Android smartphones are becoming more and more advanced as they become powerful and efficient in doing a wider range of tasks. But there are some basic and essential tools in your smartphone. We often get frustrated when we encounter problems with the basic functionalities of our smartphones at the time we need them the most. One such thing is GPS problem leading to no or wrong location detection. Imagine being stuck in an unfamiliar location, and finding your GPS not working as expected. It becomes quite tough to ask for directions from a stranger. Having a GPS allows you to determine the location and check directions in less than 30 seconds.
But the GPS problem affects the reliability and efficiency of your smartphone. We often start to panic in such situations without knowing some of the basic tips to fix the GPS problem on our devices. First of all, you need to check if there is really an issue with the GPS or not. We can do this by determining how accurate the location is detected by GPS. Open Google Maps or any other mapping service. Check how accurately is your current location. The ring around the pin helps you to determine the error in your location. If you find too much error or a wrong location detected, scroll down this article to fix Highscreen GPS problem.
How To Fix Highscreen GPS Problem?
Step 1: Toggle GPS
Turn OFF your GPS for a minute or few seconds and then turn it ON. Allow it to search for the location again. Repeat the step for a few times and check if it works. It would help you fix any temporary issues or software glitches.
Step 2: Toggle Flight/Airplane Mode
Flight mode is a switch for your network connectivity. It is found that toggling flight mode helps in fixing a lot of issues on your device. Switch it On and wait for 15-20 seconds before it is switched OFF again. This can be done by accessing the notifications area of your phone and then toggling the Airplane mode
Step 3: Reboot your phone
Many problems can be fixed by a reboot. It is the easiest method to fix any tons of issues. A reboot helps to refresh phone’s settings allowing to fix bugs that might have generated during the previous start-up. In this case, your GPS might not have started even if you turned it ON due to a software glitch during the start-up. Try this method before proceeding to any complex and long fix.
Step 4: Check the line of Sight (LOS) to the Sky
GPS requires a clear view of the sky to detect satellites, which can be obstructed by numerous things. Obstacles can be thick walls or even your phone’s case which might be blocking radio signals. Only a good network connection is not important, you should go outside under the sky for your phone to receive the signals from the GPS satellites above and ensure that it’s showing your location. Also, try to remove any obstacles which hamper GPS performance and efficiency. A thick wall and even your phone case can be an obstacle causing interference for the proper functioning of GPS. If you cannot remove or avoid obstacles, the best solution is to go outside under a clear sky.
Step 5: Turn ON High-Accuracy mode
Switch ON the “High Accuracy” mode. This would help boost the signals. This helps the GPS identify the location more accurately. The main disadvantage of this feature is that it uses a bit more battery than normal. But this sacrifice is important in order to get correction location information through GPS. All you have to do is to go to Settings > Location and tap on mode and choose High Accuracy Mode. You can always undo it when GPS is no more required to save battery.
Step 6: Turn OFF power saving mode
Navigate to Settings»Battery/Power options. Select Power saving/battery saving mode and disable it if you have enabled it. Power Saving mode might have turned ON automatically to save battery by turning off some functionalities such as Bluetooth, GPS, etc.
Step 7: Recalibrate the GPS
Sometimes, although your phone’s GPS may be showing your location, it may not point you in the right direction. This is mainly due to a non-calibrated compass giving inaccurate or wrong location information by GPS. Calibration can be done via the compass app which resides in most of the smartphones. Open the Compass app. Watch the animations or read the instructions. Follow them in correct order to calibrate your compass.
Step 8: Refresh GPS data
Many times, the device gets stuck on certain satellites, especially when there is poor network reception. This even happens if they’re not within range. Refreshing both GPS and A-GPS may fix issues related to GPS. A-GPS is an assistant GPS. It is the data that improves the GPS quality, efficiency, and performance of your device. It is quite possible that it may have generated some issues and bugs over time and thus needs to be refreshed. Open Settings»Apps»All. Tap on A-GPS, clear data and cache. Try applications such as GPS Status & Toolbox to clear GPS data. This helps to start connecting to satellites from a fresh start.
Step 9: Update applications and OS
Updating of all mapping service applications such as Google maps is necessary. Pending updates lead to outdated maps that may be causing errors in identifying locations accurately or even giving the wrong location. You can update the apps by navigating to Google Play Store » My apps and games » Update all. You can also search for the required app and check if an update is available. Developers often send OS updates to fix bugs and add some new features that may affect your GPS performance. Therefore, you also need to check if there is an OS update available on your smartphone. Check by navigating to Settings»About Phone»Software Updates.
Step 10: Clear cache data
For manually clearing app cache, open Settings»Applications. There you can find the list of the downloaded apps. Every app’s cache memory is to be cleared individually. You also need to clear the storage cache. For this open Setting»Storage. Select clear cache and tap on it. This would erase all cache data/files. Clearing catch data and files are necessary as if there is too much-uncleared cache, your system’s performance is hampered leading to freezing or malfunctioning of the system.
Step 11: Perform a hard reset
This should be the final resort to fixing Wi-Fi problems. If none of the above methods worked, recover all your important data and go for a hard reset. Turn OFF the device. Press and hold the power + volume up button simultaneously until you enter the Recovery mode. Use the Power button as selector and volume button as navigator to choose ‘Wipe data/factory reset’. Here, you must be able to fix the issue once and for all if indeed it was created by a software issue.
Step 13: Get help from an authorized service center
Unfortunately, if you are not able to fix GPS problem by yourself, you have no option but to approach the service center of your smartphone. A hardware-related issue may have caused such problems and it can only be fixed by a technician or the smartphone manufacturer. Avoid going to third-party service centers as it may void your smartphone’s warranty.
Step 14: Invest in an external GPS receiver
If you find yourself in areas where there is weak GPS signal reception such as in rural areas, you must invest in an external GPS receiver to get accurate results every time you use it.
