iphone 3G GPS not working?

[frustrated3g]

it dont work for me

Your method works perfectly!
Thank you so much. I've been trying to fix this for so long. Cheers!

killall and stuff doesnt work...
its says something like no matching processes were found

 

[frustrated3g]

CONFIRMED GPS FIX

Q: So what's the problem?
A: "locationd", the process that makes GPS work, isn't working correctly.

Q: Why?
A: It's Apple so who the hell knows why. One thing that's for sure however is that deleting the cache can fix the problem.

Q: Tell me more.
A: No restore required, not even a restart. It's a simple fix, you'll just need a jailbroken iPhone to do it. If you haven't jailbroken yet, you should consider (as of 2009-09-28 you cannot jailbreak if you've updated to OS 3.1). You'll need to be able to send commands to your iPhone, which can be done through SSH or through Terminal, which is an app that can be installed from Cydia.

1. Go back to the home screen.
2. Open Terminal or establish a SSH connection. Note that these commands are case sensitive (capitalization matters).
3. Type the following, it will terminate the locationd process (the process will restart next time your iPhone uses the GPS):
killall -9 locationd
4. Type the following, it will delete the GPS cache (don't worry about deleting the cache, it'll rebuild itself next time your iPhone uses the GPS):
rm -rf /var/root/Library/Caches/locationd
5. Open Maps, your GPS should be working now.

So to reiterate the commands:

killall -9 locationd
rm -rf /var/root/Library/Caches/locationd

it didnt work for me...
killall and it says soemthing like no matching prcesses were found

 

[frustrated3g]

can anyone help me the process is not workinggggggggggggggggg.
its says no matching processes belonging to you were found

 

[UnicornPrincess]

If the "killall" step doesn't work then ignore the message it spits out, locationd isn't necessarily running all the time. This step is only to terminate locationd if it *is* running. The most important part is the "rm -rf" to delete the cache.

I'll update my instructions to clarify.

 

[recruitul]

I tried the method to clear the cache but I get an error: "You don't have enough permissions to delete this directory" or something similar.

I have 3GS with OS 3.0 (7A341) and I am stucked in middle of USA without GPS.

I also tried to reset network settings, but I couldn't go under a clear sky, so didn't worked so far.

I tried another fix as well, to turnoff Location Services but didn't worked either.

Help?

 

[mtnmeerkat]

It Works!

I know this sounds crazy, but I had the same problem since I bought my phone about 24 hours ago. I was able to fix it by firmly but gently smacking it against a table a few times. Read this blog post: http://blogs.freshlogicstudios.com/Posts/View.aspx?Id=0367a528-e5ca-4e80-a823-43ab71f54160

So I thought this guy was crazy. I have been trying to get my GPS to work for 2 months. I read post after post, restored the iphone 3 times as a new phone, called ATT's iPhone help line, called Apple's iPhone help line, went to an Aplle store, reset carrier setting, turned off 3G, turned on 3G, got a new 3G sim card........Nothing. As a matter of fact it got worse after the last restore. Today I came across the "smacking your iPhone against the table" suggestion that I saw weeks ago and dismissed as crazy.

Since I was going to get a new iPhone today I thought I would try it. I just gently smacked the iPhone against the palm of my hand and a miracle happened. It found my location dead on within seconds!!!! I have turned off the map app 4 times and it is now working every time. I ran xGPS drive and it found me for the first time. That is just crazy! I guess it is a manufacturing problem. I am going to call Apple today and let them know that this worked.

 

[eurofighter]

I tried the method to clear the cache but I get an error: "You don't have enough permissions to delete this directory" or something similar.

I have 3GS with OS 3.0 (7A341) and I am stucked in middle of USA without GPS.

I also tried to reset network settings, but I couldn't go under a clear sky, so didn't worked so far.

I tried another fix as well, to turnoff Location Services but didn't worked either.

Help?

