yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Galaxy S I9000 General] brisnick:
I don't have the SGS yet, I'm holding out until we know for sure the GPS issues are sorted.

But, apparently 5 million of these have been sold and only 981 people on here have reported GPS issues.

Now, before everyone says, "Yeah, but only 172 have reported it being OK" I am well aware of the fact that way more people have issues than don't.

But..... out of all the people who buy this phone, what proportion actually come to XDA developers? I doubt even 50% (2.5 million) do.

So we can't really be sure whether this is or isn't a big issue, or only for a select unfortunate few.

I wish I could take one home and try it out before committing to buying because GPS is definitely an important issue for me and if it can't perform as well as my HTC Diamond does, then I don't want the phone and I'll get a Desire instead (I've checked a friends Desire out and GPS works a treat!)

Brisnick
[Galaxy S I9000 General] Ming930919:
yea.. i am having ur dilema too i am waiting so see if the gps problem can be sorted out
[Galaxy S I9000 General] anoneemooz:
Of the somewhat few times I've tried using GPS for apps or just for Google maps I'd have to say I never, not even once, got a lock.

I live in the Philippines. Maybe that's a factor...but I had an N82 prior to my SGS (running JPM with Voodoo 5 pre4) and I always got a lock on my position in a minute or even less! My internet is pretty decent too but with the SGS I never got a lock on my position even if I leave it for 30 minutes to even an hour. It's sad really. Good thing I don't use it all that much.
[Galaxy S I9000 General] Ming930919:
i may not use the gps a lot too but buying a phone with the gps being faulty is like having samsung cheat my money
[Galaxy S I9000 General] NeoXTC:
I don't have an issue with GPS unless I go into this particular place in the city. At this particular place my GPS ALWAYS go screwy that is it shows me about 200m away from where I actually am. When leaving it, everything's fine again. I think the gps signal for our galaxy is very sensitive to signal conditions and interference maybe? on open roads or places with low buildings, not alot of tall trees, gps works fine.
[Galaxy S I9000 General] TheCarl:
I sent my phone in for service because i had problems with the screen. They replaced the mainboard. When i got it back the gps was still useless.
[Galaxy S I9000 General] brisnick:
I've also heard the problem lies with Google Maps and using Copilot, etc, doesn't have the issue.

Where in Brisbane do you get the issue?
[Galaxy S I9000 General] NeoXTC:
getting problems when going down margaret st and keep going to felix st and to creek street. On felix st always have problems.

Other problem is going down edward and going into charlotte st. Always a mess there.
[Galaxy S I9000 General] ghosty_uk:
this is really bizzare,

i usually use google navi, but thought i would give Ndrive ago as its got a 7day free trial, and holy f**k besides a slight wander at teh start (i was in a carpark with no fixed road for reference), it tracked perfectly all the way home, even picked up my change of direction twice, i have some further testing to do while its still a free app, but it certainly look like it can now navigate properly.

i did however notice that the arrow stopped a few times, yet the dot that represents where i actually am (this is usually covered by the arrow), stayed fixed to the road, i hate to see what my-tracks thinks or what the gps was actually doing, but as far as im concerned it is a flawless drive for the first time in 4 months of ownership.

i would urge everyone to try Ndrive, download on market, and select the map of your choice (free for first 7 days, then 9.99 euros to own it, well the uk and ireland map is anyway), to see if its just me getting fluke results or if the other software (google navi) is actually causing the problem.

any before anyone says about the actual track etc, im not bothered to much if the track is going through houses, my main issue was google navi not working a a navi program, so if Ndrive works like it did just now, ill be purchasing the map at the end of the trial. and using Ndrive to navigate.

btw im running JM1
[Galaxy S I9000 General] spyrale:
Bought ndrive, used it and...it's a mess :-) guess it depends on firmware ( jm8+voodoo)
[Galaxy S I9000 General] Seifer1975:
I have been using ndrive for the past 3 months and it has not failed me once
[Galaxy S I9000 General] ehe12:
Other than GPS issue, this phone is top class. I mean the design, the screen, everything is unbeatable. Samsung claimed it as "iphone killer", they do have a point. I've tried out IPHONE 4,my room mate got one, and I totally understand why it can be called "iphone killer". it's as powerful as iphone 4, some features are even better than iphone 4. If you are not using GPS a lot, I would say this is a perfect phone for you or for anyone thinking about android phones. But the GPS issure is really a pain in the ass...
[Galaxy S I9000 General] EarlZ:
I rarely use GPS, probably just for testing purposes.. I also believe this is a hardware problem.. If its software this should have been fixed like a few days/weeks after initial release!
[Galaxy S I9000 General] ehe12:
exactly! I really consider returning it and have another phone instead. But I really can't find a phone as beautiful as this one...
[Galaxy S I9000 General] crabjoe:
Don't mean to be rude, but I think it's funny that you say that your GPS problems might be because you're in the Philippines.

