yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] n76:
Just a FYI regarding GPS that I've come across fairly recently. It seems that LineageOS 14.1 has disabled GLONASS support for many (most?) devices. Based on my observations, that includes the G4 Play. And this extends to ROMs that are based on LineageOS like crDroid.

So in addition to fighting a dodgy GPS antenna connector many of us are hampered by a ROM that exacerbates the situation.
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] nick_white:
Yes, however, the stock ROM doesn't seem to support GLONASS as well.
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] n76:
My spouse's G4 Play running stock Moto ROM uses GLONASS. At least the SatStat app shows some of the GLONASS satellites being used in the result.
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] spiked_mistborn:
Same problem here.

I ended up having to put a little solder on the spring contacts and then filing to make it flat. It increased the contact area with the antenna pads and so far seems to be working.
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] Singaiya:
If your phone is still under warranty (I think it's one year), try sending it back to Motorola through their repair process. I was having the exact same gps problem with the g4 play, and didn't want to try a zillion technical things, so I returned it (6 months old). Was worried the replacement would have the same problem but it doesn't! The replacement g4 play has perfect gps tracking!
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] ashishwebmail:
Could you please post a screenshot of GPS Test App (made by Chartcross Limited) of your mobile, taken in any open area like on the roof. Actually I have used the external wire technique to enhance GPS signal in my mobile since March. Since then the mobile has a significant change in the signal that it boosted from 10 - 20 SNR to 40 - 46 SNR. Currently there is no any problem of GPS in my device. The only problem is that, I cannot open my back cover in any circumstance as this will disturb the configuration.

So please provide us the screenshot soon as I have only 40 days left of expiration of warranty.

And Thanks for the info that you got a fix from the service center. Waiting for your reply!!!
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] Singaiya:
Here is the screenshot. I don't know how to interpret the numbers in this app, but at least the gps is working. :good:

[IMG="screenshot"]https://photos.app.goo.gl/m7fZm7pDOXGz3Zwp1[/IMG]
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] ashishwebmail:
Sorry, but no, the problem of GPS in your device is not fixed yet. And many thanks for providing us the screenshot as now I would not waste my time giving my mobile to the service center. Also about the image, there is nothing so technical in it. The height of the bars in the image shows how much GPS signal your mobile is getting at a particular time from a satellite of which you can see the ID just below the bar. So you can simply guess about your GPS that the more the numbers of green bars you can see in this app, the more perfect your GPS is working. I am providing here my screenshot of the same app so that you can compare and see what is the capacity of the signal receptor of the device and what this mobile gave us in normal cases. The third one is your screenshot.
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] metalshreds:
Thanks for the tip, do you think with time the solder will oxidize and need to be replaced? Also how come you put the solder on the spring contacts and not the pads? I was going to attempt to do this in the near future. My GPS is quite bad, never locks :/
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] Yuger:
What do you think about a couple of similar options?

First one - instead of adding solder which require heating contacts just to add a small square of copper foil on the pad or contact. This will increase the force on the spring contact without the need to bend it or solder.

Second one - place a piece of rubber like silicone rubber under the spring contact. This will rise it which again will increase contact force.

I haven't looked at the contacts yet myself so I don't know if these options are feasible.
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] fbugnon:
My GPS experience with Moto G4 Play

I have a Moto G4 Play DTV (Brazilian) and I recently installed Lineage 14.1 (7.1.2) and I was having, as many of you, problems getting a GPS Fix. Was impossible to use it with Waze of Google Maps, for instance.

After having read this thread, I decide to do a little test, so I installed GPS Test by Chartcross and try it on an open air location. At first, few satellites and NO FIX. So I remove the cover (without turning off the phone) and pressed hard with my fingers on the GPS antenna spot. Few seconds later, I had 3D Fix and accuracy between 3/5 meters

while pressing the antenna

. After removing my fingers, accuracy drop to 8 meters, but I still had 3D Fix and I was able to drive with the help of Waze/Maps.

Attached are screen-prints of the GPS Test.

