Filed under: Odds and ends, Bugs/Recalls, iPhone
Unhappy customers flaming Apple and each other over iPhone GPS issues
There are quite a lot of posts on the Apple support forums discussing whether nor not the upgrade to iPhone OS 3.0 and later releases has trashed the GPS functionality of the device.At last count there were 24 pages, a high percentage from users in Europe who claim that moving to 3.0 eliminated GPS functions, and all they get is Wi-Fi geolocation or cellular network triangulation.
As often happens, the passion devolves to nasty comments going back and forth, but clearly, some people are having a GPS problem which Apple is not acknowledging as a bug. They are giving some people new phones, but others aren't getting them because their iPhones are out of warranty.
Here's a typical comment from one poster:
"I could not get a satellite GPS (blinking blue dot) on my iPhone, while two other phones running 3.0 like me, got it within seconds. So I returned my unit, and got it replaced. The new phone got a correct GPS signal at once and according to MotionX GPS it was correct within 8 meters.
This leads me to the conclusion that OS 3.0 makes GPS not work on some iPhones (not all). Replacing the unit was the only solution for me, and it worked.
I recommend it to anyone who never (or almost never) get a GPS satellite signal."
Some are blaming their cell service provider, others are blaming Apple. Others are saying it was fixed by the recent version 3.1 update. Of course, with any new hardware/software there are problems, and with millions sold, a lot of reports will surface. What's odd here is that some people are solving it with resets, some with new phones, others with turning 3G off. There just doesn't seem to be any consistency in the solutions, which is probably driving Apple crazy.
Hope these folks get this problem sorted out, and Apple dives in and finds a solutions, or more likely, solutions.
Thanks to Torstein in Norway for the tip
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Howie Isaacks said 2:42PM on 9-12-2009
Perhaps instead of thrashing each other, and Apple in the support forums, they should contact AppleCare and talk to customer relations. They can also email executive relations and complain. Apple sometimes needs to be pushed a little to do the right thing, but they always do so in the end. I have twice been the recipient of a new laptop because I had persistent failures of major components. Apple's first response was to continue repairing the machines, but they were eventually replaced. They would not have been replaced without my politely pushing them to do so. Sometimes, a little less bitching and whining and more polite effort can go a long way. I have seen Apple replace products that are out of warranty many times. As a Mac Genius at the Apple store Willow Bend, I did so many times because I felt that it was the right thing to do.
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Binja said 2:51PM on 9-12-2009
Exactly. If you politely and patiently discuss the issue, first with AppleCare over the phone, then a Genius face to face, you will get a new device.
Apple, is in a unique position as they know what it is like to have there customers abandon them. Now that they are successful they are trying to keep us around. But if all we do is bitch and moan, why would they even want us as customers? It's the patient and understanding customer who gets their way. Not the beligerant asshole.
Dave said 2:53PM on 9-12-2009
This happened to my iPhone 3G when I upgraded to 3.0. I made an appointment at the genius bar and they suggested that I restore the firmware and not restore the backup and set it up as a new phone. Worked like a charm and hasn't given me a problem since.
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sam.guaiana said 2:54PM on 9-12-2009
Is there a difference between just the blue dot and the blinking blue dot? how can you tell if its just cellular triangulation or actual GPS working?
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Hawkman said 2:56PM on 9-12-2009
I've got a 2G -- admittedly not the model we're talking about here -- and having installed 3.0 three different times, location services have worked fine twice, and been screwed up once. That once manifested itself as an inability to find any cell towers for triangulation except one about 30 miles away from my house. Anywhere else in the country I got nothing. So, I'd highly recommend reinstalling the iPhone software as a first step for people having trouble.
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Rudy said 3:01PM on 9-12-2009
wi-fi stopped working on my iphone after the 3.0 update and they would not replace it at the apple store because the dock connector showed signs of "water damage"... which is bullshit because i just got the phone 2 weeks ago after returning my previous iphone when the sleep/wake button stopped working. i have no luck :(
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klitorisaurus said 4:26PM on 9-12-2009
They put the water damage sensor in the most bullshit of places... One tiny rain drop could get in there and void your warranty. I too have never dropped my phone in water, or spilled it anywhere near the device and my water sensor is red. Every other manufacturer puts it in a fair place, what gives?
David owens said 5:53PM on 9-12-2009
I noticed on a recent trip that some of my photos were not located correctly, and some were. Not sure why. After the 3.1 update, so far all works fine.
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mblind said 3:33PM on 9-12-2009
I have a 3gs and the gps works perfect..
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Martian said 3:56PM on 9-12-2009
My jailbroken 3G on t-mobile has never gotten a real GPS fix, under 2.x nor under 3.0. One of several things making me consider switching to a MyTouch and using the iphone without the phone functions.
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Pierre Bernard said 5:44PM on 9-12-2009
[SOLVED]
GPS problems can easily be solved by going to Settings > General > Reset > Reset Location Warnings
Best,
Pierre Bernard
Houdah Software s.a r.l
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gwynne said 12:41AM on 9-14-2009
no it didn't
Ahmed said 5:47AM on 9-13-2009
i think it all depends on circumstances sometimes my gps works and sometimes it makes me feel like an idiot for paying $160 a month just to have a iphone and $100 to have navigon on it... i still remember one day when i really needed the gps to work in the city i had to reset the phone 10 times to get it to work,,, it really pisses me off when i have to stick my hand out the window just to get the gps to lock ive had many phones in the past with gps from a nokia n96 to a htc touch and i never had a problem getting a gps signal or having the signal drop with the iphone even standing on a street under a clear open sky it cant figure out where it is... like if they couldn't fit a good quality gps chip inside the phone why the hell did they put one in anyway?
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KiDo said 4:08PM on 9-13-2009
Maybe a stupid question, but how do you see that a gps signal is acquired?
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Ashley Grayson said 1:37PM on 9-13-2009
I just upgraded my iPhone 3GS to 3.1 and I get a correct location (blue dot in Maps) quickly, but it gets more accurate, from within 30 feet to spot on in about two to three minutes.
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gwynne said 12:51AM on 9-14-2009
I know I am a numpty but I hadn't even picked up on the GPS. Mine doesn't work no blue dot flashing etc. updated software and done reset. This is my second 3Gs as the first one died after three days. (wouldn't charge up) Given new one which I have been using for last three months. I was wondering why I am never standing where the phone says I am. Very existential!
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