Yeah, the US Government turns off the GPS sats when they go over the Philippines. They do this because the Philippinos kicked the US armed forces out of Subic bay in '91. Because the military was kicked out, and due to the current recession, GPS is turned on over the philippines to save energy.
[Galaxy S I9000 General] spyrale:
why do you think it must be an easy fix if it is a software problem? HTC took months to sort htc messenger bugs on hd2, don't know if they fixed yet. everytime a new high end phone is released forums become full of threads and posts about possible hardware faults...i can understand this fear, but most of times is in vain. gps will be fixed, don't know when or who, but it will be sorted out. :)

btw: software doesn't mean EASY or QUICK...it means POSSIBLE (to fix it). every smartphone needs 5-6 months from release to become a good and reliable smartphone thanks to fixes and community support. if you buy soon after the release you took the risk, now play the risk :)
[Galaxy S I9000 General] ehe12:
Update:

Today I got my replacement from Orange and went out for a try. I use both Google maps navigation and my tracks.

At the beginning I didn't think there would be any difference, but hell I'm wrong! GPS got lock within 1 minute, then never lost signal. I walked around my house for 2 small circles, both google maps navigation and my tracks worked quite alright (not perfect accurate but very usable), on my tracks it didn't 100% accurately showed where I was (off road a little bit),but the point is during these 2 circle tests (around 10 mins walk),the GPS signal never lost! it's very acceptable!

I urge you guys who have GPS issue and still under warranty period, tell your mobile provider the GPS issue and go for a replacement!
[Galaxy S I9000 General] ehe12:
By the way, the firmware in this replacement is 2.1 JF3.
[Galaxy S I9000 General] Ming930919:
you can switch if you complain of gps problem? i thought they would just tell you that samsung is fixing it or something
[Galaxy S I9000 General] ghosty_uk:
my replacement was a 2.1 JF3, and as stated that got near instent lock whereas the first never got a lock at all, i agree wit hyou that if you have the option you should look to swapping it, and keep swapping it till either your 14 day no lemon policy or you get a working one.

and i i posted about 15 posts back, that Ndrive has tracked flawlessly, i will be checking it out again tonight, from a different part of town.
[Galaxy S I9000 General] ehe12:
well I got this phone for only around 1 month from an upgrade contract. I told them I almost got a serious car accident because of the GPS.

Guess Samsung UK has got a lot of compliant...
[Galaxy S I9000 General] ehe12:
do you have access to "IGO" android version? I downloaded android IGO and will give it a shot. I will now try Ndrive too. Thanks for the information.
[Galaxy S I9000 General] ghosty_uk:
just come back from picking my mate up from work, a 4.5 mile trip both ways, and it did not once pick up the wrong road, it never dropped signal. i will say it had to think about some of the roads coming off roundabouts, but always picked me back up in seconds. so i think this is a very good piece of kit.

one thing i have noticed is it try's to put you an a differernt route than is logical, like not the way i would see as the fastest/shortest, i think that mite just be a setting i have misssed though.

for a free to try for 7days its worth it to see if it works.
[Galaxy S I9000 General] DamianGto:
Well i have told this time after time that mytrack and Google map don't work good. You will always have faults on them.

If you use a real gps program you will se that the gps in sgs do work.

I drove today in the city. On highway. On the country. And on the mountains. Guess what? It never failed or did not show where i was. If i turn then the gps program will show me that.

Sent from sgs with Z4Mod on jpm
[Galaxy S I9000 General] t1mman:
Dude??? Seriously??!

No offence but...

Watch the road from times to times, that could help! Don't blame a phone if you go blindlessly around while driving a vehicule!!
[Galaxy S I9000 General] snaff:
MyTracks works perfectly for me with an external GPS receiver.
[Galaxy S I9000 General] darkoroje:
This is completely incorrect I have used both Mytracks and Google Navigation on other Android phones and they work perfectly.
[Galaxy S I9000 General] DamianGto:
Yes and they work perfect on a none sgs to... Lol

Sent from sgs with Z4Mod on jpm
[Galaxy S I9000 General] DamianGto:
Maby but that's not the point.

