yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] BigNaes:
I dont know if anyone is still following this issue but I have just tried my stock Nandroid backup.

My gps signal still seems to drop when mobile data is in use, even on the stock rom. The interesting part here is that, on my stock rom/modem/everything I WAS ABLE TO CONNECT TO A FEW GLONASS SATELLITES (!!) I would NEVER connect to GLONASS on custom roms or my other test, this is the first that that had happened. I dont have much more info than that but thought it was relevant to update that stock still had the same issue although I did connect to glonass.
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] Kadah:
I was using the 4 I had without mobile service most of the time and it had no effect on the issues I was having. In the end I gave up on getting replacements that were all defective and got my money back. I've switched to the regular G4 which has had zero GPS issues out of the box, but is having other issues (keeps waking up and won't go back to sleep, ghost touches), so I'm not entirely sure the G4 series actually works.
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] Wocli:
I returned mine to the store for repairs for the second time. I don't expect they will be able to fix it, so I am also already thinking about an alternative phone. Maybe the G5?
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] ashishwebmail:
I am waiting for your reply about the repaired phone, whether it fixed the problem. Actually I would also go for this, but I know they will take my phone for about a week or two for the reason of repairing. And I am also waiting for Android N update with a hope it may fix the problem. But as far as I have observed (like I already said about signal boost and quicker fix w.r.t touching on the antenna), it's a hardware issue, thus your reply will affect my judgement about giving it to service center. Thank you.
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] Wocli:
First repair did not help, they only updated software. So I sent it back for the second time. Probably won't get it back for 10 days
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] ovejota:
My GPS doesn't work either. GPS Test app shows A LOT of satellites being found (GPS; GLONASS, etc) but most of them show as zero signal. The phone is probably a US version (since it was bought there) but I use it in Argentina. Could any of this be fixed by flashing different radios?
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] divinemyth99:
That means nothing. Syntax highlighting just shows you colors. It's still a text file and the syntax highlighter is not used to parse the file on bootup. Prop files and Conf files aren't binary formats like a MS Word .doc file; they're just simple text files. Any meaning is provided by the parser.

Welcome to linux. It's extremely common for conf file to have default and example options commented out. The developers at LG and Motorola are installing the package (with the default conf full of comments) and then uncommenting and modifying what they need.

Here's the conf file you posted with the comments removed. These are the only lines that are affecting settings.

ERR_ESTIMATE=0
DEBUG_LEVEL = 2
CAPABILITIES=0x37
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] Wocli:
Got my phone back last week. Repair log mentioned replacing several contact units. So far it seems to have improved the GPS reception significantly. It doesn't loose the signal anymore, it fixes quickly and error margin normally is between 3 - 10m. Performance is sufficient for my like this, so I hope it stays this way.

:good:
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] Kadah:
Unlikely as its probably the defect GPS antenna assembly.

Let us know in a week or so if its still working after the repair.
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] Wocli:
Somewhat less enthousiastic than in my last post, but GPS is still adequate. No plans for returning it for a third time (yet).
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] spiked_mistborn:
Hi everybody, after finally getting tired of the GPS barely working on my phone I decided to see if there was anything hardware related that I could do to fix it. Since I bought my phone directly from Motorola and unlocked my bootloader, I figured it was worth a try since my warranty is void anyway. What worked for me was to remove the 4 screws closest to the GPS antenna, very slightly pry that corner up (1-2mm maybe), and then while firmly pressing down on that corner put the screws securely back in place. Before doing this the phone was slow to get a location fix, and when it did it was off randomly by several hundred meters. Now it gets a fix right away and the location is very accurate. No more jumping around while I'm driving. It's been a couple of days now, and so far, so good.
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] nick_white:
I only see 2 screws close to the GPS marking. Could you post a picture with the ones you manipulated? Also from which perspective did you pry?

