yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[AT&T Galaxy Note 3 General] ko9pora:
I have to take it back... It worked!

When I wrote the above reply, I didn't realize that I was too far inside my house (under it's steel roof). As soon as I went outside or even near a window it all worked great and still does, but I guess no GPS works too well when its effectively shielded under an iron roof...:laugh:
[AT&T Galaxy Note 3 General] SchecterRocker:
Glad to hear it worked! I agree, perhaps sticking a little paper under the pin that's causing trouble may help it keep contact. I'll add that suggestion into the original post.

Good deal! I'm in the same situation - under a steel roof. Basically, my house similar to a Faraday cage, blocking out almost all radio communication (cell, AM/FM, TV, you name it.)

Sounds good, looks like we've got about 5 successes so far!
[AT&T Galaxy Note 3 General] adbyerly:
YES! I had absolutely no GPS, popped open the phone - the leaf was already bent back as in your "after" picture, but I just propped it up to get better connection, and now I finally have a GPS signal, 13/25 satellites within 30 seconds of my first test. Thank you so much for posting this.
[AT&T Galaxy Note 3 General] joshparr:
Noticed mine had been having more issues with GPS recently, went through this post and it worked perfectly for me. Thanks for the guide.
[AT&T Galaxy Note 3 General] AqueousBor:
This really works. Thanks
[AT&T Galaxy Note 3 General] SchecterRocker:
9 Successes Reported So Far!

Thank you all for your feedback - this seems to be fixing many peoples' Note 3 GPSs! We're up to 9 successes - 3 more within 24 hours! :good:
[AT&T Galaxy Note 3 General] hashbrown:
I'd like to add to this. Coming from a Note 1, this was also a problem regarding the contacts not touching. I would have to take apart the Note back housing frequently to bend the contacts into place. After doing so countless times I found a fix "for the fix." Cut a 2cm strip of bread tie (rubber not paper) and bend it into a V. Place that under the contact/spring/lead/sensor/whatever you want to call it. This will keep it from disconnecting in the future. I believe the disconnect from the gps antenna happens from falls and bumping phone around which bends the contact to far to touch.

Thanks for posting this OP.
[AT&T Galaxy Note 3 General] ripnetuk:
Was very sceptical but worked for me

.. Have a UK note 3, and the GPS has got worse and worse until a few days ago it couldnt even get a fix outside in a field.

I simply tightened all screws under battery cover (without further disassembly), and it fixed it. I can now get a fix on a moving train at 70mph+

Might be worth trying that before a more intrusive disassembly if your GPS is not working well

Very happy :)

g
[AT&T Galaxy Note 3 General] swid441:
Another success story. I pulled off the back, scored the contacts, bent them up and Bam! It will actually fix on a location. Did take about 60 secs to fix. Used to NEVER get a fix. Thanks for this easy fix!
[AT&T Galaxy Note 3 General] tmoore3496:
thanks

Brother this worked for me , mine seemed to far down, pulled them up for snug fit and bam!!!! Thanks for the heads up
[AT&T Galaxy Note 3 General] K-alz:
[MENTION=3274499]SchecterRocker[/MENTION] you should really make a video of this. I, for one, am more of a video person. I wouldn't feel comfortable doing the method with only reading. I know it is easy and all that, but that's just me and I'm sure there are others that are the same way.
[AT&T Galaxy Note 3 General] holleywood25:
Worked for me; had to score a couple of times but eventually I started getting consistent locks (no more 1 mile radius). Thanks OP.
[AT&T Galaxy Note 3 General] SchecterRocker:
Thank you all for the feedback! It seems to be helping out the Note community in general (not just the Note 3).

I will update the OP with everyone's new fixes and suggestions as time allows.

I'm truly psyched to hear this helped so many people!

I'll definitely give it consideration - for the near future, my work schedule will not allow for it though. Thanks for the suggestion :thumbup:
[AT&T Galaxy Note 3 General] K-alz:
Will be waiting. Thank you.
[AT&T Galaxy Note 3 General] Chromwell:
Thanks for this tip!

I can also report that this solved my GPS Fix problem. German SM-N9005 Model. My Note was able to find many satellites but it took ages to get a "gps fix" with the real position/height. It now works like on the first day i got it, almost instant gps fix when outside.

All i did was cleaning the contacts on the plastic backside with alcohol and bending the springs slightly up to get better contact to the gps antenna pads.

Thanks again!

