home-Internet-Samsung a5 stopped working gps what to do. Android GPS calibration, accelerating acquisition of satellites after a cold start, increasing the accuracy of GPS in fact to the possible limit of the "iron"

Samsung a5 stopped working gps what to do. Android GPS calibration, accelerating acquisition of satellites after a cold start, increasing the accuracy of GPS in fact to the possible limit of the "iron"

The GPS module on your phone allows you to use navigation applications such as Google Maps and location services. And a good signal is crucial not only for navigation, but also for augmented reality games like Pokemon Go. If you are experiencing problems with this on your Android phone, then check out our tips to help you improve the GPS signal on your Android device.

What is GPS?

To know how to optimize the performance of the GPS module, you need to understand how it works. GPS stands for Global Positioning System, that is, a global positioning system. It was developed by the military, but later it was used for civilian purposes. Initially, GPS used 24 satellites located in the orbit of the planet Earth, but now their number has increased to 31.

Your smartphone communicates with these satellites through a special antenna, which is part of the hardware in most modern mobile devices. Naturally, the hardware is controlled by the software through the driver. Thus, there are three sources of error for the GPS signal in a smartphone:

  • Number of available satellites at current location
  • The quality of the antenna that is inside the smartphone
  • Driver Implementation in the Android Operating System

Switch to High Accuracy Mode

To get the best signal, you should be prepared for the fact that the autonomy of your device will be lower than usual. It's a necessary sacrifice, but you can still change the settings back when you don't need to pinpoint your location. For example, when playing Pokemon Go. It's very simple, follow our instructions in the instructions below.

Open "Settings", go to the "Location" section and make sure that location services are turned on. If they are off, then click on the switch in the upper right corner.

At the very top under this switch is a menu with a choice of mode. Tap on it and make sure the "High Accuracy" option is selected. This means that the built-in GPS, Wi-Fi and mobile network will be used to determine your location. Because of this, power consumption may increase, but the accuracy of the determination will improve significantly.

Make GPS Always Active

To conserve battery power, the GPS module may turn off when not in use. If, for example, you are playing Pokemon GO and at that moment you want to read a new message, then the GPS will turn off for this time.

One way or another, you can make it always active, but it's not hard to do. You need to install one application from the Google Play Store and it will do everything for you. We recommend Connected GPS as it is the easiest to use. Keep in mind that this can be a real blow to the autonomy of your device.

Why might GPS not work?

With GPS Essentials, you can diagnose the cause of a weak GPS signal. Problems may occur due to hardware or software. On the main screen of GPS Essentials, find the item "Satellites" and go to it. The smartphone must connect to available satellites in Earth orbit.

If the phone has not found any satellites or cannot connect to them due to a poor signal, then the reason for this may be interference from metal objects around you: the smartphone case or the module built into it simply does not work as it should. If there are satellites, but the GPS still does not work properly, then the problem is in the software and we recommend that you use the next tip in the list.

Clear GPS data

Sometimes your device gets stuck on some GPS satellites even if they are not within range, which causes problems with the module. You can fix this with another application - GPS Status & Toolbox, which clears GPS data and the phone can reconnect to satellites from scratch.

Install this tool and then launch it. Press the “Menu” button, where you need to select “Manage A-GPS state”. Next, you need to click the “Clear” button, and after completing this process, return to “Manage A-GPS state” and tap on the “Download” button. Everything, after that the GPS module should work like new.

Buy an external GPS receiver

If the GPS on your smartphone still does not work or its accuracy is not enough for you, then you can try an external GPS receiver. It can be synchronized with your phone via Bluetooth and charged with the same charger that comes with your smartphone. The only problem in this case is the cost of an external GPS receiver, since you will have to pay about 6,000 rubles for a good model.

It often happens that after changing the firmware on the device, or buying a new Chinese phone (sometimes not Chinese), we are faced with the fact that the smartphone does not work GPS . It also happens that GPS does not determine the location for a long time. Why is this happening?