I didn't have an appropriate screwdriver, but I firmly pressed the plastic where the GPS is, and after that, it looks like the GPS is connecting significantly faster and with better accuracy, at least when compared to previous days. But I can't rule out placebo yet, especially since I also tried other stuff and the results seem fairly inconsistent...
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] mkollersms:
So on a whim, I figured I would attempt the "external wire" trick touted earlier in the thread. All I can say is, "DO NOT DO THIS. EVER." As you can see, I used a jacketed copper wire bent in a U shape. The reason my back cover is missing is because with the back cover still on, performance only increased by 10%, if that. Removing the cover did increase the signal strength significantly, or so I had been led to assume.

Those are screenshots taken within 10 miles of each other on the same day. This is a rural wooded area, so while cellular is lacking, GPS should work brilliantly (and on every LG or ZTE phone I have had, it does). However, during mid-afternoon the signal was beginning to cut out, and by that evening, I was struggling to get a GPS lock at all. Note this was with the GPSconf file set to its default (it's reset every time the ROM is updated, and I forgot to swap it out with a custom one before leaving the house).

This is ridiculous. There is no more you can do with the hardware beyond this. Unless a software-side solution comes about that activates GLONASS support, this device is a navigational dud. You need that low-orbit layer in order for this to really work properly. In any case, it's turned me away from Motorola phones for life.
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] nick_white:
SUCCESS

After weeks of testing, I finally got to a point where the GPS:

- consistently connects outdoors within 5 seconds

- connects to >10 satellites on average outdoors (before, the average was like 5-6)

- has an accuracy of 3-4 meters (before, I frequently got like 30-50)

- can even connect indoors if next to a window (before, it was practically impossible no matter how much Ieft it)

I was so disapointed of the G4 Play because of the lack of compass + bad GPS, that I bought a Redmi 3S to replace it. However, after the GPS fixes, I returned it and remained with the G4 Play (waaay better software and ergonomics).

The phone now works even better than my previous phones. Too bad for the lack of compass, although now that the accuracy is high, the direction is determined if I make a couple of footsteps, which makes it somewhat equivalent.

So these are the fixes that made an enormous difference (altogether):

1. Remove the back cover. Locate the plastic that says Harpia GPS. While firmly pressing it (as much as you can without feeling like you are going to break it), tighten the two screws next to it. This was the thing that made a huge difference. So shame on Motorola / Lenovo for not having the screws tight :D.

2. Modify gps.conf to:

ERR_ESTIMATE=0
DEBUG_LEVEL = 0
CAPABILITIES=0x37

NTP_SERVER=europe.pool.ntp.org
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
PHONE_TYPE=UMTS
SUPL_HOST=supl.nokia.com
SUPL_PORT=7275
DEFAULT_AGPS_ENABLE=TRUE
DEFAULT_USER_PLANE=TRUE
DEFAULT_SSL_ENABLE=FALSE
INTERMEDIATE_POS=1
ACCURACY_THRES=5000

The first 3 lines are the uncommented ones from the original file.

Replace europe with your appropriate region. I googled that property and found plenty of examples.

Intermediate + accuracy threshold made it possible to have a rough location within ~1 kilometer when you have very bad signal, although by judging the reported position, it seems better than that. That accuracy is not really appropriate for driving, but makes a huge difference when you want to tell someone of the town area you're in, or when you're lost in the woods :).

You need to reboot for the modifications to be effective.

3. Install GPS Status & Toolbox. Go to AGPS, reset once, then download. Afterwards, it's enough if you redownload (no need for reset) once every few days.

This seems to help connect to the first satellites, so it greatly reduces the fix time.

So there you have it, this made my G4 Play a reliable companion.
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] spiked_mistborn:
The previous fix that I tried, tightening the screws by the GPS antenna, helped a little but the fix didn't last. Since I already voided my warranty when I unlocked the bootloader, I decided to take the back off the phone to get a better look at what's going on. This issue is definitely a hardware/manufacturing defect, so if your phone is still under warranty you should have it fixed by Motorola. I am not recommending anybody try this, but if you do try it you do so at your own risk! I am not responsible for anything that might happen.

