Short version: If your gps stops working, try pressing down on the connector labeled 6 under the back cover and you might find it works again.
Use motionX GPS lite (free on the app store) to see if there is a real gps signal, or just cell tower triangulation.
Long version: My GPS stopped working on my out of warranty iPhone around the time 3.1.2 came out. Needless to say, I wasted quite a bit of time restoring etc. to try and fix it, until I finally threw in the towel and scheduled an appointment at the "Genius bar". The Genius prodded and poked for a bit then said, "the gps doesn't work; $200 for a refurb." I asked if his GPS worked, and much to his surprise no, it didn't work either! We looked at another Genius' iPhone and theirs did work, but it was a 3gs. "Does that strike you as a little odd?" I asked, "No! Not at all!... $200." So I went home, hardly satisfied, and hoping that a bug fix or a Dev team or Geohot solution would appear, as I started seeing quite a few hits on google about iphone gps problems.
Days that felt like months, past, and it dawned on me that as some worked and others didn't, all with 3.1.2, it had to be a hardware problem. Maybe there was a loose connection somewhere? I've dropped my phone quite a few times and never bothered with a case or skin (it is so nice I never wanted to cover it up!)
So I bought a tiny screwdriver and following these instructions:
http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Repair/iPhone-3G-GPS-Antenna/582/1
took my iPhone apart (!) I only needed up to step 6, although I did go as far as taking the battery out just to see if I could; no problem. I used a novelty animal toothbrush holder that sticks to the bathroom mirror to remove the screen in step 2. A lot less traumatic than levering it out!
Although I didn't find anything completely loose or disconnected, I did press down quite firmly on the connectors labeled 5 and 6 (6 is the little RF-ish looking button connector that likely goes to the GPS antenna). I think that is what did the trick! I put it back together again, powered it up, selected MotionX GPS lite, and wow! it showed satellite reception! (not just cell tower triangulation as before).
So what is my point? I think the idea of a Genius bar is great! And the infrastructure is more or less in place, but the result is totally dysfunctional! Clearly the "Genii" receive absolutely zero technical training beyond following simple troubleshooting instruction! No one is expected to attempt to "repair" anything! Apple, stop kidding people into thinking you actually care about them and provide some decent training!
DrBubbles.
Use motionX GPS lite (free on the app store) to see if there is a real gps signal, or just cell tower triangulation.
Long version: My GPS stopped working on my out of warranty iPhone around the time 3.1.2 came out. Needless to say, I wasted quite a bit of time restoring etc. to try and fix it, until I finally threw in the towel and scheduled an appointment at the "Genius bar". The Genius prodded and poked for a bit then said, "the gps doesn't work; $200 for a refurb." I asked if his GPS worked, and much to his surprise no, it didn't work either! We looked at another Genius' iPhone and theirs did work, but it was a 3gs. "Does that strike you as a little odd?" I asked, "No! Not at all!... $200." So I went home, hardly satisfied, and hoping that a bug fix or a Dev team or Geohot solution would appear, as I started seeing quite a few hits on google about iphone gps problems.
Days that felt like months, past, and it dawned on me that as some worked and others didn't, all with 3.1.2, it had to be a hardware problem. Maybe there was a loose connection somewhere? I've dropped my phone quite a few times and never bothered with a case or skin (it is so nice I never wanted to cover it up!)
So I bought a tiny screwdriver and following these instructions:
http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Repair/iPhone-3G-GPS-Antenna/582/1
took my iPhone apart (!) I only needed up to step 6, although I did go as far as taking the battery out just to see if I could; no problem. I used a novelty animal toothbrush holder that sticks to the bathroom mirror to remove the screen in step 2. A lot less traumatic than levering it out!
Although I didn't find anything completely loose or disconnected, I did press down quite firmly on the connectors labeled 5 and 6 (6 is the little RF-ish looking button connector that likely goes to the GPS antenna). I think that is what did the trick! I put it back together again, powered it up, selected MotionX GPS lite, and wow! it showed satellite reception! (not just cell tower triangulation as before).
So what is my point? I think the idea of a Genius bar is great! And the infrastructure is more or less in place, but the result is totally dysfunctional! Clearly the "Genii" receive absolutely zero technical training beyond following simple troubleshooting instruction! No one is expected to attempt to "repair" anything! Apple, stop kidding people into thinking you actually care about them and provide some decent training!
DrBubbles.