how long does it take for google to get a GPS signal

[Matth3w]

Sat here for 15 minutes with the GPS icon going full blast and never got the navigation started. In the middle of a major city, too

 

[hookbill]

I used it yesterday. Worked instantaneously for me.

You got any large buildings around you?

 

[Matth3w]

Its Arizona lol. Most buildings are one story. So no: )

 

[johnnyvol]

Its Arizona lol. Most buildings are one story. So no: )

It's the dry air!

Seriously, the last two smart phones I've had (Storm and the Droid) have outperformed my rather expensive garmin units in locking on and keeping a signal. They have both been super fast in getting a fix on position. Thinking about selling some of my dedicated GPS units if the Droid keeps working like it has.

I wonder if the cell tower assist or whatever it's called makes it that much faster?

 

[Matth3w]

How can u tell if the GPS system on the phone is bad?

 

[KZIWarrior]

When looked at with your wi-fi problems I wonder if your phone has a bad radio. You may want to consider swapping it in if your still under the 30-days (actually it would still be covered in the 1yr manufacturers warranty).

I'm will Hookbill, mine connects VERY quickly even with low signal (i.e. Thunder-showers or in a deep valley/ridge ect.).

 

[Matth3w]

Would you believe that as soon as I tried it after posting this, the GPS worked. It was a different location but both were outside. Tomorrow I'll go out to my car and try it again from my house and see if it works. When I posted this it was the first time trying to use it.

 

[Backnblack]

Just timed it....40 second sitting in my livingroom.

Looked at the gps status app and I'm locked on 11 sats....

 

[LifeIsABeach]

If this is the first time you are trying to get a GPS signal it can take up to a an hour or more with a good view of the sky. The way GPS's work is that depending on your location it knows where in the sky to look for the satellites. If you have never had a signal before it may assume you are at 0,0 lat/long. I have no idea. Once you get a signal once getting a signal after that is relatively quick since the GPS then knows where to look. Of course if you were to do something like fly across the country and then try to get a signal it could take a long time again.

 

[gentlefury]

before you even say anything I can tell you...

Google Near Me does not work with dolphin....did that help?

 

[Matth3w]

If this is the first time you are trying to get a GPS signal it can take up to a an hour or more with a good view of the sky. The way GPS's work is that depending on your location it knows where in the sky to look for the satellites. If you have never had a signal before it may assume you are at 0,0 lat/long. I have no idea. Once you get a signal once getting a signal after that is relatively quick since the GPS then knows where to look. Of course if you were to do something like fly across the country and then try to get a signal it could take a long time again.

Is that just for Google navigation or in general? Because I've used the GPS for other things...it makes sense if just for the GPS because it was the first time I used it

 

[Incognito631]

I myself am having this problem also. When I try google maps navigation it says searching for gps on the bottom. I dont know what to do. I have read that you can try to uninstall all apps that use your location but im not about to start doing that. I got too many apps to bother with that. I'm going to try and let it sit searching and see what happens.

 

[KZIWarrior]

If this is the first time you are trying to get a GPS signal it can take up to a an hour or more with a good view of the sky. The way GPS's work is that depending on your location it knows where in the sky to look for the satellites. If you have never had a signal before it may assume you are at 0,0 lat/long. I have no idea. Once you get a signal once getting a signal after that is relatively quick since the GPS then knows where to look. Of course if you were to do something like fly across the country and then try to get a signal it could take a long time again.

Unless you have poor line-of-sight to the sky (i.e. tall buildings, mountains Electrical Storms ect.) or are in an area with HEAVY radio traffic (which includes cell phones) it should NEVER take more than a few minutes to get a GPS lock with any modern GPS radio.

To answer you other question: no, GPS receiver's don't "assume" a location all they do is listen for the sat signals and once they get enough of them (at least 4) they calculate current position based on the info they've received. This used to take some time with the old devices (book sized marine units and early cell-phone units) but on a device as fast as the Droid it should be pretty quick. There are some software programs that "aid" the initial calculations by storing your current location data but again, with a modern device like the Droid they don't, IMHO really add much (you may go from a 40-60 sec lock time to a 30 sec lock time). They were really needed more with earlier phones (like my old Tilt) that lacked the power to quickly make the calculations if other processes where running (modern GPS position equations are LONG and complicated).

If anyone's curious:
Global Positioning System - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Matth3w]

I myself am having this problem also. When I try google maps navigation it says searching for gps on the bottom. I dont know what to do. I have read that you can try to uninstall all apps that use your location but im not about to start doing that. I got too many apps to bother with that. I'm going to try and let it sit searching and see what happens.

Let me know what happens...I'm curious. KZI should the GPS work inside a house?

 

[KZIWarrior]

I myself am having this problem also. When I try google maps navigation it says searching for gps on the bottom. I dont know what to do. I have read that you can try to uninstall all apps that use your location but im not about to start doing that. I got too many apps to bother with that. I'm going to try and let it sit searching and see what happens.

Let me know what happens...I'm curious. KZI should the GPS work inside a house?

That depends on a number of factors ranging from the houses construction materials, your distance from a window and where the house is (relative to the sats). Some people can get a lock in their homes and apartments others can't. If you live somewhere nice and flat (i.e. no mountains within a few miles of you) and are near a window you could get enough signals. But your best bet is to go outside away from anything (i.e. not standing on a balcony ect.) if you are trying to confirm a bad radio or track another problem (again, it all comes down to where your are in relation to the sats).