First off, there is a hidden screw under this cover (looks like contact points for a Qi wireless charger, you can see an outline on the back cover)

After removing all of the screws and taking the back off, you can see that Moto is using spring contacts for the GPS antenna. Using a very small blade I LIGHTLY scratched the contact points on the cover seen on the left, and with a very small flat-blade screwdriver I bent the spring contacts slightly upward.

When I reassembled the phone and went outside I got a GPS lock at 3 meter accuracy within about 2 seconds!

Hopefully this fix lasts, since this GPS issue is my only real complaint with this phone.
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] Wocli:
Over the last two weeks the GPS performance got worse again, so I decided to give up. I went back to the shop and traded the G4 Play in for a G5. The G5's GPS has been performing without problems so far.

Thanks for the support and good luck with your G4 Play GPS!
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] thiagomvn:
Well, I can say it's a normal problem in this phone model (Moto g4 play) unfortunately
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] everss:
hello i have this problem too .... you lucky you can trade your phone for me lenovo say only repair option lol , lenovo say its not a occasional problem on this phone lol now im stuck i dont know whats i have too doo .... can a update fix this problem ?
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] Wocli:
I was lucky that thema shop was flexible. I did not contact Lenovo directly

Verstuurd vanaf mijn Moto G (5) met Tapatalk
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] everss:
yeah now for me i dont know whats i can do if i send the phone for repair if the problem persist... and i need a phone i can wait 2 week for repair
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] saratojo:
I am probably going to return my G4. The GPS problem is a pain, and the battery life truly sucks.

For what it's worth, I have been using a workaround to get GPS running again that (so far) has worked. From GPS Test Plus I clear and update AGPS three or four times (takes only a sec) and then power off the phone. When I restart, GPS is working fine. A pain, but at least I have been able to get location services running again.
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] nick_white:
Unfortunately, the fixes didn't last for me too. Now it tages ages to get a GPS fix, although it's connected to 8-10 satellites. If I reset and download AGPS data, it sometimes connects as soon as it's finished, but I always have to enable data (even when roaming). And the accuracy is way worse: I frequently get it at hundreds of meters, so the position jumps all over the place...
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] everss:
can a custom rom fix the problem ??
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] saratojo:
Since no one cannot pinpoint the actual cause of the issue for sure, it is impossible to say if a custom rom would fix it.
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] spiked_mistborn:
The GPS has been working perfectly for me since I fixed the contacts for the antenna one week ago. The post is one page back, or here's a direct link https://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=71773519&postcount=88
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] nick_white:
My fix also lasted for about a week before it started getting worse.

But the behavior is very strange: yesterday and the day before, it was very bad, like before I started tightening the screws. Today it's good again, quick fix with great accuracy. I just frantically rebooted a couple of times, reset and re-downloaded the AGPS data. Maybe the data sent by the servers was "bad" for a couple of days?
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] nick_white:
Over 2 weeks have passed since I tightened the screws and made soft modifications and it doesn't look like it's degrading. Today it snowed, but the GPS still worked reliably (fix under 10 seconds, under 10 meters accuracy).

There was one episode where I reset and redownloaded AGPS data that made it bad like the original, but after multiple downloads and restarts, it went back to good. I tried it again and reproduced it. So a big part of the problem seems to be software related.
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] ashishwebmail:
Past few days, seen many of you moving ahead to fix the hardware , the problem which I had pinpointed... But you know that was the actual problem without any doubt. 2 months have gone since I had fixed this problem. What I did two months before -- I bought an external back cover to fix the protruded wire (around 5-6 cm) at some position with the help of it.(You can see my previous reply to know how to put the wire in place of the removed screw ) A headphone can be used to emphasize the signal if you want more. Just after putting the external (should be flexible and transparent) back cover, open an application that shows gps signal to you. (In my case, I used GPS Test) Use a needle to move the wire that are stuck inside the back cover. (Just move the start of the protruding wire for best result) Do this until you get maximum signal from most of the satellites (and not one or two) . It may take an hour or two or three or may be more, and you may get frustrated but I must say it will be worth doing. After all it will diminish daily frustration of not getting proper fix. So give it a try. From two months I am getting 3-5 m accuracy inside my house which is incredible.