Many have problem with them on sgs and they blame sgs gps if broken but they don't try a real gps program.

Sent from sgs with Z4Mod on jpm
[Galaxy S I9000 General] foxbat121:
Those 'real' GPS programs have smart algrothms in them to smooth out the rough tracks produced by SGS. And they always snap you to the road you travel. It doesn't mean there is no problem with SGS. It is just less noticable. And if you travel to places that have a lot of parallel roads nearby, even the smartest algrothms can't save you.

Yes, Google Navi is a little simplistic dealing with the craps SGS spits out. There is nothing wrong to blame SGS GPS especially if other Android phones can handle it without problem.
[Galaxy S I9000 General] Cooki3s:
1. Make no mistake, the gps is broken, but some programs will calculate where you are based on other information aswell e.g. you won't suddenly jump off the main road to another one if you have been driving on that main road for over 5 minutes or something and they will compensate the loss of signal bij continuing to move your position on the map with the speed you were driving with before.

Google maps and google navigation just don't seem to do this, they appear to be using real-time gps information only.

2. Some people do like to go offroad and use programs to track their movement like workout apps (eg. My Tracks) or just navigation on foot. It's a pain in the ass to use these with a loss of signal since it will neither have tracked your distance nor speed correctly.

In conclusion: GPS Hardware/Drivers =/= GPS APP.
[Galaxy S I9000 General] EarlZ:
ROFL!!

10 characters.
[Galaxy S I9000 General] EarlZ:
Sorry but I dont see it that way, Im an early adopter of the Nokia 5800 and the GPS works perfectly out of the box. For the SGS I would not consider my self to be one of the early adopters since I bought one about 3 months after the release in my country.

It could be a possible software issue but I cant believe the manufacturer of the GPS chip on the SGS never had the software working properly with the SGS.. Its like they made the chip and figured out the software on the later date. Thats something Im not accepting as of now but its not a deal breaker for me I barely use the GPS and I dont have practical use for the GPS in my country anyway.. The moment you whip out your phone on the streets it gets snatched so fast that you might not have enough time to enable the GPS anyway hahaha :D
[Galaxy S I9000 General] DamianGto:
Ahhh. So when the gps on the sgs works with other program than its for.this programs is so smart that they can correct all faults from the sgs???

Well that's most stupid thing i have heard here about the gps on sgs.

Most i think we got 6 or 8 road parallel. I always see on wich road i travel.

Try to understand there is alot of sgs that the gps works without problem.

Sent from sgs with Z4Mod on jpm
[Galaxy S I9000 General] foxbat121:
They can't correct all the faults. Try go off the road, like a big parking lot. Most of these programs will have to freeze your position on the road where you get off.

Try to understand that there are aslo a lot of SGS GPS don't work. Just because yours work doesn't mean everybody else's shouldn't have problem.

The problem with SGS GPS is that the percentage of the faulty SGS is big enough so that even Samsung admited there is a problem and they have been trying very hard to fix it. Are you saying Samsung is so dumb to admit a problem that doesn't exist?
[Galaxy S I9000 General] ehe12:
can you then explain why GOOGLE MAPS and MY TRACKS work perfectly on other android devices?

I've got another 2 devices, ORANGE SAN FRANCISCO and HTC HERO,on which GOOGLE MAPS and MY TRACKS both work perfectly with not even a little error. can you explain why this is happening? Is it still that GOOGLE MAPS and MY TRACKS have problem?

LOOK AT THE VOTING, OVER 50% of the vote stating there's a problem with GALAXY S' GPS. CAN YOU EXPLAIN WHY?

DO YOU THINK GOOGLE IS SO STUPID THAT EVEN THEY KNOW A PROBLEM WITH THEIR APPS THEY WOULD STILL ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO USE IT, SO THAT WHEN ACCIDENTS HAPPEN BECAUSE OF THEIR "NOT PROPERLY WORKING APPS", GOOGLE WOULD GET SUED?
[Galaxy S I9000 General] DamianGto:
Done that. Even drive where ithere is no road. It still show me where i am.