I guess this didn't solve the problem, but it seems like an easy way to make the GPS usable instantly.
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] metalshreds:
The springs are really tiny, its hard to stick anything under them, I also worry about bending them and breaking them. What I ended up doing is attaching a couple copper pads with electrical tape an a tape spacer so they don't touch. You can see the before/after images, it did make a difference :) hopefully it will last.

Any idea what would happen if the antenna shorted?
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] Yuger:
That is, probably, the easiest solution to accomplish. How thick are your copper pads?
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] metalshreds:
They are a little less than 1mm thick, I literally cut a couple rectangles from the copper pads on a battery contact and taped it together. Its like the contacts on the link below.

http://www.zxmwj.com/uploadfile/2015/0607/20150607041656526.jpg
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] spiked_mistborn:
I'm not worried about the solder oxidizing. What I did was actually make a very small circular loop from some copper wire, smaller than the contact pad, and soldered that to the top of the spring contact. It added too much vertical height though, so I filed it down a little. It works a little better, but not great. Maybe doing something to the pads will be a better option.
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] metalshreds:
ahh ok, yea those contacts are really tiny! I put a couple copper pads and it worked but they aren't really stable and I'm worried about shorting the gps antenna. I think im going to order copper tape and put a couple layers of it over the pads.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/6mm-30M-Co...849365?hash=item33d8fde295:g:moUAAOSwJclZpMTp
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] HlebK:
I've flipped antenna contacts and put two layers of duble-ended scotch tape. After this SNR is more realible then earlier due to more pressure, but still no connection with Glonnass & Beidou.

Someone tell in Nougat Soak there is no trouble with GPS, so maybe any possibility to extract modem and flash it?
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] rodrigian:
Okay, so I tried scratching the copper pads in the back case. It worked for a day or two then started failing (i get a lock only when i have Good cell reception, navigation does not work) i was so angry that i punched the phone in the back and it started working again... Then obviusly failed again. By working i mean that navigation works. Right now I can get a lock in under 10 seconds, but navigstion Jeeps falling. To anyone that modified the contact pads, have you been able to use Navigation after they mod? Which mod worked better? (I'm not planning on using the cable-pressed-against-case mod) Btw i'm using nougat stock, GLONASS isnt working here either, it's a nougat thing not a lineageos issue exclusively
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] HlebK:
Hi, since 27dec GLONASS is working for computation location on official LOS builds, as well as it's working on official reteu roms
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] n76:
Yes, recent Lineage releases support GLONASS and it really helps on my phone.

I added a dab of electrical solder on the GPS antenna contacts. I guess it helped some, but the signal strength shown by test apps is still lower than I'd like and the reported position uncertainty is higher than I think it should be.
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] HlebK:
Frankly, I don't see the difference for accuracy with GLONASS or without it.

Also I've deleted gps.conf and it seems works slightly better than before, but anyway jitter is so annoying like bull****
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] DB126:
I have a G4P (XT1607) and a pair of E4's (XT1767, Xt1768). One thing I can confidently state is the GPS hardware sucks on the G4P. No custom ROM, kernel or antenna contact tweak will fix it. Haven't tried the external antenna hack; gave up a purchased a $40 USD XT1767 at Walmart for navigation. GLONASS ain't gonna fix the G4P GPS screw-up. Kinda sad as the XT1607 is solid otherwise.
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] Shadeclan:
Cleaning the Contacts

I was having issues with all of my radio reception - GPS and Bluetooth were both dropping out periodically and WiFi and phone reception was poor. I took the phone apart and gently rubbed all the contact springs and contact pads with a small piece of ScotchBrite pad. I also gently bent up all the contact springs to make firmer contact with the pads. Everything is working much better now and all signal strength has been greatly improved - I'm getting 4 bars now in places that I only got one or two, my Bluetooth devices have stopped dropping connections and my GPS locks on much, much faster than before.

