Q: Why does my GPS work fine outside but fail completely indoors?
A: GPS signals from satellites cannot effectively penetrate building materials like concrete, steel, and metal roofing. Even near windows, indoor GPS reception is typically poor because buildings block most satellites and create multipath interference from signal reflections. This is normal GPS behavior, and indoor positioning requires alternative technologies like WiFi or Bluetooth beacons.
Q: My GPS takes several minutes to find my location - how can I fix this?
A: Slow GPS acquisition usually results from outdated assistance data, poor satellite visibility, or disabled A-GPS features. Try enabling high-accuracy location mode, ensuring cellular/WiFi data is available for assistance downloads, clearing GPS cache data, and testing in open areas with clear sky views. Cold starts after extended non-use normally take 30-60 seconds.
Q: Why does my GPS show me in the wrong location or jump around?
A: GPS inaccuracy can result from poor satellite geometry, signal reflections in urban areas, interference, or device calibration issues. Try moving to areas with better sky visibility, calibrating your device's compass/magnetometer, updating software, and checking for sources of electronic interference. Urban areas naturally have higher GPS errors due to building reflections.
Q: My GPS worked fine but suddenly stopped working - what happened?
A: Sudden GPS failure often results from software updates that changed settings, app permission changes, hardware problems, or physical damage to GPS antennas. Check that location services are enabled, apps have location permissions, try restarting your device, and test GPS functionality with different applications to isolate the problem.
Q: Does bad weather affect GPS accuracy?
A: Normal weather has minimal impact on GPS, but heavy rain, snow, or storm systems can slightly degrade accuracy through signal attenuation and atmospheric delays. Severe weather rarely causes complete GPS failure but may reduce accuracy by several meters. The bigger issue is often reduced visibility that makes navigation more challenging regardless of GPS performance.
Q: Why does my car's GPS work better than my phone?
A: Dedicated car GPS systems often have larger antennas, better mounting positions with clear sky views, and more powerful receivers than smartphones. They may also use different map data or processing algorithms optimized for automotive navigation. However, smartphones have advantages including current map updates and traffic information that older car systems may lack.
Q: How can I tell if my GPS hardware is broken?
A: GPS hardware problems typically cause consistent failures across all applications and environments. Test GPS functionality in multiple apps and open-sky locations - if GPS never works or shows consistently poor performance regardless of conditions, hardware problems are likely. Built-in diagnostic tools can show if GPS is detecting any satellites at all.
Q: Can I improve my phone's GPS accuracy somehow?
A: Enable high-accuracy location mode to use all available positioning systems, keep software updated, calibrate sensors regularly, avoid metallic cases that block signals, and ensure A-GPS assistance data is current. For critical applications, consider external GPS receivers with better antennas, though smartphone GPS accuracy limitations are largely physics-based rather than fixable through settings.