And one more thing, one member warned us not doing this as it will mutilate the gps device. What if I say, due to so much frustration of not getting proper fix, I had made my mind one day to throw the mobile on the garbage . I think it would have made more damage to it. I am waiting for the day when you will be able to find a software side solution to this problem. But till then this is one of the great solution.
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] zerogun:
Using both nick_white and spiked_mistborn's solutions, I was able to get rock solid GPS.

[MENTION=5862848]nick_white[/MENTION]: I'm old hat at editing .conf files. So you are absolutely correct in that # comments out everything. Whoever wrote the gps.conf files for the Moto G4 Play was on crack. They commented out almost everything, did not specify default NTP server or pool, and had mispellings like 5UPL. I edited mine almost exactly like yours, but I used north-america.pool.ntp.org (obviously, because that's where I am), and I used SUPL_Host=supl.google.com and port 7256. Anyways, the edited gps.conf allows me to get a fix sooner, since the supl settings allows AGPS to locate me via cell towers much faster and then hand that info to external gps handlers. However, GPS still drops frequently and fluctuations are wild. It would fluctuate between 4-8 towers constantly and error goes from 3M to 25M constantly. Usable for driving, maybe, but not for running or biking. Which is the only thing I use the moto G for.

[MENTION=4978031]spiked_mistborn[/MENTION]: THIS. This is the only thing that stabilized my gps. Now it's rock solid. It gets between 8-10 satellites easily and locks within 10 seconds. My Nexus 6P gets 12-14 and locks in 2 seconds but it's using the glonass satellites and it costs 6 times more. It's stupid that it was a simple hardware issue. I used to fix phones in my spare time so I can take apart any phone (including iPhones). But the G4 Play is ludicrously easy to take apart. The only thing that is dicey is the part where you pull up on the contacts on the motherboard that connect to the GPS radio. The contacts are so tiny that you could break them off. So anyone doing this fix, just be careful and don't pull up too much. Also, I sanded the contact patches on the antennae instead of just scraping with a screwdriver. Moto could have avoided this issue if they went with domed solid contacts instead of spring contacts.

BTW, I assume that you are an avid Brandon Sanderson fan, like I am :)

[MENTION=8025424]ashishwebmail[/MENTION]: For anyone that is curious, I did use the wire solution too. However, I splayed the wire and placed it between the GPS contact points and the GPS antennae. This works really really well. However, it's ugly as hell. And then you better pray that that wire never touches anything charged... I would recommend using nick_white and spiked_mistborn's solution before attempting the wire method.
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] n76:
This doesn't get me consistently to 3m accuracy, but it took me from >30m to <8m and sometimes to 3m. A big help! With a small sample size, the time to first fix seems better too. Thanks!
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] bamx2:
I have a Moto G4 Play with the GPS problem. It still has 10 months of warranty left so I guess that I should send it in for repair before attempting do it myself. It if it comes back the same then I will do it. It is great to know that the fix is simple enough for me to do. Thanks to all.that figured it out.
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] river21:
after alot of testing it looks like it depends on network providers where some have difficulties on the moto pure android marshmallow this could be the gps.conf but one thing i see that when the device gets corrupt it's hard to get it working again

in other phones the device deletes the old and replaces it with a new one (or it gets done with apps like gps fix) but in moto phones it stays stuck with corrupted internal agps problem (locationManager?)

i still don't think that fitting the screw tight does the fix, it just makes the internal gps stronger with no need for the a-gps so you won't have the conflicting results from the corrupt settings
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] seven21075:
I also tried Spiked_Mistborns advice. This fix didnt help me. I think its not a pure Moto G4 Play problem. Many mobile phones have not the best GPS. Even IPhones. This is why ive just bought an external GPS receiver wich gives me an accuracy of 1,8m and a very quick Sat Fix.
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] ashishwebmail:
What is the name of company, model, and price of the product?
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] DB126:
I use this pup. It's big, ugly and works wonderfully. Performance over beauty. Company makes other varients with so-so reviews. Note you'll need an OTG adapter for USB plug compatibility.
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] seven21075:
[MENTION=5488402]Davey126[/MENTION] i was thinking about that GPS Mouse. The disadvantage is that u can not load your mobile phone while you are using the OTG adapter.