I think that a better choice than scratching the contacts or using a ScotchBrite pad would have been a to use a cotton swab dampened with a little Tarn-X to remove any corrosion on the connectors, followed by a few cotton swabs dampened with distilled water as a rinse (I had none on hand or else I would have used it). The real fix, I think, would be to somehow widen the contact points on the springs and increase the tension. This might be done by carefully soldering a little copper wire to the top of the spring or, if you don't have the hands of a surgeon, screwing some very small coil springs around the contacts themselves and, if necessary, carefully securing them in place with solder or electrically conductive adhesive.

I will probably disassemble the phone again and re-clean the contacts, once I've gotten a bottle of Tarn-X. Who knows? Maybe I won't have to worry about it after that.

I think I will eventually make the changes to GPS.conf recommended in this thread. I recommend caution, in doing that, however. I had several issues when attempting to edit the file - editing it directly on my rooted phone caused the file to go blank and I was unable to restore it. Also, in doing so, my WiFi went wonky and I was forced to do a restore from a recent backup. I recommend editing it from ADB while the phone is in Recovery or FastBoot mode - and make sure you make and keep a copy of the original file! ;)
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] spiked_mistborn:
After trying a few different methods to get better reception and having them all fail I finally found something that seems to help somewhat. It's possible some of you could get even better results than I am because I have some damage to my GPS contact pads from some soldering that I did for a previous fix. I bought a conductive pen that has nickel particles in an epoxy and put a thin layer over both contact pads. If you try this be careful not to put too much on and bridge the two sides. I let it dry for a couple minutes and then reassembled the phone so that the spring contacts are pressed into the conductive material. It will cure after a length of time and form a more durable connection. Cleaning the contacts first as recommended above is probably a good idea also. It went from constantly recalculating and losing GPS signal while driving to generally showing me on the correct Street and navigating correctly. My spring contacts have been desoldered and resoldered multiple times and the contact pads are slightly damaged also, so I'm kind of surprised that it's working as well as it is. That's why I say some of you could possibly see even better results.

Here's a link to the conductive pen that I used https://www.amazon.com/MG-Chemicals-Nickel-Conductive-Pen/dp/B01LYAA814/ref=redir_mobile_desktop?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&ref_=ya_aw_oh_bia_dp

I'm not sure if there is any possibility of long-term corrosion issues or any other unforseen problems, but for me the GPS was basically useless so I was willing to take the risk.
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] n76:
Interesting concept and if my GPS degrades again I will try it. Please keep us posted on how well this fix holds up.

I see that MG Chemicals also has silver and graphite conductive ink pens. The graphite one has much worse conductivity that the nickel one you used. But I am wondering why you didn't try the silver conductive ink pen, it shows lower resistance than the nickel. OTOH, I think silver oxidizes faster that nickel, so maybe it is a worse choice due to shorter life. What guided you decision to use nickel rather than some other conductive ink?
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] spiked_mistborn:
The silver one was about twice the cost, and more than I was willing to spend not knowing if it would work or not. The nickel one looked like it would work well enough.

It's been several days so far and it's still ok, so I'll keep you all updated after more time goes by.
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] HlebK:
Could you attached screenshot with GNSS meters? If it's near 40 dbm +, it's ok
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] Yuger:
I believe better choice would be to use electrically conductive grease like here http://ph.parker.com/us/en/electrically-conductive-grease as it is not permanently bond contacts. The only prohibitive can be the price though.
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] joaoSP04:
Is there any method that worked to solve the GPS?

I don't know what I should do :(
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] spiked_mistborn:
That would probably be a good option since it should allow movement between the contacts and the pads. I suspect that the connection degrades over time due to the phone flexing or heating and cooling, so something like this might help maintain a good connection even with movement. I didn't see a price listed on that link thought, so I guess that would be the only catch is if it's expensive.

---------- Post added at 01:46 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:42 AM ----------

Most of my signals are in the mid to low 20s dbm, but my phone has some physical damage so I think that's probably the best I can get.
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] HxwHp47CrTT5UpIUDyQ:
I wanted to tell that I managed to fix the GPS by pushing slightly (and gently) up the connectors (not the plates) of the GPS. I tried to put some silver conductive solution on the plates first, but it did not work. We will see how long the fix last.