Chromwell
[AT&T Galaxy Note 3 General] paulieb81:
Another confirmed fix! Thank you for the tip, worked like a charm on my AT&T Note 3.
[AT&T Galaxy Note 3 General] Kalm_Traveler:
Confirmed, cleaning off the contacts fixed my T-mobile N900T as well! Wish I would have known about this before last weekend's trip to LA, where the GPS literally drove me in circles, and had me take totally wrong freeways...
[AT&T Galaxy Note 3 General] hp79:
Anyone know if this also effects compass usage? My GPS works fine all the time, but it's the compass that doesn't work 90% the time. I use the compass when I view google maps.
[AT&T Galaxy Note 3 General] yedidi2006:
I have a stock unrooted AT&T note 3 running on MetroPCS. I have terrible gps issues, almost never get a lock on any satellites. The Kitkat update didn't fix anything and neither does clearing the phones cache in the bottloader. So, running out of patients, I opened up my note 3 and unclipped every connection I could find on the motherboard including both ends of the blue antennae wire. Amazingly, after putting the hone back togehter, my gps suddenly started working great. But it only lasted about a week. So, I tried the same process again, this time it only lasted a couple of days. I have done this 4 times already and the last time it only worked for 2 days. The last time I did this I checked all the leaf clips and pulled them up slightly but it didn't help. I'm stumped. Anyone have any solution?
[AT&T Galaxy Note 3 General] silverlogyn:
Thanks for this tip!

Solved my GPS Fix problem. SM-N9005 Model. My Note 3 are perfect.... :)

Use this video.

Galaxy Note 3 Disassembly Teardown & Assembly - D…: http://youtu.be/A1ntOfJS_1c
[AT&T Galaxy Note 3 General] brownk2j:
Long-time lurker, first-time poster. I was actually considering selling my Note 3 because of the awful GPS issues I've encountered for the past two weeks...thank-you very much OP!

In my case, my leaf pin(s) were not dislocated; I simply (gently) raised the upper part of the pin indicated in the original post and now get solid sat locks! :laugh:
[AT&T Galaxy Note 3 General] najdiesel:
deleted
[AT&T Galaxy Note 3 General] PyRoAcIdK:
Just wanted to say thanks! I re-flashed rom, changed roms, tried GPS fix software to no avail. Then I found this and within 10 minutes my GPS was locking straight away from not locking at all.

Thanks heaps!
[AT&T Galaxy Note 3 General] ksprelude01:
Its funny that this Fix has to be done. I was the OP for the original Note 1's GPS fix doing this same exact thing. http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=33691750 Good write up and fix!
[AT&T Galaxy Note 3 General] SchecterRocker:
No way, ha that's crazy. Even our wording sounds similar, and I had no idea someone else already figured it out on the Note 1. Thanks for pointing that out, and for the compliment.

I'll try to get the OP updated with new success numbers when I can. Thanks again everyone for reporting back!
[AT&T Galaxy Note 3 General] vibrantboss:
Thanks guys for your insight

I was having GPS issues aswell.... would attempt to connect and then drop... just out of curiosity, i took my gn3 apart and checked connection to GPS antenna - opened gap to make better connection - reassembled - it now connects, mostly 16 out 22 sat... plugged in charger - did not drop.. thanks for the info..
[AT&T Galaxy Note 3 General] undrwater:
My green arrow no longer skates across the mapped landscape like a pro figure skater. How dare you make my navigation experience so boring and predictable!
[AT&T Galaxy Note 3 General] SchecterRocker:
From everything I've gathered, this procedure will not fix compass issues. My compass also exhibits erratic behavior, and it always points a little sideways. I'd like to see a fix for this also.

The only thing I can think is put some paper under the leaf pin to keep it pushed up, and clean off the leaf pin and the contact that the leaf pin touches. Others have suggested that the cases they use smash the leaf pins down too much. Or maybe your GPS unit itself is bad. Those are my best guesses.
[AT&T Galaxy Note 3 General] Rukbat:
The compass isn't connected to the GPS, it's a separate sensor. Any ferric metal (or current flowing through a conductor) coming near the phone will uncalibrate the compass, and you'll have to recalibrate it. (That's why good compasses are put in brass cases - soft metal, but not magnetic - with no electricity in them.)

