the connection is established, I am clicking iGO8. It works like a charm, besides several additional actions I have to perform. When I will sicceed to root my DS7, I will try to play with the gps.conf file anyway.
P.S. I got an idea to connect my mouse GPS using the DS7 docking unit. I have a simple one with two microUSB I/O. Not sure it will work, but, if yes, it can simplify everything dramatically. I will try it on the weekend and let you know about the results.
Thanks.

OK, after two weeks of testing I still don't have a reasonable solution:
1. The USB mouse GPS connected the cradle does not work at all.
2. My greatest disapointment is with the external GPS. It works perfect... when it works. I am using the Bluetooth GPS application to get connected. After several successful connections, without any visible reason, the GPS is not getting connected to DS7, although the application shows many satellites with large SNR (>30-35). However accuracy = 0 and no GPS signal message in iGO8. This happens only from time to time and as I have already mentioned without any visible reason.
Will try another applications and GPS devices.

Huawei P9 Plus GPS Quality

Hello everybody,
i would like to get some estimations regarding the quality of the GPS.
Please on the hardware- and the software end.
Last years i used a samsung I9300 and the GPS was fine.
Then i switched to an Elephone P9000. I think from the hardware end GPS was fine, but
it didn't work very well, maybe due to bad software? And it seems to be a common mediatek problem?
I didn't find anything in the internet, what do you think, does the GPS in p9 plus work well?
THX a lot,
Henning

As per my experience my P9 Plus has one of the best GPS I've ever experienced and it even works in the airplane pretty much accurately when comparing to airplane instruments. I'm based in SE Asia and have reception of American, Russian and few Chinese satellites and fix is pretty fast. No complaints here whatsoever.

Yes. GPS is great...
Hi,
in the meantime i also bought this phone.
I can confirm now that the GPS is very good.
It is even possible to see the two tracks on the road next by next if you drive
to a destination and come back the same way.
Also, had never this accurate GPS before...
lg
Henning

Model number?
Great to hear that you all have a good gps signal. I just bought the p9 plus too. But strangely the gps signal seems like "not so good" , in my opinion. The story has to begin with my previous Huawei's phone.
I had previously owned the mate 7, which it was came with KitKat version and the GPS worked flawlessly. I updated it to lollipop then and the GPS still work perfectly, once turn on the gps, it takes only seconds (yes, it's really seconds, less than 5 seconds to be more appropriate...) to locate where I am. Those day I enjoyed using the gps as it was super fast and accurate. But things changed after I updated it to marshmallow recently. It became very unstable, very inaccurate. So I install the app "GPS test" and found that the accuracy is upto 150 feets which is very inaccurate (I can assure that the accuracy on KitKat and lollipop were only few feets or the most 10 plus feets, It was really super fast and accurate previously....). I know that weather, such as cloudy situation will affect the accuracy, numbers of satellites working etc so I tried to find out if that's the case but nope, I compared it with my cheap Elephone gps and under the same time same condition, I open the app and tested the gps, Elephone gave me the accuracy of 12 feets !
Sometimes when I try to use maps, it even can't detect where I am and if it does, it shows a wrong location. So I thought it is the problem of marshmallow as I searched on other forum and discovered that people also facing gps issue on Nexus phone with marshmallow version. I tried fixing it with another app "gps status & toolbox" , and also found out that "use wifi to improve accuracy" had to be turned on but the accuracy still only about 50 plus feets.
Then I bought the p9 plus, and hope that everything shall be very good just like the mate 7 KitKat and lollipop version, but it is not! The accuracy is also 50 plus feets after doing all the improvement work as above. So dear fellows I would like to ask what is your version of marshmallow and what is the accuracy of your p9 plus? Mine is VIE-L29C20B100. I am thinking if my version is not updated to the latest? And if there is a latest version , does the gps work good?

Hey guys!
I´m not really pleased with the performance of the GPS on my P9 plus ... but the app itself could be to blame. I was traveling on the highway and the navigation got confused and thought i´m traveling on the road parallel to the highway (surely minimum 100m distance between them). I´m using OSMand+ for navigation and it worked fine with other phones so far. Which app are you using?

I use Google maps, it works great imho, I came from a Galaxy S5

Try to create a new user profile on the phone. Switch to the new user and check if the GPS still behaves as you mentioned.