I have this device since less than one year and it took me a while to understand it was a hardware problem and not software.

Somehow, I just wanted to confirm for readers that the users here are not crazy, the hardware is really defective, and the fix is not for only one phone :).

Thank you very much [MENTION=4978031]spiked_mistborn[/MENTION] to put me on the right path.
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] rodrigian:
Hi. Tomorrow i might be buying conductive electric grease, as someone sugested it would work better. Has anyone tried this method yet? Also, I can't seem to find the stock nougat update which enabeled GLONASS support, could anyone provide a link?
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] HxwHp47CrTT5UpIUDyQ:
So my fix worked with stock rom and the GPS test app. After reinstalling lineage os and testing with google maps it does not. I am clueless. I am giving up. Next phone: probably not a motorola.
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] DB126:
FWIW - I snagged two E4 XT1768s to replace a pair of G4P XT1687 that were useless as navigators. While specs appear similar the E4s are a significant upgrade (read reviews for details). GPS locks are fast & reliable. With several months use have yet to find a significant flaw in this wallet friendly gizmo. What the G4P should have been.
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] takoa:
The same thing happens to me, with the rom lineage it detects satellites very fast but with the stock, nothing at all.
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] nicosafull:
My fix was going back to stock ROM, got a lock, then updated to a Nougat ROM (not Oreo) and waited 1-2 mins, got a lock, it's been 2 minths since done that and get a fix within seconds with "device only" setting.

I observed that if I use an Oreo ROM I will never get a fix.. I saw that it can't connect to GLONASS satellites, if I flash a Nougat ROM (almost any) it gets afix within seconds so my guess is that the problem is related to an Oreo rom issue within drivers or something like that..
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] dark0shark:
Same problem with my XT1602 on Stock Android 7.1.1, no GPS fix at all. I started a support case with German Motorola support and they asked me to test with "GPS Test" app from Chartcross Limited and finally reset the phone, - no improvement. So, they told me to send the phone, which is still under warranty, to their German Repair office represented by "Ingram Micro Services GmbH". They acknowledged the issue and replaced the mainboard within a few days. Now, GPS is working again but needs about 2-3 minutes to get a satellite fix.
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] JIaroJIy4:
After reading this thread from first to last post I am willing to go for connector fix suggested, although I have a question regarding "wire plug" modification - have anybody understood where the hell the wire is going? If it is just providing additional connection between spring mechanism and pads, thats one story (when person is touching antenna thats understandable since person acts as additional antenna), if the wire is connecting something completely different - I would like to know what and how. Reasoning for that is - we have some pictures in this thread with regards to motherboard being exposed, I have thought in regards to that picture - maybe some components should be swapped to different nominal to stabilise crappy connection resistance?

I will write again with results regarding GPS pad modifications.

Another wild idea - instead of modifying spring mechanism it seems technically possible to swap it for one bigger contacting surface or change it to something else completely, like normal springs(or other size suitable thing) with additional pads soldered in.
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] Demétrius Roveda:
Aqui funcionou, durante o procedimento, acabei quebrando uma das antenas do GPS, mas coloquei um pedaço de papel alumínio, como ele é condutor, acabou funcionando. Obrigado!
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] HlebK:
Hi!

I took aluminium tape and binded all protective screens at motherboard (another words - made ground). After this GPS locks in 1-3 seconds and never loose sattelites signal even when driving.
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] misutogan123:
can you post pictures? very interested in what you did.
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] HlebK:
Honestly we haven't done photo of Moto G4 Play, but after we did the same mode with Moto G4 Plus and I enclosed photo of this. Just put aluminize tape and binding all protective screens (we took this idea by Asus Zenfone with Qualcomm 410, as the guys who bought it have the same trouble with GPS and Asus service resolve this problem in a way of grounding all screens at motherboard).

View attachment 4471312

Since Saturday I've tested GPS at my Moto G4 Play - there's no one disconnecting and strength of signal by far the best. (Also attached screens by GPS-tools from my balcony).