Sent from sgs with Z4Mod on jpm
[Galaxy S I9000 General] ehe12:
forgot to tell you, I have Copilot installed on my SGS,is it counted as a "real GPS program"? If yes, can you explain why it's not working properly on my previous SGS?
[Galaxy S I9000 General] wwwilhempujar:
Hello,

I've also experienced this gps issue with my sgs (Eclair, bought about 2 weeks ago).

Though new LbsTestMode settings gave me good results, they are even better with JP6.

From what I've seen, this latest update basically changes the GPS settings to match those recommended in the LbsTestMode tutorials.

And now, both Standalone and MS based settings provides up to 8 satellites and 10 meters accuracy on my side.
[Galaxy S I9000 General] DamianGto:
Then use the other phone then.

If you believe this vote is true then you are very naive.

Many people are sick and tired to hear the whining all the time. They don't go here and write or vote.

They know it don't matter how well the gosh work for them. You don't believe them and tell them they use wrong programs for they fix the foult.

Sent from sgs with Z4Mod on jpm
[Galaxy S I9000 General] snaff:
Are you fishing for a job on a Samsung support desk?
[Galaxy S I9000 General] betoNL:
I posted 2 whole videos with my sgs running Motonav and Navigon, first using a EXTERNAL gps receiver and then using solely the internal gps with no REAL-TIME ONLINE assist whatsoever (Just some pre-downloaded data):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BM2gm5DAOjM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6QnNMxuCig

Users that keep complaining about SGS GPS, are mostly the ones that use only Google Maps or other ONLINE Gps Navigation software.

I use gps a lot and also abroad so online stuff is not an option, furthermore offline gps navigation is al about freedom: You are not dependable of good working cellular networks and you are free of conflicts between Google servers and carriers servers ( it happens), supl. configurations, etc. etc.

First video shows how a gps chipset (in this case, the SirfstarIII) can be 100% reliable with no need of any kind of assist (A-gps) and shows how that combination - SGS-External Bluetooth Gps receiver- iGo Motonav- works like a charm !

I did started a GPS video thread, but I just noticed it was removed with no warning or explanation....I wonder why.....since video/motion picutres are much more reliable than uploaded pics or tracks....

Somet text of that removed thread:

Video 2:

This time the Samsung Galaxy S will run some gps navigation software using solely the build-in gps receiver.

Eventhough the internal gps chipset is not as efficient as the sirfstar III (showed in action on my first video) it seems to be capable enough.

But some preparation (or assist) is needed in order to accelerate a stable satellite-fix during a cold start.

The "assinting i use is not the "typical" a-gps such as getting information from cellular towers; I just ïnject recent "data" using the right applications, available at the Android market.

I removed some parts of this video ( long waiting at stop lights, or too much background noise) and in this way reducing video size and upload time...

« »
[Galaxy S I9000 General] ehe12:
I've got GPS problem on my SGS. My friend's SGS also got GPS problem. The vote here suggests over 55% of SGS have GPS problem and now you are telling me it's because people are sick... are you also suggesting that I'm sick because I got GPS problem and voted? are you saying more than 600 people voting GPS problem are sick?

I would rather believe those 600 people than you. Am I sane? I believe so...
[Galaxy S I9000 General] t1mman:
Would you append to have a link for the external gps you used?

Thanks!
[Galaxy S I9000 General] snaff:
I think he was using a Nokia ld3w.

I found that video useful - it gave me the idea of using my old Nokia 6220 Classic phone's gps - there's a program called extgps.jar that sends the gps data over bluetooth. The phone's gps takes a while to warm up with no sim and therefore no agps when it's designed for use with agps. I don't want to stand still outside in the morning before my run while I get a lock (getting chilly) so I put it on the windowsill with the gps on before I go to sleep and it's ready in the morning :)
[Galaxy S I9000 General] betoNL:
Well, I use the Nokia LD -3W (Just google for it) because it was cheap (here in Holland), it got a SirfstarIII chipset and a large (replaceable) battery that goes a long way without recharging.

There are newer ones out there, but they are probably more expensive and this one is good enough....;)

Cheers

« »
[Galaxy S I9000 General] ehe12:
i watched second video, that;s not cool. Check from time 6:00, you can see that it's drifting to a nearby little lane then drift back. That's the exact problem I want to talk about. Sure you are in no rush, imagine if you are on a high way, this drift could have lead you miss the exit you should take. This is totally not cool and not acceptable.
[Galaxy S I9000 General] DamianGto:
What Im saying is that result is flaw.