Hi all,
just to give some updates on my findings. Recently I went through a youtube video comparing mate 9 and p 9 plus (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0impUegGO0&t=2s), at time 10:32 it showed exactly the GPS app that I use to test the GPS signal and it also showed exactly the same results as my p9 plus. This being said, I believe there is no way we can further improve the GPS accuracy and I suspect it is due to mashmallow problem (as I had said KitKat and lollipop run very well in accuracy and Nexus user with mashmallow also complain their GPS accuracy is not good), not because phone GPS not good. So maybe we will have to wait till Huawei release firmware update for android Nougat and see if it improves the GPS accuracy.
However, having said that, I didn't really find the GPS signal "not good" in real life. I mean, when u use the GPS app test the GPS it gives "not good" accuracy, but when I open the map for navigation, what I experience so far is EXTRAORDINARY GOOD. I turn on the GPS and immediately switch on the map app, it instantly locate where I am, not even trying to "looking for GPS signal", really really fast, really instantly locate where I am. And it is super accurate. So I think maybe the GPS app is not something that we should use to gauge whether the phone GPS quality good or not, the real life performance will tell more truth. Just like Antutu does not always really reflect the real performance of the phone.
So for those who are having GPS problems when using map, I will suggest u all try to use another map app, maybe the problems really came from the map itself but not phone GPS problem. So for this moment I will stop looking for solution to improve the GPS accuracy (on the GPS app wise), and enjoy using my p9 plus, hope u guys too

Hi, as you say, forget tests, how does it actually work in real life.
Bought my wife one a few days ago and last 2 days testing gps driving around was only seconds to fix and no dropouts in about 1 hour driving. Thats my test.
Great phone by the way, and top quality finish.
If only it had an FM radio...
Sent from my HTC One_M8 dual sim using XDA-Developers mobile app

I find it's slow to lock or find a location, compared to my previous phone (Z Ultra).
If I'm somewhere (even outside, away from buildings, with clear view of the sky) it will take a good few seconds to lock onto my location. Old phone, and even my tablet, are almost instant, taking no more than 1-2 seconds.
This is using Google Maps.
Just a minor niggle, but can be annoying when in the car and needing to find directions quickly.

djyoshii said:
I find it's slow to lock or find a location, compared to my previous phone (Z Ultra).
If I'm somewhere (even outside, away from buildings, with clear view of the sky) it will take a good few seconds to lock onto my location. Old phone, and even my tablet, are almost instant, taking no more than 1-2 seconds.
This is using Google Maps.
Just a minor niggle, but can be annoying when in the car and needing to find directions quickly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Staying outside, especially without any buildings around or an empty land, could be harder for the gps to locate you. I am guessing... This sounds not logic but let me tell what I found again...
Recently I use an app which provide public transport info. This app needs gps in order to locate where are you and provide the info for the public transport at the area you are standing at. Just when I switch on the app and yet to switch on gps, my gf helped me to press the "locate me" button and I was telling her don't do silly things as I haven't turn on gps. But right after that the phone located where I was! I was like ehhh...... how come.... I double check and confirmed that I didn't switch on gps!
So again, recently I am adjusting the phone settings hoping to lengthen the phone battery (even though it's already very good. I can use it for 2 days per charge ). I found something very annoying in one of the setting - location services. Numeral time I have chose the 1st option "use gps, wifi and mobile networks (high accuracy)" and it keeps set it back to the 2nd option " use wifi and mobile networks ". I thought it was a bug of the phone but then later when I relate it to the event happened earlier (the public transport event mentioned above), I was thinking could it because I never turn on gps? then I turned on gps and yes, it automatically switch to the 1st option, and when I switch off gps, it auto switch to 2nd option again.
I then realized that other day when the phone located me without turning on gps, I was close to the MRT station which provide free wifi. And I am not sure do you guys ever experience that sometimes when you switch on the map app without turning on gps, the map itself locate where u r (maybe not very accurate but it's at the bearby area), just that when u try to use the map it will ask u to switch on gps.
That being said, I suspect the phone continuously locate where we are by using the wifi router(if any, at the nearby place) because wifi router is location specific? (not sure, maybe expert know this...) and that's why when u don't switch on gps, it is already "pre-locate" where u r and only if u switch on gps it will immediately give u the accurate position. And that also means if u stay outside without any buildings (and so without wifi too), the phone could not pre-locate u and it will solely rely on gps and that's why take some time to locate where u r?
Anyway this weekend I will be going for a long distance trip and will test the gps to see if the phone give good gps signal

just back from the long journey vacation. The phone gps works flawlessly without dropping off at all. And time to locate also excellent within 2 seconds