If you want a compass and electronics in the same package, and the compass keeping calibration ... well, we don't have that technology yet - the electronics throws the compass calibration off.
[AT&T Galaxy Note 3 General] yedidi2006:
Good news, it works!! I first tried your suggestion of putting paper under the leaf pins. I used some thin cardboard, I also cleaned the contacts on the back case. At first it didn't work. Then, one day last week, I tried using my gps. I was holding the phone funny and it starting working. I then noticed that if I squeezed the phone (thumb on the to right corner of the screen and index finger on the top right corner on the back) it would work. So I checked the screw in that corner of the phone and lo and behold, it was slightly loose. I tightened it up and my gps has been working better then it ever has.

But this got me thinking, why is this happening to so many phones? I believe this is a design flaw on Samsung's end. The gps antenna (and the leaf pins are in the top right corner (or left if you're looking from the back). That is the same spot where the little cut is for you to grab the cover with your finger nail to remove it to replace the battery, which I do almost every day and I'm sure many others do too. The constant outward pulling in that corner seems to loosen the screw or pull the casing up just enough for the pins to lose contact with the antenna on the back case. As least that's what seems to be the case with my phone. Tip: if you replace your battery often, open the cover from the bottom end by the micro usb port instead of from the top corner to put less stress on the gps anntena.
[AT&T Galaxy Note 3 General] SdRasta:
Wow screws loose fixed my problem to lol.. All the cra* I went through
[AT&T Galaxy Note 3 General] cwj0911:
the only problem I have is that I dont have #00 screw driver LOL
[AT&T Galaxy Note 3 General] carl1961:
you can use a eye glass repair kit, if you happen to have one laying around ;)
[AT&T Galaxy Note 3 General] cwj0911:
Thank you for your reply, I couldn't get the screwdriver but instead I kept on digging around on XDA and found this useful post here, http://xdaforums.com/galaxy-note-3/help/n9005-gps-fix-flashing-stock-s5-port-rom-t2827427 .

For those having note 3 and flashed a ported S5 rom can use this solutions to get gps fix :D
[AT&T Galaxy Note 3 General] bert_xda:
it really works ! my GPS is working perfectly now ! thanks :)
[AT&T Galaxy Note 3 General] jlpatte2:
This also helped my note 3 learned the trick originally on my og note.

Thanks for the pictures!

Josh

Sent from my awesome Note 3 n900a!
[AT&T Galaxy Note 3 General] devilsdouble:
[MENTION=3274499]SchecterRocker[/MENTION]: I am here, so yes, I am having issues with GPS, needless to say. Thanks for the topic, and the fix, but simply I am too scared to do that, not because I can't, but because I am not confident enough to do that neatly, I might break something in the process, I fear.

Now I am posting here to ask you one thing, before this fix, you were having problems with GPS, all right, now may I know how severe was the problem? I mean did you not get any fix at all, I mean not for once? Or did you get fix 50% time, but not the rest of the time.

I am having problems, but sometimes I get a fix within 30 seconds, but the very next time it might take 10 minutes! This is indoor by the way, outside I get lock within 30-60 seconds no matter what, was the case same for you?
[AT&T Galaxy Note 3 General] SchecterRocker:
You'll have to read my first post for details, but before I sent it in to fix the camera, my GPS was "perfect". To me, "perfect" means outside I have satlock within 2-4 seconds, 99.5% of the time (indoors is irrelevant to me, because I don't use it indoors). After I sent my phone to Samsung to fix the camera and Samsung bent my GPS pin, I simply could not get satlock at all. Maybe after a minute or two, I would lock on to one satellite, but definitely no satlock. So it was completely unusable. After applying this fix, my GPS is back to my definition of "perfect" (satlock within 2-4 seconds, 99.5% of the time).

30 seconds is simply not acceptable, much less 10 minutes. From my experience and the many others who have tried this, I would have to assume this would fix your problem (unless any ROMs or modifications to your phone are breaking it, in which case I can't comment).

I urge you to watch this video from 0:00-3:15 . It shows how simple this process really is. Honestly, this is a straightforward procedure, and you will (probably) benefit from a "perfect" GPS (I, of course, can't make any guarantees). All you need is a small phillips and a guitar pick. Phones like the Note 3 are specifically built to be easy to service for simple stuff like this, and I really think you should use that to your advantage. (Just be glad it's not the Note 2 - still not bad, but makes the Note 3 look like a piece of cake).

Anyway, at least watch the video. I think it will make your decision a lot easier.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1ntOfJS_1c
[AT&T Galaxy Note 3 General] Attila Ciftci:
Hi there,

thanks for the instruction. It sorted my GPS which did not work after the repair of a broken screen through Samsung care center. And here is my concern: When I asked them to fix it they told me, after an inspection through the technician, that the main board needs to be exchanged and that I have to pay for it as my phone is an "international device"

I'd say they do it on purpose. Every customer which goes through that process gives them a free mainboard as they only have to bend that pin back. I believe that there is no way to bend that pin in such a way just by coincidence.

