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The iPhone GPS kind of sucks

H

HurricaneDC

macrumors newbie
Original poster
May 15, 2009
13
0
I was driving down I-66 in Virginia today using my iPhone's GPS and noticed that it's pretty awful. Most of the time it DID have my location, but occasionally it would suddenly show me as drifting off the road and into the woods or bodies of water. I can assure you I did no such thing. It would also sometimes stop tracking me even though the little track button was blue.

Also the compass pisses me off. I'll be pointing the phone East while I'm driving East and it will say that I'm facing North or something ridiculous like that (on both the Compass and Google Maps).

I know the TomTom GPS software & cradle promise to have "enhanced GPS performance." Does that mean not having the fail that I described above?
 
Also the compass pisses me off. I'll be pointing the phone East while I'm driving East and it will say that I'm facing North or something ridiculous like that (on both the Compass and Google Maps).
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Read the manual, the compass doesn't work with lots of interference. There's probably no better place for interference than a car...
 
Also it was probably not the gps being the main issue. it was probably as you were using google maps which has to load the maps as you drive along. So if you do not have 3G signal it is going to lag. If you buy one of the sat nav softwares then you should have better luck. I have Sygic on my phone and it is brilliant
 
Echoing the others, the GPS is dependent on the maps. Someone can correct me, but Google doesn't strike me as interested in constantly maintaining their maps.
If you want up to date maps, you'll have to suck it up and buy a Garmin or one of the other GPS systems.
 
yes, it can be kind of sucky on gmaps, but on a dedicated sat nav app, i find it accurate to within a metre when driving
 
eastercat said:
Echoing the others, the GPS is dependent on the maps. Someone can correct me, but Google doesn't strike me as interested in constantly maintaining their maps.
If you want up to date maps, you'll have to suck it up and buy a Garmin or one of the other GPS systems.
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I've found Google's maps to be extremely accurate.
 
The GPS on the iPhone 4s totally blows! When driving it lags big time. If I want it too actually tell me the true direction I'm walking/driving I have to wait a couple minutes and even then sometimes it never works. This is one component that droid has done far better than apple. This is a pain in the a** fix this apple!
 
Ilandy said:
The GPS on the iPhone 4s totally blows! When driving it lags big time. If I want it too actually tell me the true direction I'm walking/driving I have to wait a couple minutes and even then sometimes it never works. This is one component that droid has done far better than apple. This is a pain in the a** fix this apple!
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I completely disagree. I've been using the GPS and MotionX Drive for years on my 3Gs and now my 4s and it's great. I use it over the built in system in my car even. I drive 30k yr and live by it.

I've not seen it lag at all. You seriously can't tell what direction you're traveling, even walking ?
 
Ilandy said:
The GPS on the iPhone 4s totally blows! When driving it lags big time. If I want it too actually tell me the true direction I'm walking/driving I have to wait a couple minutes and even then sometimes it never works. This is one component that droid has done far better than apple. This is a pain in the a** fix this apple!
Click to expand...

Good job bringing up a thread from July 2009:rolleyes:
 
eastercat said:
Echoing the others, the GPS is dependent on the maps. Someone can correct me, but Google doesn't strike me as interested in constantly maintaining their maps.
If you want up to date maps, you'll have to suck it up and buy a Garmin or one of the other GPS systems.
Click to expand...

I have the latest Tele atlas and navteq maps in dedicated gps device and find google maps to be just as accurate. I believe google may even own one of those companies. Both leaders in the electronic mapping game.
 
I've found with the TomTom GPS app, it has been very accurate.. I have no complaints with the GPS in the 4S.
 
I've never encountered an real GPS issue, even in my house. NAVIGON or Google Maps has never really done me wrong. Even on my iPad no issues with GPS.

I'll assume some people GPS are bad though, I've seen a friends who's GPS is all over the place.
 
I've used dedicated GPS receivers for couple of decades or so. I have Garmin on my 4S and found it lags. So much so that I missed a turn where there were a few streets less than a block apart while going about 25 MPH. In some cases the indicator does not move and then jumps a block or so to catch up with me. No other apps running. Complete view of the sky. Same car that's had no issues with stand-a-lone Garmins.
 
Seriously, nothing can touch Google navigation. And anyone trying to make the argument otherwise is just kidding themselves. This is one thing I will miss when I completely move over to Windows Phone. But I have a standalone Garmin that is more than accurate to take over.
 
Ilandy said:
The GPS on the iPhone 4s totally blows! When driving it lags big time. If I want it too actually tell me the true direction I'm walking/driving I have to wait a couple minutes and even then sometimes it never works. This is one component that droid has done far better than apple. This is a pain in the a** fix this apple!
Click to expand...

My suggestion to you is throw all of your electronic devices in the garbage and call it a day. :D and please get rid of your shovel you used to dig this thread up and don't use it again. :eek:
 
Applejuiced said:
Good job bringing up a thread from July 2009:rolleyes:
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No doibt if they OP had created a new thread, he/she would have been accused of not searching the forums properly.... :rolleyes:

In any case, the GPS signal on my 4S is quite good and I have been impressed by its accuracy. However, there are conditions in which GPS doesn't work well (like being very north....). Unless somebody has compared the GPS performance of the iPhone versus other devices simultaneously, it is hard to draw any conclusions .

The problems with GPS in general make me wonder if the solution of supplementing GPS satellites with fixed land beacons wouldn't work better. GPS is for smart bombs - it was never really designed from the ground up for civilian transportation.
 
The iPhone GPS post 3G version is superb, you just need to use the right app with it. TomTom, Garmin or Navigon are great for starters.
 
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