[MENTION=8025424]ashishwebmail[/MENTION] Im using Navilock BT-821G. Price is quiet heavy (90€). It connects via Bluetooth and it understands GLONASS+GPS unlike many Qstarz products. The battery (rechargeable) is even replaceable.
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] ashishwebmail:
Doesn't seem worthy. By adding little more amount we can buy a new mobile phone having good gps receiver. But before buying, this time we have to be cautious regarding this issue.

However, for me gps issue of this mobile phone is solved provisionally until I get a permanent fix. Also there is an upgrade to the way I described before in

https://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=70993652&postcount=42.

What's new is that now there is no need to open any screw. As by visiting the above link, you will get some pictures attached by me. In the first pic, you will notice a white portion just below the Harpia GPS and just above the second nut. This time I put an end of the wire in it and the other end of the wire (about 5 cm) was left out of the mobile back cover and was held inside the external cover. [By this way, I am able to hide the outside wire from others and it is looking like a normal smartphone ;) ]

Almost 1 month have passed since I had done this and the signal is outstanding. In the given link, you can see pic4 where the maximum snr was 36, but now I can get to a maximum of 48 and most of the satellites gives signal above 40 which is just unbelievable. I get an instance fix at anytime even in my room.

Many of the members have warned before using my trick but I believe they misunderstood what I said. In the previous one the wire was in the place of nut and I believe it cannot harm the mobile. I did not said anywhere in the post to open the whole mobile system... No.. not even in the new trick. There is no need of screwdriver.

But I must say, the new trick can be highly risky. If you wanna use, use it at your own risk because this time the wire is going inside of the mobile via the provided hole. One simply cannot guess what part the wire is touching and there is a chance it can damage the system.

But still I can say there wasn't any trouble till now. However I cannot attach any image of the inside as I haven't opened even the external cover since last month. Getting to the exact configuration is quite hard to achieve. It took about 4 hours of cautious hard work for me to get the exact configuration. Pulling out the back cover (for purpose like removing battery or sim card) will disturb it and again I will have to set it as it was before. Thus it is another issue with this trick.

So this was a little story of an upgrade to the trick :o and now GPS is not an issue for me. I am also waiting for Android N update for this device in a hope it may fix the GPS issue permanently so that I should remove the annoying wire from my device.

Lenovo officials had said earlier that they will provide an N update to Moto G4 Play users in June 17. But it's the end of the month and I haven't received it yet. Have anyone of you got this?
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] Tsjoecha:
Anyone who tried nougat already? There is a guide on stechguide, but I'm not sure whether there is a difference in the zip for EU versus VS or Asia,...

stechguide com install-android-7-1-1-nougat-on-moto-g4-play
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] leofa:
That did the trick! I have a bunch of phones like this here on the company, i've tried this solution and it worked! Thanks a lot!
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] n76:
FWIW, this fix only works for a week or two for me. Maybe I am not adjusting the contacts enough. Whatever the case, I am considering using hobbyist brush on gold plating on the pads on the antenna side of the connection next time I open it up. Or maybe building them up with electrical solder. Probably safer to try a thin gold coating before trying solder.
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] KCMetroGnome:
Does anyone know if the regular Moto G4 has this problem as well? Or is it only the G4 Play?
[Moto G4 Play Questions & Answers] didier6435:
Hi,

Is anyone know If it possible to change it under warranty?

Thanks