Thanks again a lot for the instructions!
[AT&T Galaxy Note 3 General] SchecterRocker:
I hadn't thought of that before, but it does make sense if they get a main board or of it. Man that's dirty if they do. I mean, that's Apple-keeping-iMessages-from-people-who-switched-from-iPhone dirty. :eek: *shudders*
[AT&T Galaxy Note 3 General] DARKCHYLDX101:
Holy crap! After many months of trying fixes. I must of taken apart this phone 3 times. Flash numerous roms. And other methods. This one actually works! Confirmed using gps test. Thanks man my Note 3 is whole again!

I've made an instructions thread for Att Note 3 in general.

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?p=56982923
[AT&T Galaxy Note 3 General] LaurentR:
Same here. I had a perfectly functional GPS and it went bad pretty much overnight with constant lost signal, hard to lock... Had tried all kinds of ROMs and sw GPS fixes to no avail. I was ready to change phone when I gave the hw method a try. My springs and the contact points looked 100% fine. I scratched the pads a bit, lifted all the springs a bit, put everything together and voila, fully functional GPS again. Thanks a million.

Now if I could just fix my !@#$%^&* compass...

BTW, for those intimidated by the hw part, it really is straightforward. A dozen easy screws to remove. Need a thing plastic something (e.g. a credit card) to help pull the cover off, a small flat screwdriver to lift the pins and that's it. Really not scary at all.
[AT&T Galaxy Note 3 General] DARKCHYLDX101:
The service mode fix is what really got my GPS back. I lost it flashing an ota meant for another device on a rom built for our device. I must of chosen the wrong ota or something. Anyways I believe your method did help my GPS lock on faster. Thanks!
[AT&T Galaxy Note 3 General] spinedoc:
Reviving an old thread, but does this hardware solution work for the Note 4's or has anyone tried? I have gone thru 3 Note 4's and they all have GPS which disconnects frequently while driving.
[AT&T Galaxy Note 3 General] rgp1236:
On the road again!

I recently started having issues with GPS losing signal more and more often. GPS test either showed lots of sats and never connected, or connected to one or two after several minutes. When using maps, it located me initially but did not give me any turning instructions or follow my path. I suspect it was locating by network only. I tried most of the software fixes including replacing some of the lib files and gps config. Didn't help, so I returned to stock. Still would not work. After seeing others whose problems were fixed by simply tightening the inner cover screws, I opened it up and found the contacts you described were flattened down. After lifting them, and replacing the cover, GPS is locking in as little as two seconds. I have not road tested it, but at least when I enter a destination it tells me to head for the next street and turn. Thanks for the tip!
[AT&T Galaxy Note 3 General] timark251:
This fix completely brought my GPS back to life, instead of waiting 15 min for a satellite fix I get on in under 15 seconds, also doesn't lose connection once it's acquired. Proof is in the picture, NL1 firmware btw. If only there was a way to fix the darn compass from going crazy.
[AT&T Galaxy Note 3 General] mortac8:
This fix helped me alot! I complained about my GPS constantly with poor reliability driving and 0 signal indoors. I bent the pins up to 40degrees like the OP's photo shows and now my GPS is way more reliable and I usually can get a signal lock indoors! I did this to the pair of pins on the top right and the one pin on the top left.

Previously I had been installing ROMs, screwing with my gps.conf, and other software crap wasting hours. This is by far the best fix. Thank you!!!

Edit: I added a tiny piece of stock notecard (folded once), wrapped in electrical tape (folded once) under the 2 top-right pins, and 1 top left pin now I get even better gps performance.
[AT&T Galaxy Note 3 General] mannyp01:
Finally!!!!!...I can use my GPS..this fix solved my GPS issues...thank you for posting this.
[AT&T Galaxy Note 3 General] Sgt_Bilbo:
I just tried this fix and, unfortunately, it didn't help my crappy GPS performance one bit. Driving down the interstate the other day, I lost GPS signal 4 times within 40 minutes. I swear, if Samsung can't get this fixed in their next-gen phones, I'll never buy another mobile product from them again!! /end rant
[AT&T Galaxy Note 3 General] Farkhani:
Improve gps

I have no problem

I add a 1 meter thin cuper wire to one of my n9005 GPS connectors. That one is near to vibrator.