Why?

It so easy so a child can understand it.

If you take 100 random people and ask a question you will get a good result.

If you ask the same question to a group that the question is made for you will get a result you want.

This is how this vote is. Its not random people that vote.

Most if them have the problem

And that's make the result of the vote false.

Sent from sgs with Z4Mod on jpm
[Galaxy S I9000 General] betoNL:
Yep...Before the SGS I was navigating with The Nokia 5800XM running GarminXT Mobile using the external gps...

As you probably know the Symbian OS on the 5800XM have proper connectivity control, so I didnt need any 3rd party software (unlike in Android) to connect Garmin to the external Gps, also because Garmin got that Bluetooth setting/function.

Unhappily my 5800 got stolen in Rio, so I moved on to the Sgs, and with no regrets so far, just a little bit disappointed on Android and Samsung's approach to it....

But the hardware is impressive, specially if compared to the 5800XM wich is no high-end smartphone..is more a kind off value smartphone....

But going back to the issue.....Starting to think that the sgs gps chipset is less a-gps dependable that I though..

Next weekend going to test it on a longer trip all the way to Amsterdam...(using Motonav)

« »
[Galaxy S I9000 General] betoNL:
As I explained in the begining of the video clip, I removed some parts of the video to make it shorter. What you saw was a jump by edit.

If you want I can re-upload the WHOLE video in lower resolution ( I recorded it in very high res. and it was a mistake. You will see then, that in that particular short trip, navigation was pretty stable and the satellite fix was surprisingly fast

Any way I need to run more tests on longer trips, and you are right we need more videos and I am not retiring my external gps just yet....

« »
[Galaxy S I9000 General] dcoales:
I'm on jpk and have found the gps to be much better than before when I was on jm1. Jm1 would lose lock and the navigation app would freeze after only a few minutes. I drove around town today for half an hour and it was fine. Got a lock quickly and seemed to keep up and give an accurate position the whole time. I'm pretty pleased.
[Galaxy S I9000 General] foxbat121:
Forum polls are norturiously unscientific. I did't even both to vote or look at the poll results. But you have no evidence or fact what so ever to tell others that there is no problem with GPS on SGS unless you or someone else, use your own words, did a scientific poll and published results.

So, if Samsung itself said there is a problem with GPS, I take its word for it (rather then yours or your twin, AllGamer's :) ).

I'm sick and tired all of these GPS posts/threads as well. Here is what I suggest everyone to do:

1. Download market app called 'GPS Test'.

2. Put the phone in your favourite position (dashboard or center console) and run the app.

3. Keep an eye on the reported satellite SNR values.

4. Post your results here.

I personally found out that if majority of the satellites report SNR in high 30s or even 40s, the track will be perfect. Between mid 30s to 20s, your track will be marginal. If majority of your satellites are in 20s or lower, it is unusable.

Since it is analog signal we're talking about here, different phones will have different readings. Hence, different GPS experience.

My phone is in between marginal and excellent. So sometimes it works perfect, some times it is less than desirable.
[Galaxy S I9000 General] DamianGto:
You can even use the gps meny in the sgs.

If i see 11 satellite with look most of them is 30-40. Some are over 40.

A few is under 30.

1-2 can be under 20.

Shall se tomorrow if i have time to write them down.

Sent from sgs with Z4Mod on jpm
[Galaxy S I9000 General] ehe12:
My current SGS can get the same accuracy as you showed in the video. I use GPS STATUS and the accuracy remains at 10m. I'm inside my house close to a window and I get 4 satellites out of 7 in use, which is quite OK. But my other phones can get all 7 satellites in use...

I hope the release of froyo in UK really can get me a good result. Anyway I'm gonna use Ndrive and Igo for test. Copilot is really difficult to use...
[Galaxy S I9000 General] crabjoe:
I don't know what you're thinking, but Foxbat is correct.

When I use a dedicated Garmin GPS through a tunnel at 80mph, the GPS acts as if it's keeping a signal. It's just the program compensating based on speed and knowing I'm on a road. If there's a traffic jam in that tunnel or I slow down, the GPS still has me moving through at the same speed I entered. The only time I get the message that the signal was lost is if I haven't made it out, when the GPS expected me out. In covered parking garages, the Garmin tells me I lost my GPS signal almost instantly.

Ahhh the tricks of software to cover a lost GPS signal is like magic!