This is due to the fact that the phone often comes to us from the other hemisphere of the planet. And he has an Almanac that is irrelevant for our area.

If your GPS is buggy, we will try to fix it.

So, I will show you how to treat GPS:

GPS + AGPS method (ROOT needed):

1) You need to enable AGPS in the Android settings, in the “My location” section, then open the top “curtain” on your phone to activate GPS.

2) Then in the dialer, you need to dial * # * # 3646633 # * # * - this is the entrance to the engineering menu.

Maybe another number will work on your phone to enter the Android engineering menu:

*#*#4636#*#*
*#*#8255#*#*, *#*#4636#*#* - for Samsung
*#*#3424#*#*, *#*#4636#*#*, *#*#8255#*#* - for HTC
*#*#7378423#*#* - for Sony
*#*#3646633#*#* - for Philips, Fly, Alcatel
*#*#2846579#*#* - for Huawei

If it doesn't work, look for information on how to enter the engineering menu on your Android phone. If you have a phone based on MTK processors (MT 6577, MT 6589 ...), you can use the “Mobileuncle Tools” program ( ROOT is required), it can be downloaded from Google Play. It has a section Engineer Mode. He is what we need.

3) When you got (by any means) to the engineering menu of the phone, you need to go to the YGPS tab - and look at the "Satellites" tab - if the signal scales appear. If yes, then the phone tries to search for satellites, but does not find it due to an incorrectly recorded Almanac. And this is not surprising, because the device came from the other “end of the world”.

4) The next step is to go to the “Information” tab, and then press the “full”, “warm”, “hot”, “cold” buttons in turn (to completely reset the old Almanac).

5) After that, on the NMEA Log tab, you must press the start button. (recording of the new Almanac will start)

6) Now for the correct operation of GPS, you need to go to the back of the “Satellites” and wait for 5-15 minutes until the maximum number of satellite scales is found (usually from 10 to 13 pieces) and their scales turn green.

7) When all satellites are found, go back to the Nmea Log tab and press the “stop” button. Congratulations, a new almanac for your area has been recorded.

I did this procedure on many Chinese phones - as a result of the procedure, the phone should start finding satellites faster.

Let me remind you that all the above actions to improve the quality of GPS must be carried out purely in open areas, away from buildings. And the last piece of advice - I recommend setting the exact system time and date in the phone.

Method GPS + EPO (need ROOT):

1) Using a file manager that supports Root and root access, you need to delete the following files: /data/misc/EPO.dat /data/misc/mtkgps.dat , /system/etc/gps.conf

2) You need to go to "settings - location data" and turn on the GPS.
Then you need to enable EPO and download (i.e. you need to re-download - after deleting EPO.dat)

3) Make sure A-GPS is turned off. (this is mandatory!) [and cannot be turned on after, otherwise it will stop working normally]

4) Turn off the phone, pull out the battery, insert the battery, turn on the phone.

5) go to the engineering menu (see above for ways to enter) - go to the location tab - there will be 2 sub-items (location based service and YGPS)

6) We go out into the open area, where GPS is caught as well as possible, and go to the YGPS sub-item (we don’t press any buttons!), We wait for the correction within 3-10 minutes (it takes a long time to wait).
As soon as the correction is completed, exit the YGPS section with the back button, then enter the YGPS section again. Attention is now the most important part:
When you start GPS 2, red dots (satellites) should appear, but not all at once at the same time, but every 2 seconds 1-3 pieces should appear. For example:
At the beginning 2 - then 5 - then 7 - and at the end 10 red dots on the radar.
If the dots appear gradually, then the EPO is configured correctly.

But if they all appear at the same time - EPO does not work

7) We check the operation of GPS in navigation programs.

The geolocation feature in Android devices is one of the most used and in demand, and therefore it is doubly frustrating when this option suddenly stops working. Therefore, in our today's material, 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, GPS problems can be caused by both hardware and software causes. As practice shows, the latter are much more common. Hardware reasons include:

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

Software causes of problems with geolocation:

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

Now let's move on to troubleshooting methods.

