Fewer applications make sense without using GPS. This Global Positioning System is present in all smartphones, no matter what range they belong to. For this reason, GPS failures can occur in any terminal and at any time. It is convenient to be prepared and have a good string of tools to know how to act when it does not work as it should.
Thanks to the so-called GPS or Global Positioning System, the exact position of any object, person or route can be determined with an accuracy of even centimeters. This system works with a network of 24 satellites that orbit around our planet and that receive signals from our mobile phone and bounce, to be returned and thus determine factors such as position, speed, heading etc …
There are several problems that we can find on our mobile, when it comes to problems with the GPS. Fortunately, and unless it is a hardware problem with the GPS antenna, it is easy for us to solve it ourselves, if we take into account the possible solutions at our disposal. As there are several scenarios in which the GPS of our mobile can give failures, we are going to see each one of them.
The mobile’s GPS does not connect
This is one of the most common problems that we can face. Agree that we have correctly pressed the GPS, but the application that requires its use does not respond. This may be due to an error within the application itself or the configuration of the GPS itself.
Diagnose the mobile
Before continuing with the possible solutions, it is worth stopping to take a look at the diagnostic tools of our own mobile. Brands such as Samsung, Xiaomi, Motorola, Realme, LG or Sony, have their own applications that allow to determine if there is a problem in the system, and specifically with the GPS configuration. These tools are found as separate apps on these devices
Reboot the phone
It is the next step we must take when we will not get the GPS to connect correctly . In this case we must carry out an action as simple as trying to restart the mobile. This allows you to free it from any file or application that may be interfering with the correct GPS connection. When the system starts up again, we will try to start the connection again.
Turn GPS on and off
The lifelong on / off solution continues to give excellent results. Just slide the quick access bar and disable GPS. Now we must wait at least 30 seconds and reactivate the GPS to see if the problem is solved and it connects correctly.
Clear the app cache
As we mentioned at the beginning, the mere activation of the GPS does not make much sense, since it is an app that performs the necessary functions to be useful to us. For example, we may want to start it up to use the location in WhatsApp time during a trip or to position ourselves in astronomical applications such as Google Sky Map. When the GPS is connected but there is no way for the app to connect, clearing its cache usually works well.
To do this we will have to first deactivate the GPS and go to the Settings / Applications menu, to find that app in which the GPS is not working correctly . Once done, click on it and choose on “Clear data and cache.” Then we turn the GPS back on and try again.
The sheath may be guilty
It is a classic and one of the biggest reasons why GPS fails to connect. If we have a case or shell, try to remove it and try again. If doing so works, it is very possible that said cover contains metallic elements that are interfering with the GPS antenna and its correct connection.
Access Safe Mode
The so-called Safe Mode is a lifesaver when something goes wrong, especially when there are problems and we suspect that an app may be involved. To enter we will have to press and hold the power button. Then we select “Shut down” but keep the power button pressed . The computer will automatically restart and boot into Safe Mode. In this way, our mobile will start without any third-party app running, which will allow us, in the first place, to check if the GPS works correctly. If so, we must delete apps from the most recent to the oldest and restart the terminal to see if the problems disappear
App permission
If the specific app that needs GPS permissions does not have them granted, it is more than likely that it will not work correctly. This usually happens when we have mistakenly canceled the permissions. To check it we will have to go to Settings / Installed applications / and enter the app with which we have problems. If, for example, the problem is that Google Maps is unable to connect to the GPS , we must verify that in the permissions, the GPS is allowed.
GPS does not locate position correctly
In this case, we have managed to get the GPS to connect correctly, but the precision it offers regarding our location is totally imprecise . This makes it impossible for games or applications that require our position in real time. Again we will have at our disposal a good handful of solutions to try to fix it.
Check the date and time
It is very vital that our smartphone shows the correct date and time, since otherwise the GPS can locate us in a different time zone and throw precision errors. To be sure we will go to Settings / System / Date and time and verify that the option “Automatic date and time” is checked. If it is already activated, we must try to deactivate it and activate it again. Once the GPS is done it should work correctly and locate us in the correct position.
High precision mode
In order to save battery, our mobile has several activation modes of the location mode. The most accurate of all, it makes use of the device’s sensors, as well as Wi-Fi connections and mobile networks to be as accurate as possible. This is the method that we will have to activate to avoid errors with the location and its precision. This option is usually found in the Settings menu, within the Location or GPS options of our terminal, by clicking on Location mode.
It can be the compass
Our mobile has a large number of sensors but the compass plays an important role. It allows the GPS to locate us and know when we are going north and when we are going south. If it is not calibrated, it will hardly be possible to know where we are correctly located or where to walk in an app like Google Maps. Some mobiles have a compass app installed as standard , so you can enter and calibrate it in a matter of seconds . If not, we can download one from Google Play to do the same and correct the precision problems.
Reset A-GPS data
The so-called Assisted GPS or Assisted GPS is used in our mobiles to obtain a faster location and positioning. Sometimes it may be convenient to reset your data so that everything works more accurately. To be able to do it and see if the problem is solved, we can try one of the best apps for this purpose, such as “GPS Status & Toolbox”. Among your options, we can restart or download A-GPS data regularly to achieve faster and more precise locations.
Update mobile
Many of the updates to our mobile are aimed at solving or improving known bugs . Sometimes they are related to GPS, so updating the mobile can be the solution to our problems. If we have not updated the device for a long time, we must go to System Settings / System Updates, to verify if we have any pending updates. Once all the pending updates have been made, it is advisable to restart the mobile and try again
GPS problem on Chinese mobiles
Many Chinese mobiles are known to have GPS problems. This has happened since the days of the importation of Xiaomi mobile phones with Chinese Roms and of course it happens today with other devices. The main reason is that the terminals are prepared to connect to Chinese satellite networks , so precision or connectivity problems are present when we work with them in European territory. In the case of Xiaomi, GPS failures are known in the Mi A family, although also in many Redmi. In this case, in addition to all the tests that we have seen previously, we can also try two solutions that usually give
Turn on Google’s location accuracy
This function helps on many occasions to solve precision problems with Chinese mobiles, including those of Xiaomi. It was the salvation for many A1, A2 or A2 Lite that worked with Android One, as well as other Chinese phones with problems.
- We access Settings / Location on our mobile
- We enter “Location services” and go to “Google’s location accuracy”
- We activate the option to solve the problem using the switch
Fix the problem with GPS Fix
We are facing one of those “miracle” applications that have been working successfully for years to solve the problem of GPS in Chinese mobiles. You just have to read the comments on Google Play to see how it solves these bugs in all kinds of Chinese mobiles. We will only have to download the app from Google Play. Once executed, we will have to click on the option “Start Fixing” with the GPS activated. The app will begin to connect to the GPS that can provide the best accuracy and thus correct any errors with the location.