I had the same issue, "Permission denied", luckilly I had a friend who could help me. And this is how it goes:

type: su

This will make you become the root user. Therefore you have to type in the iphone password, normally it's "Alpine" or "Alpin" (not sure as I didn't do the typing - check somewhere else if it doesn't work)

Once you phone sais: iPhone:/var/mobile root# you have to type the code again:

rm -rf /var/root/Library/Caches/locationd

It worked perfectly. My compas is now working for the first time ever!!! Long live the jailbreak.

 

[recruitul]

Eurofighter you are a saver! It works now and locks my position.

For those who try to type the password, the Iphone won't show you you that you are actually typing! I typed alpine all small letters and I was set as root user.

Also I tried to make sure I have turned the wireless and location services off and restart the phone. After turn back on both of them.

Before this, I was just about to make a post that smashing your Iphone is a stupid idea. It didn't worked for me at least. I smacked it gently, harder and very hard but still no change. Maybe it helps some, but don't damage the phone, there should be other solutions, like deleting cache.


I will come back with updates.

 

[frustrated3g]

guess wat guys..
tried the kill all and ****.. didnt work

did the su alpine to get the killall and rm rf to work

did the rm rf

TURNS OUT that IT DOESNT WORK..

very honestly... i bought the 3g specially for the gps..just doesnt work

 

[recruitul]

Skip that step with killall. If you restart the phone before entering in terminal, you don't need that command anymore, as will be closed.

just do what eurofighter said.

the password is alpine (try Alpine also in case doesn't work)

and than follow the other command. Be aware as the code is case sensitive.

 

[Route66a]

I did the rm on mobile terminal and it didn't work SSH-ed with Cyberduck deleted the whole cache and voila all is working again! Thanks for your tips. Will pospone the jailbreak update for a while, it's such a hassle
I still do not understand what happened. I couldn't get a signal while trekking in Nepal. I did get a signal in Pokhara though. This map turned up all the time. Not helpful being in Europe again....

 

[frustrated3g]

I did the rm on mobile terminal and it didn't work SSH-ed with Cyberduck deleted the whole cache and voila all is working again! Thanks for your tips. Will pospone the jailbreak update for a while, it's such a hassle
I still do not understand what happened. I couldn't get a signal while trekking in Nepal. I did get a signal in Pokhara though. This map turned up all the time. Not helpful being in Europe again....

so did it work or not?

 

[MathijsDelva]

O M G. I tried everything i've found on the internet and nothing worked, including the terminal cache commands. Then i read that stupid smack the iphone thing, and by god it worked! I am NOT lying! I really can't believe this :|

 

[DonovanMacLeod]

I hate to say it

I've tried everything, and have been fighting this for months. I just smacked my Iphone against my hand firmly 3 times. It worked like a charm. I don't know whether to be happy or disappointed. How could something so barbaric be so effective on such a sophisticated device? Next I'm gonna need duct tape to make tethering work.

 

[Route66a]

so did it work or not?

I did work with SSH deleting the locationd folder

 

[muterarc]

killall and stuff doesnt work...
its says something like no matching processes were found

Guys, I forgot to tell you I used iFunbox to do this

It does work if you do it right.

 

[johnitravolta]

UnicornPrincess,

the solution you gave seems good to me, i can understand why it would fix it.
but some how i repeatedly get the same location (about 300km south than the original location).

i do that again and again, and always i get the very same location presented.
what else could it be?

 

[johnitravolta]

Another working solution.

hello,

for those who still have the problem, try this:
add this source to your cydia. - cydia.iphoneil.net
then download Push Fix.

Reboot your device and that's it.
worked for me, just tried this couple minutes ago.

 

[boazlaz]

hello,

for those who still have the problem, try this:
add this source to your cydia. - cydia.iphoneil.net
then download Push Fix.

Reboot your device and that's it.
worked for me, just tried this couple minutes ago.

saw that also on an israeli forum.
it worked for lots of people - not for me.
how do i know if my gps antenna is broken?

 

[johnitravolta]

the orders are to Reset Network settings first, and then download the Push Fix.


try it again.
there aren't many ways to fix this problem, either one of the solution presents in this thread, or the solution i suggested.

about the gps antenna, if the gps stopped working right after you updated to the latest version, then the antenna shouldn't be the problem.

 

[MathijsDelva]

Is it me, or can't i find Push Fix in there?