Pls. note this mod doesn't give you superior accuracy, but after you can use it like daily driver even at car among the skyscrapers.
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] CGTIII:
10 Second GPS Solution

Using [MENTION=8025424]ashishwebmail[/MENTION] touch tip I devised a 10 second solution for my XT1609 G4 Play. Sort of a temporary redneck fix but it works. :)

(Next I'll probably be experimenting with very thin conductive tape that might fit within the back of the phone.)

I straightened a paperclip except for the end with the bend upward. Took off the case and phone back. Put the paperclip in my case with the upward bend flush in the case corner so it contacts the GPS antenna. Replaced phone in case without phone back. Voila!

Getting a GPS fix every time in 2-5 seconds using both GPS Status and GPS Test, indoors! Doesn't matter if WiFi is on or off. :)

Unable, as a newbie to this board, to post a link to the case I'm using. It's my favorite smartphone case ever, and cheap.

It's the one on eBay with the title "Slim Shockproof Rugged Hybrid Soft Silicone Case Cover For Motorola Moto G4 Play"
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] CGTIII:
Conductive Tape GPS Fix Confirmed

Removed the case and phone back. Laid a 2 mm wide strip of aluminum tape from the top GPS corner, along the edge of the battery compartment, to the bottom corner, careful to keep it away from the phone back notches. Doubted the adhesive was electrically conductive as I think it's just cheap construction flashing tape, so I folded it back on itself on top of the GPS antenna to be sure it made electrical contact with it. Replaced phone back and case.

Getting GPS fix in 1-3 seconds indoors every time in 20 tries! (This is with WiFi on or off.) :)
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] JIaroJIy4:
Please guys, try to post photos as to show conductive tape solution (yeah i know i'm lazy but you can do something about it).

TL;DR - my software rant results in - I was quick to judge my mishaps during rotation between custom ROM and stock ROM. Currently trying to modify gps.conf to create somewhat even ground to test LOS 14.1 and stock nougat NPIS26.48-36-5 (fully stock, untouched except gps.conf)

My personal progress on the solution - I am not able to run conductive tape testing as of now, I am actually was going to figure out how software affects GPS fix time. So my current results:

1. I was using custom kernel (squid one) and deodexed firmware(from XDA) - I am able to locate and connect to satelites but it takes minutes(4+) to actually get a GPS fix with positioning.

I have done optimization listed earlier in gps.conf but issue remained the same.

2. Switched to LOS 14.1 build 20180410 (currently latest one available), stock kernel - got lock in under 10 seconds. Optimized to Europe my gps.conf(I am stationed in europe) - lock maintained normally.

3. Fully reset my phone (its a RETIN version shipped with marshmallow ROM), updated to Nougat - to latest build NPIS26.48-36-5 (with March security update), stock kernel, not-rooted - cannot connect to GLONASS satelites (previous two did), lock takes 4+ minutes using GPS satelites.

4. Decided that I am a dumbass and need to solidify results of No 1. and No 3. - Fully reset phone yet again, installed marshmallow for my platform (RETIN), did ALL incremental updates (that was stupid time consuming). Installed GPS Test and ran testing again - lock achieved on stock configuration of gps.conf in under 30 seconds with decent accuracy (~30 meters), accuracy further improved over next 15-30 seconds (don't remember).

5. No 4. with modified gps.conf - looks like the same, although additional configuration options allow for "more friendly approach" at least in GPS Test. Will be running this configuration further more.

Thats a software rant - as of "Did I modify hardware part?" - I actually did. I would like to post pictures but I am stupid lazy spending evenings on other side projects I have active(none of them correlates to Android) - as soon as I find microSD card for old samsung phone I will make proper pictures of my hardware mod - that's why I was hesitant on responding in thread.
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] derekmski:
I had an issue with the GPS not working for navigation on the Moto G4 Play and I ended up having the phone replaced under Motorola warranty, it was a bad GPS. This seems to be a fairly common issue for this model.