I circle it like spring.

My GPS is very powerful. It fix antenna when I am under roof, 3 to 5 meter far from Windows. While other n9005 can't find any antenna.

You can do like me.

Question.

What happened If I connect my GPS antenna to WiFi antenna. Is it harmful?

I wana add a plain cuper 3x3cm to my GPS and WiFi to improve them. Can I use 1 and connect them.
[AT&T Galaxy Note 3 General] Droid>iOS:
I've been having GPS issues for at least 6 months now. My life without GPS has been rough. One of the greatest features of smartphones is being able to use GPS so I was missing out on a huge feature. Until now I had to depend on friends GPS navigation as my phone was pretty much useless as it couldn't lock in at all.

I always suspected it was a baseband/modem conflict cause I remembered first having this issue when I updated my N3 to N9 baseband. I found this thread a few weeks back. I remember when first reading this thread I said to myself " no way I have bent leaf pins. I take care of my phones" Lo and behold I open the back today to attempt another fix and I see the GPS leaf pin flat at a 180" degrees. Using a toothpick I bent it up, applied dielectric grease for good measure, and put the back on. I test GPS and BAM! After 6 frustrating months with no GPS i have lock and can finally use Maps again.

Thank you OP for sharing! You fixed my phone and brought life back to my N3! :crying:
[AT&T Galaxy Note 3 General] killacam1989:
Yeah i can confirm. I was in the same exact boat and mine was messed up to. Used a precision flathead to bend the pins up. My gps works flawless. It locks in less than 20 seconds
[AT&T Galaxy Note 3 General] ruebarb:
This is awesome, I opened up the tab to 45 degrees. My GPS locks in 5 seconds or less, it used to take minutes. Thanks
[AT&T Galaxy Note 3 General] sonicthoughts:
you nailed it!

Samsung and AT&T denied this problem. YOU fixed it. I'm never buying AT&T or Samsung again. this is so obvious now.
[AT&T Galaxy Note 3 General] smokeingit:
my wife and i have 2 note 3's one from att the other from tmobile. on 4.4.4 my ATT had issues with the GPS and google maps, where the tmobile version never had this these issues. the moment i upgraded to lollipop with my ATT note 3 the issues resolved. perhaps you guys should try the same.
[AT&T Galaxy Note 3 General] QbanXpress:
I can confirm this fix worked on my Verizon Note 3 as well! Thank you so much for sharing this information. My two pins were also pressed down to where they couldn't make contact. I also scrapped up the contacts for better connection. I used to wait over 20 minutes for a gps lock before, now it is literally 3-5 seconds at the most every time. Great job :)
[AT&T Galaxy Note 3 General] Voodoo3000:
I am have a Note 3 Docomo. (SC-01F) I found out that there was a oxidation on the antenna. I cleaned it up with a CRC QD Electronic Cleaner. I sprayed some of it on a cotton swab and then clean the metal area on the back cover. I tested and it worked! Thanks for posting your experience! :good:
[AT&T Galaxy Note 3 General] 4l3gU:
I've note3 sm-n9005...all works perfectly now..thanks to share the solution....great?
[AT&T Galaxy Note 3 General] Devlinukr:
Thanks so much for this fix.

I had zero GPS for a good few months and tried everything software related to fix it and nothing.

Fixed the pins and it's 100% working fantastic, instant lock every time.
[AT&T Galaxy Note 3 General] Beowulf_pt:
Quick feedback on this topic...

My Note 3 had excellent GPS when I got it (1.5 years ago) but signal strenght kept getting worse and worse, until eventually it would take ages to get a fix and then it would lose it easily. It became so bad I stopped being able to use it for car navigation.

I'm quite sure it was not firmware and didn't waste time with the usual suggestions to reflash, etc.

Pressing the upper left corner of the phone would sometimes increase signal (with GPS Test it is easy to see) which lead me to conclude I had the pin issue.

Opening the phone took about 5 minutes, if you have the right screwdriver it is just removing 13 screws. Then popped the case open with a tiny screwdriver, starting from the area near the USB port.

The 2 pins contacting the antenna were quite flattish, so I them a lot higher (maybe 35-40 degrees) and voila, signal increased and it is back to normal. Quick locks even indoors.

Just be careful not to bend them too much or they might break.

My phone started getting worse and worse with time, so ocasionally it would be fine and other times it would have low signal when there was no contact. I can see how this makes people wonder "maybe a reboot or reflash will help".