 

[boazlaz]

Is it me, or can't i find Push Fix in there?

search for the youtube fix - they have renamed it.

 

[UnicornPrincess]

I forgot that Terminal logs you in as 'mobile', which doesn't have the permissions you need to delete the directory. I'll update my original post.

 

[saltrock2k]

Doesn't work, you were apparently a special case.

Here's how you fix it:

- Go to settings, general, auto-lock, change it from 1 Minute to NEVER
- Go to settings, general, reset, reset network settings (THIS WILL REBOOT YOUR IPHONE)
- Go outside, in a clear place with NO tree's, buildings, or anything blocking your view of the sky
- Open "MAPS", click NO on all that wi-fi crap, then click the little gps icon, and let it sync up with the satellites (this could take a few minutes)

It will work.... unless you don't do something right. You do not need to sync up with itunes or restore in itunes first.

Let me know if it works or not, i just tried it on my girlfriends phone and it worked great after that. Also, a few other people with the same issue reported success as well.

SEND ME A PM if you have questions though, as I may or may not be checking this thread.

This works a treat.

The only thing here is that you do not need to everything nimda0 says, but it's worth a shot.

The only thing I would say is that the network reset is different in the English iPhone.

Goto SETTING > GENERAL > RESET > RESET NETWORK SETTINGS

I did this and switched everything off, Wi-Fi, 3G and Location Services.
I then Stood directly under a Phone mast, Well close enough, and reset the Network Settings. Upon reboot I went into Maps and it asked me to turn on location services. I did this, and proceeded back to Maps. Picked me up and works eveytime. I had the problem ever since I upgraded to version 3.0.

I do remeber that you should reset your network settings every once in a while, as I had to do this to get the Exchange feature working (which now work all the time) when I bought the phone in Aug 2008.

BTW, I did not set the Auto-Lock to never, and still have it on 1 minute. I also tried a different GPS antenna, but that did not work. I believe that it's a software issue, and if your phone deffinitely does not work after this then you have a broken phone (Seriously get it replaced).

Tried my Co Pilot Live and WHAM, picked me up without 3G and Wi-Fi on and followed me Turn by Turn, Before I got to the turn, so all working well.

The annoying issue I have is that I called Apple about this and they asked me to restore the phone as new, and I lost all my photo's of my 4 month old Daughter. The only things that do not Sync. They do with iPhoto and on Windows you have the autoload.


But hey, my phone works as new. Thanks Nimda0


T thumb up

 

[Eddieqassim]

Didn't work for me

Hi
tried this but it didn't work for me. Anything else you can suggest will be appriciated. Thanks

CONFIRMED GPS FIX
(Only confirmed for people whose GPS randomly stopped working, but since it doesn't harm anything it's still worth a try for any other GPS problem. It's just a general cache refresh.)

Q: So what's the problem?
A: "locationd", the process that makes GPS work, isn't working correctly.

Q: Why?
A: It's Apple so who the hell knows why. One thing that's for sure however is that deleting the cache can fix the problem.

Q: Tell me more.
A: No restore required, not even a restart. It's a simple fix, you'll just need a jailbroken iPhone to do it. If you haven't jailbroken yet, you should consider. You'll need to be able to send commands to your iPhone, which can be done through SSH or through Terminal, which is an app that can be installed from Cydia.

1. Go back to the home screen.
2. Open Terminal or establish a SSH connection. Note that these commands are case sensitive (capitalization matters). If you're using Terminal, you need to log in as root to run these commands. To log in as root type 'su' and enter the root password 'alpine' when it asks.
3. Type the following, it will terminate the locationd process (the process will restart next time your iPhone uses the GPS):
killall -9 locationd
If the above command says no matching processes found, that just means locationd isn't currently running and you can continue to the next step.
4. Type the following, it will delete the GPS cache (don't worry about deleting the cache, it'll rebuild itself next time your iPhone uses the GPS):
rm -rf /var/root/Library/Caches/locationd
5. Open Maps, your GPS should be working now.

So to reiterate the commands:

killall -9 locationd
rm -rf /var/root/Library/Caches/locationd