Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Got my iPhone 4 swapped. GPS is less accurate now?

C

cathyy

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Apr 12, 2008
727
4
Basically I had a previous iPhone 4. The GPS on it was really accurate and always managed to pinpoint my location to within 5 metres. It was also extremely responsive and would update my position the moment I started moving. However it had a dot on the screen so I had it exchanged.

On my new iPhone 4 the tracking is still accurate, but just not as good as before. It often shows me quite a bit further away than I really am. On top of that, my position will keep moving even when I'm standing perfectly still, whereas my previous iPhone 4 would just stay locked on to me completely.

Furthermore it has a lag issue. Whenever I start moving, it takes about 10 - 15 seconds before it starts updating my position again. Whenever I stop, it takes awhile for it to realize that I have stopped moving as well, and my position on screen will fly further ahead than my actual position. After that it will slowly move back towards me and start jumping a bit again.

Lastly, whenever my previous iPhone 4 managed to lock onto a GPS signal, it would pretty much almost have no blue-circle unless I zoomed in really close. However with my newer iPhone 4, it constantly appears and disappears again.

Does anyone know why this is happening? Any solutions? Should I get it changed, again? :(
 
cathyy said:
Basically I had a previous iPhone 4. The GPS on it was really accurate and always managed to pinpoint my location to within 5 metres. It was also extremely responsive and would update my position the moment I started moving. However it had a dot on the screen so I had it exchanged.

On my new iPhone 4 the tracking is still accurate, but just not as good as before. It often shows me quite a bit further away than I really am. On top of that, my position will keep moving even when I'm standing perfectly still, whereas my previous iPhone 4 would just stay locked on to me completely.

Furthermore it has a lag issue. Whenever I start moving, it takes about 10 - 15 seconds before it starts updating my position again. Whenever I stop, it takes awhile for it to realize that I have stopped moving as well, and my position on screen will fly further ahead than my actual position. After that it will slowly move back towards me and start jumping a bit again.

Lastly, whenever my previous iPhone 4 managed to lock onto a GPS signal, it would pretty much almost have no blue-circle unless I zoomed in really close. However with my newer iPhone 4, it constantly appears and disappears again.

Does anyone know why this is happening? Any solutions? Should I get it changed, again? :(
Click to expand...

Good that you brought this up. Are you using Google Maps to pinpoint your location? I'm not sure if it's my GPS going haywire or the actual App itself, but it's always off by about 10 metres, which is incredibly annoying.
 
Yeah I used Google Maps on both phones. The first time it was always pretty accurate.
 
Actually, seems like I was being a bit of a noob. Turns out weather conditions play a big part in accurate determination, so I was under an ominous cloud most of the time. I did it under clearer settings, and got <1m radius accuracy.

Try using the app called GPS Status, and check what kind of fix you're getting. Do it outside - away from shelters etc. and on a clear day.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back