Method 1: Cold Start GPS

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

1. Get out of the room to a relatively free space. If you are using a case, we recommend removing it.

2. Turn on 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 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 enabled on the device. All you need to do next is to wait 15-20 minutes for the device to adjust to the position of the satellites in this area.

As a rule, after the specified time, the satellites will be taken 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 file gps.conf. This manipulation is recommended for devices that are not officially shipped 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 need two things: and with the ability to access system files. It is most convenient to use Root Explorer.

1. Run Root Explorer and go to the root folder of the internal memory, it is also root. If required, give the application permission to use root rights.

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

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

Attention! On some devices of Chinese manufacturers, this file is missing! When faced with this problem, do not try to create it, otherwise you may break the GPS!

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

Confirm consent to file system changes.

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

5. NTP_SERVER parameter 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 the pan-European server europe.pool.ntp.org .

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

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

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

8. After all the 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 app. Geolocation should function correctly.

This method is especially suitable for devices with SoCs from MediaTek, but is also effective on processors from other manufacturers.

Conclusion

Summing up, we note that problems with GPS are still rare, and mainly on budget segment devices. As practice shows, one of the two methods described above will definitely help you. If this does not happen, then you most likely encountered a hardware malfunction. 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 replace it or return the money.



Good question. Today, many owners of Android smartphones are interested in this issue. Once upon a time when I bought my first Android device, I also encountered such a problem. I am a driver and the first thing I wanted from smart is, of course, navigation. I bought a phone, turned it on and immediately started looking for satellites. And what do you think? Waited 30 minutes and didn't get it. I already had the idea that the phone is defective, without a GPS module. In fact, everything is simple, I dug a little into the settings and this is what I found:

  • the first thing to do is enter the smartphone settings and find the “my location” item there;
  • then activate the GPS-module and click on the item "by GPS satellites". Checkboxes opposite the items "access to my geodata" and "according to network coordinates" can be omitted;

  • once you have entered the settings of your GPS, you need to check the box next to "GPS EPO assistance data", then click on the item "EPO parameters";

  • Now put a tick in front of "autoload". If you have access to the Internet, you can immediately download data on the position of the satellites.

That's all, now that the location data of the satellites is loaded, your smartphone will almost immediately find them.

What is EPO?

EPO (Extended Prediction Orbit) translated into Russian means - a system for predicting the position of the orbit of satellites. EPO is MediaTek's proprietary one of the innovations of offline server use based on A-GPS technology. The system provides a forecast of the position of the satellite's orbit for up to 30 days, which can significantly increase the user's experience during the first determination of the location of GPS satellites.

The settings that I told you about only apply to devices running MTK processors from MediaTek.

I hope the article was useful to you, and you were able to set up your smartphone.

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

The first thing we should do is go to the smartphone settings and go to the tab My location. Turn on the GPS and check the boxes against, By GPS satellites and By network coordinates. If you have more advanced settings, such as EPO Options 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. In the engineering menu we pass location- Location Based Service - EPO and put on against parameters Enable EPO and Auto Download checkboxes, if you do not have these parameters, then they are by default and hidden from your eyes.

We return to location and go to section YGPS and on the tab INFORMATION successively press the buttons 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, go to the tab NMEALOG and press Start to record a new almanac.


Go to tab SATELLITES and 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 bars will appear below, which 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 the signal is extinguished indoors and it is almost impossible to catch them.



If, after the time has elapsed, 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 a root we read the rights in the article "Opening root rights in Android". The 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 with a text editor gps.conf and we look at what is there, this file stores the addresses of the satellite servers, and for some reason it turned out to be empty for me. If you also have an empty one or have some addresses of other countries, then we change the contents of the file to the settings we need, save, close and restart 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 again all the manipulations with the engineering menu and on the tab SATELLITES we watch how our smartphone catches satellites. All the above actions helped me and the phone immediately began to connect with 6-10 satellites.

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